BLOG: Nugent-Hopkins burning bright as a quiet star

EDMONTON, AB -Effective and understated, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is quietly in the midst of one of the best Oilers seasons of all time.
With 96 points in 76 games, the 29-year-old is on the cusp of 100 points, a mark he has not hit since his junior hockey days with the Red Deer Rebels. Nugent-Hopkins has obliterated his previous career high of 69 points and currently sits sixth in the entire National Hockey League in scoring.
How impressive has Nugent-Hopkins under-the-radar campaign been?
He is currently on pace to be just the third former first-overall-pick out of the last 14 drafts to eclipse the 100-point mark in a single season. The other two members of that club are Connor McDavid and Auston Matthews.
The list of non-Oilers who have more points than Nugent-Hopkins this season consists of Nikita Kucherov, Matthew Tkachuk, David Pastrnak, and that is it.
In the storied history of the Oilers, the only players that have eclipsed the century mark in a given season are Wayne Gretzky, Connor McDavid, Paul Coffey, Jarri Kurri, Mark Messier, Leon Draisaitl Glenn Anderson, Doug Weight, Jimmy Carson, and likely Nugent-Hopkins by the end of the year.

Add in Ryan Nugent-Hopkins flexibility to play all over the lineup for Head Coach Jay Woodcroft and his strong defensive acumen, and you have someone who has been a major factor in the Oilers success this season. However, due to a couple of dominating seasons by Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, the longest serving Oilers rise has come in the shadows of era-defining season.
"I think there are a lot of guys having great seasons, having career years. Sometimes it gets overshadowed with (McDavid) and Leon, and what they do and the historical numbers that they put up on a consistent basis," Evander Kane said about his teammate. "But Nuggy has obviously been a big part of that power play for a long time and specifically this year and is shooting the puck a little bit more and finding the back of the net. So, he's had a real great year."
As the 12-year veteran inches closer to the century mark, he will hesitantly admit that the milestone is something he has thought about. However, much like McDavid the greater focus is on just how special this Oilers team can be.
"Yeah, it's obviously there. I know it's there. My focus right now is finishing off these six games well for the team and positioning ourselves in a good spot here," Nugent-Hopkins said. "It's something that's there, and it would be a cool milestone to hit as a personal accomplishment, but my main focus right now is definitely getting these last six wins."

The bigger picture is where the focus lies for the Oilers. First place in the Western Conference is currently within their grasp, sitting two points back of the Vegas Golden Knights, a team they have taken seven of a possible eight points against this season. A common message in the Oilers locker room as milestone after milestone falls is focus on the team results and the points will come -- that certainly has been the case in the month of March.
Edmonton been blazing towards the postseason with a 12-2-1 record this month, all while Stuart Skinner set an Oilers record for wins by a goaltender in a month with 10; McDavid, Draisaitl, and Kane all scored their 300th career goals; McDavid scored his 60th goal; Draisaitl set the salary cap era (SCE) record for power-play goals with 28; and McDavid became the first player of the SCE to record over 140 points.
The next domino to fall in 100 points for Nugent-Hopkins, but you won't hear him bring it up without some prodding from the media.
"I think the thing that not a lot of people talk about is his selflessness. I move him around, everywhere in the lineup, and he never says a word," Woodcroft said of his understated star. "He's someone who is team first, always has been, so it's ironic that he's having his career year, and he's on the verge of 100 points while being versatile, selfless, team first."
The Oilers have six games remaining in the regular season, with Nugent-Hopkins needing just four more points to reach the milestone. The quiet locker room leader is fresh off a nine-game point streak and has 15 points in his last 10 contest.
It's looking more of a matter of if, rather than when, for the NHL's quietest star.