It may have come in a losing effort against the Chicago Blackhawks, but Edmonton Oilers’ forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins attained a personal milestone on Saturday night.
The 31-year-old, who was a first overall pick for the Oilers back in 2011, recorded an assist on Leon Draisaitl’s first goal of the season midway through the third period. The helper was a secondary assist on the powerplay and marked Nugent-Hopkins’ 700th career NHL point.
In his 14th season with the Oilers, Nugent-Hopkins has recorded 251 goals and 449 assists for 700 points in 883 regular season games — averaging 0.79 points per game over that span.
After his first career 100-point season in 2022-23 when he hit 104 points, Nugent-Hopkins took a step back offensively last season with just 67 points in 80 games for the Oilers. He has one assist through two games to start the 2024-25 season.
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As for where he sits on the organization’s all-time lists, he is third in games played (883) behind Ryan Smyth (971) and Kevin Lowe (1,037), eighth all-time in goals, eighth all-time in assists and seventh all-time in points. He is one of three active players inside the top-10.
As for this season, Nugent-Hopkins will be looking for a bounce back year after dropping nearly 40 points. Given the expectations on the Oilers in 2024-25, they will need him at his best to accomplish those goals.
