NHL analyst Zach Laing of 'Oilers Nation' revealed that, after careful consideration, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins was the right choice the Oilers made during the 2011 draft. <a href='https://www.eliteprospects.com/draft/nhl-entry-draft/2011' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>It's been over a decade since the Edmonton Oilers</a> selected Ryan Nugent-Hopkins first overall in the 2011 NHL Draft. Joining a young core that included Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle, and Sam Gagner, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins was seen as a key piece of the Oilers' rebuild. Although his rise to stardom was not immediate, <a href='https://www.nhl.com/oilers/player/ryan-nugent-hopkins-8476454' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>Nugent-Hopkins</a> is now one of the most consistent and productive players in his own draft class. With 959 games played with Edmonton, he's logged 271 goals, 477 assists, and 748 points. The 2011 draft class was solid. Twenty-nine of the 30 first-rounders played an average of 572 games, 314 points, with just nine playing under 200 NHL games. Busts were minimal, but players such as Duncan Siemens (11th), Mark McNeill (18th), and Tyler Biggs (22nd) were disappointments. Late picks like Johnny Gaudreau (104th), Ondrej Palat (208th), and especially Nikita Kucherov (58th) added depth to the already great class. <h3>Nikita Kucherov Leads all 2011 Drafted Players in Goals, Assists, and Points</h3> Nikita Kucherov leads the class in goals, assists, and points, and Nugent-Hopkins leads the class in games played. Of 2011 draftees, Nugent-Hopkins is fourth in goals, fourth in assists, and fourth in points, behind only Kucherov, Mark Scheifele, and Jonathan Huberdeau in overall production. <div align='center' class='pl20 pr20'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/OilersNation/status/1952717990639886519'><div style='border:1px solid #CCCCCC;border-radius:10px;padding:20px;width:300px;'>Loading from Twitter ...</div></a></blockquote></div> In the playoffs, he's been no less productive: 96 games, 23 goals, 58 assists, and 81 points. That ranks him fifth in games played, second in assists, and third in total playoff points among his draft peers. Fourteen years on, <a href='https://oilersnation.com/news/edmonton-oilers-summer-2025-prospect-countdown-9-paul-fischer' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>NHL analyst Zach Laing of 'Oilers Nation' believes it's impossible to imagine the Oilers without Nugent-Hopkins.</a> His availability, goal-scoring, and leadership make him not only a great draft pick, but one of the all-time greats of his era to play for the Oilers.