With the number one pick, Edmonton Oilers GM Steve Tambellini went up to the podium with a golden smile and announced the Oilers newest member: Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.
“I don’t know what was going through my head. I was just so happy to hear my name,” said Nugent-Hopkins.
Clearly, Nugent-Hopkins is aware of the Oilers dynasty and the many players who literally left their numbers up in the rafters. With so many young talented players already in the mix of the organization, it is almost impossible to ignore a brand new vibe in the making. With Taylor Hall, Linus Omark, Magnus Paajarvi, Jordan Eberle and now the newest addition with Nugent-Hopkins, could there be another dynasty on the horizon in the City of Champions?
"I joined a rebuilding Red Deer team last season and I really liked what we accomplished there in my two years. Edmonton’s going through the same thing, only in the NHL. The ultimate goal is to win a Stanley Cup and doing it in a rebuild ... I’d like that,” he said.
For those who are unaware of the skill and the ability from that lanky kid from Burnaby, B.C, there is something very uncanny about him worth noting. While it is very impossible to compare an unproven rookie with any of the NHL Hall of Famers, Chief Scout of Hockey Canada, Kevin Prendergast is convinced that Hopkins plays like that skinny guy from Brantford, Ont.
"Who does he play like? I hate to say it, but it’s Gretzky. He’s not big, they say he’s not that fast, but he’ll play in traffic. The puck follows him around and if he loses it, he goes and gets it back. He’s got the Detroit (Red Wings) mentality there.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ap8C8zLklcw&feature=youtu.be (watch video and see why)
At any rate what the Oilers do have in the arsenal is a high end #1 centre. The kid can pass, shoot and has the vision, the hockey sense and the ability, to make the rest of his players around him better.
Couple him with Taylor Hall and/or Jordan Eberle and you will probably be witnessing the most dynamic and scariest lines in the NHL.
However, to foreshadow the events for the newly anointed #1 pick, it is safe to say that Ryan Nugent-Hopkins will find himself back in Red Deer and perhaps be given a shot at a Gold Medal at the World Juniors in December.
Don't worry folks, the wait will be worth it.
Believe it.
“That wouldn’t disappoint me, playing again in Red Deer. Another year in junior wouldn’t hurt me,” he said.
And it certainly won't hurt the Oilers.
Day 2 of the 2011 Entry Draft Oilers Picks
The Edmonton Oilers finished their second day at the draft and picked up a couple of names very familiar to the Oilers past.
Chosen at 31st David Musil and Dillon Simpson (92nd) are son's of former Oilers Frank Musil and Craig Simpson.
Below is the rest of the players picked up by the Oilers in order.
Draft Day 1
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (C) 1st
Oscar Klefbom (D) 19th
Draft Day 2
David Musil (D) 31st,
Samu Perhonen (G) 62nd
Travis Ewanyk (LW) 74th
Dillon Simpson (D) 92nd
Tobias Rieder (C) 114th
Martin Gernat (D) 122nd
Frans Tuohimaa (G) 182nd overall
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