[4][5] Beyond hockey, Nugent-Hopkins was also involved in thoroughbred racing as his maternal grandfather raised and sold horses at Hastings Racecourse in Vancouver.

[10] The night before the 2008 Western Hockey League (WHL) Bantam Draft, the Red Deer Rebels called Nugent-Hopkins to ensure he was not planning on going the NCAA Division I route.

[10] After being drafted by the Rebels, Nugent-Hopkins played one year in the British Columbia Hockey Major Midget League with the Vancouver North West Giants during the 2008–09 season.

[11] Upon joining the Rebels full-time, Nugent-Hopkins enrolled at Hunting Hills High School[11] and remained there for the rest of his time in the WHL.

[17] His play throughout the regular season and playoffs resulted in him winning the CHL's Top Prospect of the Year award[17] and a place on the WHL East First All-Star Team.

[35] Leading up to the draft, The NHL Central Scouting Bureau, ISS, TSN, and The Hockey News all ranked him as the number one draft-eligible skater.

[36] E. J. McGuire, the Director of the NHL Central Scouting Bureau, said of Nugent-Hopkins, "He's got great skill and a knack for offence,"[9] while Cam Moon, the Rebels' play-by-play announcer, called him the best player the team had ever seen.

[39] Before and after the draft, numerous scouts and hockey pundits raised concerns about Nugent-Hopkin's skinny weight and ability to compete at the NHL level.

[44] While skating alongside Taylor Hall and Ales Hemsky in his debut, Nugent-Hopkins scored his first NHL goal to lead the Oilers to an eventual 2–1 win.

[52] While continuing to play alongside Hall and Eberle, Nugent-Hopkins quickly climbed the NHL ranks and placed amongst the top 20 goal-scorers in the league by the end of December.

[55] As his rookie season progressed, Nugent-Hopkins began earning more on-ice responsibility, including a permanent position as the Oiler's first-line centre and the powerplay unit.

[57] Despite missing 20 games due to his shoulder injury, Nugent-Hopkins finished the regular season tied with Gabriel Landeskog in rookie scoring with 18 goals and 31 assists.

[61] Due to the 2012–13 NHL lockout, Nugent-Hopkins joined the Oilers American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Oklahoma City Barons, to start the season.

He understands his importance and I think he enjoys that weight on his shoulders During the 2014 offseason, Nugent-Hopkins continued to build muscle and returned to training camp at 192 pounds.

[83] Due to the All-Star draft selection process, both Nugent-Hopkins and Filip Forsberg received a new car after being the final two picks of either team.

"[87] Following the regular season, he was asked to play for Team Canada at the Ice Hockey World Championships but passed on the opportunity to recover from his foot fracture.

He struggled to find consistent wingers and played alongside a variety of teammates including Andrew Miller, Rob Klinkhammer, Draisaitl, and Hall.

[90] On January 18, 2016, the Oilers announced that Nugent-Hopkins had suffered a hand injury after blocking a shot in a game against the Los Angeles Kings and was expected to miss six to eight weeks.

[99] Oilers general manager Peter Chiarelli pinpointed Nugent-Hopkins' lack of confidence as one of the key reasons for his offensive dip.

[106] Both Todd McLellan and Peter Chiarelli praised Nugent-Hopkins for his development as a two-way forward but challenged him to continue working on his offensive abilities.

[117] On April 23, 2018, Nugent-Hopkins was named the Oilers nominee for the King Clancy Memorial Trophy, as the player who best exemplifies leadership qualities and gives back to the community.

[130] His efforts before and after his hand injury were recognized by the league as he was named one of eight players in the Pacific Division fans could vote into the 2020 NHL All-Star Game.

[131] At the end of December, head coach Dave Tippett chose to split up McDavid and Draisaitl to make the Oilers harder to play against.

[133] Oilers media affectionately dubbed the trio the DYNamite line in recognition of their last names and ability to spark offence.

[136] In order to stay in shape over the break, Nugent-Hopkins trained with fellow BC local and Oilers teammate Jujhar Khaira in his hometown.

[139] In spite of their success in the regular season, coach Tippett chose to split up Nugent-Hopkins, Draisaitl, and Yamamoto until the final minutes of their losing effort in Game 4.

Tippett returned Nugent-Hopkins to his natural centre position on the Oiler's second line with Tyler Ennis and Jesse Puljujärvi as his new wingers.

[148] During the 2021 offseason, the Oilers made numerous signings to improve their team including adding forward Zach Hyman and defenseman Cody Ceci.

[162] As the Oilers finished the 2021–22 season second in the Pacific Division with 104 points, they met with the Los Angeles Kings in the first round of the 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs.

Joining teammates McDavid and Draisaitl, who had accomplished the same feat earlier, the Oilers became the first team since the 1995–96 Pittsburgh Penguins to have three players accumulate 100 points or more.