BLOG: RNH revving up training as Phase 2 begins

EDMONTON, AB - After weeks of uncertaintly with the season on pause, Oilers forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins has found his training groove while keeping close tabs on the NHL's Return To Play Plan.

Nugent-Hopkins checked in with Reid Wilkins on 630 CHED's Inside Sports on Friday over the phone from Vancouver, saying he's back into his typical off-season schedule, with a few caveats of course.

"I'm back to my normal summer routine, or very close to it," he said. "There are still restrictions on the ice and in the gym, so there are lower numbers [of other players], but it's been good. We're just working on individual stuff on the ice a lot."

Nugent-Hopkins, who has been training regularly with fellow Lower Mainland resident and Oilers teammate Jujhar Khaira, said he's planning to stick to his routine on the West Coast for the next few weeks, rather than returning to Edmonton immediately for the start of Phase 2.

The next phase of the NHL's Return To Play Plan begins Monday, as players will be permitted to participate in on-ice and off-ice training at Rogers Place in small groups on a voluntary basis.

Phase 3 of the Return To Play Plan will start no earlier than Friday, July 10, beginning with training camp and leading into the best-of-five Qualifying Round that has the Oilers matched up with the Chicago Blackhawks.

"We have to prepare ourselves now to play that play-in round against Chicago," Nugent-Hopkins said. "Even though they might not have been in a playoff spot, we know what they've been capable of over the last decade. They have that experience and they still have some of those core guys left, so we've got to prepare ourselves for that and make sure that we come in flying."

Nugent-Hopkins scored 41 of his 61 points this season during the last 30 games before the pause, finding brilliant chemistry with linemates Leon Draisaitl and Kailer Yamamoto.