Ryan Nugent-Hopkins enters 15th NHL season under new coach Babcock
The Oilers' 2011 first-overall pick is spending training camp centring a line with Zach Hyman and Isaac Howard as new head coach Mike Babcock decides how to deploy his most versatile forward.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is preparing for his 15th NHL season with the Edmonton Oilers, working under Mike Babcock, his eleventh head coach since the Burnaby, B.C., native was drafted first overall in 2011. Babcock called Nugent-Hopkins "beyond smart" and said he may be the best player in the middle on the power play in the league.
Nugent-Hopkins has spent recent seasons shifting between centring the Oilers' second line and playing wing alongside Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, a flexibility Babcock says has been valuable since past coaches never settled on a fixed way to deploy the two superstars. This camp, he has mostly centred a line with Zach Hyman and Isaac Howard, though Babcock said the final lineup could vary by game, by home or road matchup, and could change again early in the season depending on results.
Nugent-Hopkins said he is comfortable in either role but stressed that every line needs to contribute for the team to succeed. Having played for so many coaches, he said he has learned to adapt to different systems and described Babcock's approach as fast-paced and direct, which he welcomes as a veteran player.
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