EDMONTON, Alberta – Top overall pick Ryan Nugent-Hopkins will start the season with the Edmonton Oilers and is set to make his NHL debut against the Pittsburgh Penguins at home on Sunday.
The 18-year-old Nugent-Hopkins might yet end up back in junior hockey because Edmonton has roster decisions remaining.
“To be honest, all I know is I’m going to Jasper (Alberta),” Nugent-Hopkins said. “That’s all I really know. They haven’t really told me anything, so I’m just going to take it one day at a time.
“I feel confident in the way I’ve been playing in preseason. I’m happy with the way it’s gone. I’ve had some awesome linemates to work with and stuff. I’m pretty comfortable with the way things have gone.”
The Oilers have a nine-game window in which to look at him without using up a year of his entry-level contract, but he’ll be in the lineup Sunday.
Based on the lines coach Tom Renney used Monday, that debut could come on the first line between Taylor Hall and Ales Hemsky as a reward for leading the Oilers in preseason scoring with one goal and five assists.
“We all understand the parameters there that he can operate in before we have to make
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