FEATURE: Nothing Nuge About It

EDMONTON, AB - Over the entirety of Ryan Nugent-Hopkins' nine-year career in an Oilers sweater, the cries of 'Nuuuuuuge!' from Oil Country have rung out with the same animation as the first.
His trademark one-footed punch celebration, last performed after scoring his 169th career goal earlier this month in a Pacific Division battle with the Vegas Golden Knights, is expelled today with equal force as the one that came following his first NHL goal against the Pittsburgh Penguins in his NHL debut on October 9, 2011.
Everything in between those goals for Nugent-Hopkins - from playing a role in special teams to his ascendance to assistant captain status - has been a by-product of his unwavering devotion to an Oilers team and fanbase that knew they'd be adding an offensive-minded centre with two-way upside by selecting the Burnaby, BC product with their first-overall pick.
What they may or may not have seen coming, however, was his consistent presence and reputation for the Blue & Orange that would grow to rival the cult status of names like Ryan Smyth, Fernando Pisani and Mike Grier - all before the age of 27.
It's nothing new for the Nuge, who's been more than huge over the years for the only team he's known during his nine-season tenure in the NHL.

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A successful first season of 52 points (18G, 34A) in 62 games flashed his first-overall offensive talent as he finished second in Calder Trophy voting as the League's top rookie behind Colorado's Gabriel Landeskog.
He continued to draw big minutes against the League's elite after the full-time arrival of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl in 2015, but his two-way responsibilities at centre took on a more prominent role.
Despite that change of focus, you'll still hear his name muttered in the same breath as the Dynamic Duo when comes to the club's most relied upon sources of offence.
"I try to play a role where I can be put into any situation," Nugent-Hopkins said. "Producing offensively, trying to stop them from getting goals, or on the PK or PP. I try to make myself versatile."
Time and time again, he impresses his teammates and Oil Country with his all-around game.
"He does everything for us," McDavid said. "Penalty kill, power play, five-on-five - he plays lots of minutes. He's definitely a huge part of our team. He pitches in offensively and his game overall is so solid."

The enigmatic identity of Nugent-Hopkins can be summed up in his ability to produce points and operate with poise at both ends of the ice over 617 regular season and playoff games for the Oilers, becoming the club's most-tenured player heading into Training Camp before the start of the '19-20 campaign this past September.
"I think I just need to keep building on my two-way game and find a way to produce offensively, but always play that solid two-way defensive style as well," he said.
Despite a career-high 28 goals and 69 points from Nugent-Hopkins the season prior, the Oilers still missed the playoffs for the second-straight year after the heights of the '16-17 season that awarded the forward his first crack at the postseason in Edmonton.
His even-keeled approach, even after posting career highs and missing the playoffs for the seventh time in eight seasons, had him arriving at Rogers Place keen to be part of the solution and not one searching for excuses.
"I think if I was negative, it'd get pretty frustrating," he said. "So I think it's important to stay positive. You can obviously learn from the bad, and I think that's what we've had to do over these last couple of years. The last two years just weren't good enough, so we know that.
"We need to get better from the negative things, because obviously in the season there are negative aspects to it. Looking forward, you always have to see the positives and make sure you have the right mindset going in."
The stability preached in the offseason by Ken Holland and Dave Tippett would be a welcomed addition for the Oilers and Nugent-Hopkins, who'd enter his ninth NHL season under the fifth and seventh respective general manager and head coach of his career.
"I like that a lot," Nugent-Hopkins said of the stability. "I don't know if it's something we've been missing, but what we need to get better at is the consistency in our game. Stability from management coaches is something that's going to really help us.

"Even in the last two years when we played our game, we can play with any team in the League. It's just a matter of we just don't do it enough. We don't do it every night, and we need to get better at doing that and I think their stability will definitely help us with that."
With McDavid and Draisaitl seemingly anchored on the Oilers top line as a pair, a solution to Nugent-Hopkins' regular rotation of wingers over the years was sought by the coaching staff in hopes of providing the tenured centre with some consistency for the coming season.
"Whoever it is, whatever happens, it'll definitely be nice to be able to build some chemistry," Nugent-Hopkins said. "Even if things don't go well, I still feel like it's nice to stick with guys and turn it around together."
Who would've thought, by the time the calendar would turn over to the new decade, that he would himself become the winger he needed.
Through 35 games, Nugent-Hopkins had his hand in playing a number of roles defensively for the Oilers. Just seven goals and 20 points at this stage of the season, however, wasn't up to snuff for the forward himself.
"I'm not scoring. That's what a slump is," he said. "I feel like I'm doing other aspects of my game well. You can create a lot and feel good, but at the end of the day you still have to find a way to break through and get a couple."
Tippett slotted Nugent-Hopkins on the left wing of Draisaitl and Bakersfield Condors call-up Kailer Yamamoto to begin the new year, hoping to find more rhythm in his Oilers lineup that went 5-8-1 in December.
The decision would be the breakthrough both the Oilers and Nugent-Hopkins needed.
Since December 31, Nugent-Hopkins was the fifth-most productive forward in the NHL with 41 points (15G, 26A) - only behind Draisaitl, Nikita Kucherov, Mika Zibanejad and Artemi Panarin - as Tippett seemed to have found the right formula for unlocking his offence.

A 17-8-5 record for the Oilers during that span solidified the club in the Pacific Division playoff picture, seemingly on the right road towards returning to the promised land after a two-year absence. Additions in names like Andreas Athanasiou, Tyler Ennis, and Mike Green at February's Trade Deadline were rewards for the team's elevated play, and Nugent-Hopkins sensed a switch going off.
"I just got word from our media guy, but it's exciting," Nugent-Hopkins said post-game on February 23 following Green's acquisition. "Obviously we're in a different position than past years and we're pushing right now, so adding a guy like that, a very experienced guy and high-end defenceman, it's definitely exciting times."
The Nuge has once again been a revelation for Oil Country with 22 goals and 61 points in 65 games this season.
Whether or not the Oilers will be able to begin their quest for the Stanley Cup, the consistent contributions of Nugent-Hopkins once again show the 26-year-old's dedication to the club and willingness to be part of the solution.