Nugent-Hopkins ‘awesome’ for Oilers in Game 5 win against Stars | NHL.com

Nugent-Hopkins went through lean seasons with the Oilers before they became Stanley Cup contenders. He is the only player remaining from the earlier rebuild and recommitted to the organization when he signed an eight-year contract on June 29, 2021, that runs through the 2028-29 season.

“I think your early years, especially if you’re coming from junior where you had some success, it can be frustrating for sure to be missing the playoffs year in and year out, but at the same time, you get extra time to work on your game in the summer,” Nugent-Hopkins said. “As young kid there’s lots to grow into physically and mentally. You kind of mature and figure out how you’re going to be a good player in the League.”

Missing the playoffs in his early seasons has made Nugent-Hopkins appreciative of the current run. The Oilers have been knocking on the door, reaching the playoffs for a fifth straight season, and have gone through their share of postseason heartbreak. Now Nugent-Hopkins and the Oilers are one win away from facing either the Florida Panthers or New York Rangers in the Stanley Cup Final, where Edmonton hasn’t been since 2006.

“Definitely the crowd is going to be buzzing for sure, it’s going to be loud and it’s going be exciting,” Nugent-Hopkins said of Game 6 at home. “For us, it’s about controlling the emotions, playing within ourselves and trusting our game, and it should be good enough to get the job done.”

When he first came into the NHL, Nugent-Hopkins was the young face of the Oilers’ future. Though he hasn’t appeared to have aged since joining Edmonton from Red Deer of the Western Hockey League, Nugent-Hopkins has developed into one of the best two-way players in the League.

“I think he’s the heartbeat of this team,” defenseman Mattias Ekholm said. “He’s been here a long time. He’s the one that shows the culture. He’s a hardworking guy, and I think his game suits that perfect where he is so responsible defensively but still a threat and part of that power-play unit that is probably one of the most lethal ones in the game. I have nothing but praise for him. I think he’s a great guy off the ice as well, so he does it all.”

Nugent-Hopkins is one of the few players on the roster who plays a major role in all situations. He is on the first line with McDavid and Zach Hyman, plays on the first power-play unit and kills penalties.

“Definitely, it’s something that I’ve taken a lot of pride in over the years and worked on both sides of the puck,” he said. “I want to be relied upon in different situations. We have a lot of guys that can play in both situations, we know that, but it’s something that I do take a lot of pride in. You have to be dialed in at all times and sometimes the power play can make the difference, sometimes the PK can make the difference and sometimes you have to get it done 5-on-5.

“You want to keep improving on both sides of it and see where we can get.”