Edmonton Oilers Ryan Nugent-Hopkins Wanting to Play in World Juniors -NHL Update
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, the top draft pick of the Edmonton Oilers back in 2010, was unable to participate with Team Canada during last year’s World Junior Championships, but is hopeful of getting an opportunity this time keeping the lockout in view.
According to various sources, the 19-year-old forward is looking towards representing his country in the next worldwide event which will kick off in Ufa, Russia, but there have been no confirmations made by the Edmonton Oilers as of yet in that regard.
Montreal Canadiens were one of the recent teams that kept their top prospects from playing abroad and kept them in the American Hockey League (AHL) to continue developing.
Nugent-Hopkins is currently believed to be in Edmonton to have a routine examination on his shoulder, which was injured last season after he crashed into the boards during an exhibition matchup. It will be interesting to see in the upcoming days what goes
on with the player in that regard after he expressed his interests quite openly.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is a native of Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada, and was drafted as the first overall back in round-one of the 2011 National Hockey League (NHL) Entry Draft. The young centre definitely proved to be a played with much potential last
season as he potted 52 points (18 goals, 34 assists) in 62 games played along with 16 minutes in the penalty box.
He is currently locked on to a three-year, entry-level deal with the Edmonton Oilers that will be giving him an annual salary cap hit of $3.775 million, of which $2.85 million is in the form of potential bonuses along with a base salary of $925,000 each
hockey year.
During the NHL lockout, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins continued to play in the minor leagues with the Oklahoma City Barons, for whom the youngster potted 20 points in 19 games to continue showing that he deserved to be picked up as the top prospect back in 2010.
The next couple of days will be crucial to determining whether Ryan Nugent-Hopkins will be participating with Team Canada in the World Junior Championships later on in the month.
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