EDMONTON, AB – The Edmonton Oilers announced Friday they will honour their longest-tenured player and alternate captain Ryan Nugent-Hopkins for reaching the 1,000 NHL games milestone with a special pre-game ceremony on Sunday, January 18, when the team hosts the St. Louis Blues at Rogers Place.
Nugent-Hopkins, 32, will reach the milestone on Sunday in his 15th NHL season, becoming the first player in franchise history to play all 1,000 of his career games with the Oilers. The forward will also become the 417th player in NHL history to reach 1,000 games. The Oilers will honour his achievement with an on-ice ceremony before puck-drop, attended by teammates, family and other special guests.
Selected by the Oilers first overall at the 2011 NHL Draft from the WHL's Red Deer Rebels, Nugent-Hopkins has scored 282 goals and 503 assists for a total of 785 points in 998 NHL games played as of Friday. The Burnaby, B.C. native has become one of the league's top all-around, two-way forwards, playing a key role in all situations, including even strength, power play and penalty kill.
Scoring his first NHL goal in his first-ever game on October 9, 2011 against the Pittsburgh Penguins at Rexall Place, Nugent-Hopkins went on to record 18 goals and 34 assists for 52 points in 62 games as a rookie, finishing second in voting for the Calder Memorial Trophy.
During the 2022-23 season, Nugent-Hopkins became the sixth player in NHL history to achieve his first 100-point campaign in his 12th season or later. Nashville Predators forward Steven Stamkos is the only other player to achieve the feat in the last 50 years.
During the 2025 Western Conference Final, Nugent-Hopkins became the first Oilers player to score at least nine points (two goals, seven assists) in the first four games of a conference final since Wayne Gretzky scored 10 points against the Detroit Red Wings in 1988.
Also in 2025, Nugent-Hopkins received the King Charles III Coronation Medal for his significant dedication, support and advocacy for Cystic Fibrosis awareness, research and treatment – a cause he champions alongside his wife Breanne. He was also nominated for the NHL's King Clancy Memorial Trophy in 2018 for his continued humanitarian contributions.
Tickets for Sunday's game are available at EdmontonOilers.com/Tickets.
