Ryan Nugent-Hopkins had the best season of his career last year with 104 points in 82 games. However, he preferred to temper expectations ahead of the upcoming election campaign.
That doesn’t mean he doesn’t want to aim even higher in the 2023-24 season, but he will continue to do the little things that allowed him to surpass 100 points for the first time in his career.
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“I don’t know anything about points,” he said in comments shared by the Edmonton Sun newspaper. But I will continue to try to develop my game. I thought last season (50 points in 2021-2022) I didn’t score enough points and lost confidence at the net, and last year I found it again.”
“I have to continue on this path and increase my confidence in my abilities. I want to continue to shoot the puck, take advantage of my opportunities and play 200 feet whether I’m on the wing or in the middle. I know I can impact the game on both sides of the ice,” assured Nugent-Hopkins.
However, the first player in the 2011 auction knows that collective success depends on the individual performance of each player on the team. Both go hand in hand.
“But ultimately everyone’s internal goals depend on the team and success as a team,” he shared. If you play well as an individual it will have a positive effect on the team, that has always been my attitude. A season like last year should give us confidence and we should come out strong.”
The Edmonton Oilers were eliminated in the second round of the playoffs by the Vegas Golden Knights last year. Will Nugent-Hopkins and his teammates finally manage to win the Stanley Cup this season for the first time in the Connor McDavid era?