Not much had changed as the years piled up after Ryan Nugent-Hopkins was selected first in the 2011 NHL Draft.

Losses mounted and the Oilers were essentially out of playoff contention annually mere weeks into each season — something that’s only changed for the better recently.

He seldom changed either.

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The team’s plight never seemed to age Nugent-Hopkins, his baby face and sprouts of hair between his upper lip and nose appearing ever the same. But while beloved by Oilers fans for quietly and professionally being Mr. Everything through so many lean years, the one they called Nuge was far from an offensive force.

It’s not that Nugent-Hopkins was a No. 1 pick bust akin to Nail Yakupov or Alexandre Daigle, but he was regarded around the NHL as not one of the better top draft choices ever.

Nugent-Hopkins will never be in the same stratosphere as all-timers like Mario Lemieux, Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid. But, late into his 12th NHL campaign, the longest-serving Oiler finally accomplished something those superstars did — and have done — with ease.

It took a secondary assist on Zach Hyman’s empty net goal in a 3-1 win over the lowly Ducks for him to join the 100-point club for the first time in his NHL career. He accomplished the feat a week before his 30th birthday.

The Oilers, now a Stanley Cup contender, and Nugent-Hopkins, near or at his zenith, are a perfect match — something that shouldn’t be lost to longtime NHL followers.

“He’s loyal. He’s a loyal guy. He’s been here through everything,” Leon Draisaitl said. “He’s been here when it wasn’t going good. When there was a lot of people making fun of this organization, he was here and stuck through it and he stayed.

“He turned this franchise around.”

Nugent-Hopkins joined McDavid and Draisaitl to become the first trio of teammates to hit the century mark in points in a season since Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr and Ron Francis did so with Pittsburgh in 1995-96.

TRIPLE THREAT 💯

For the first time since 1995-96, we've got three 100-point scorers on one team! pic.twitter.com/hZbn9Y1GQM

— NHL (@NHL) April 6, 2023

Edmonton’s top four forwards — McDavid, Draisaitl, Nugent-Hopkins, and Hyman — have all had career offensive seasons. Nugent-Hopkins’ output has been the most remarkable; his previous career high was 69 points in 2018-19.

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It’s certainly helped that Nugent-Hopkins has stayed healthy. He’s on track to play a full season for just the third time.

The Oilers still have three games remaining. They’re also in the thick of a Pacific Division and Western Conference race after reaching the final four last season. That’s the stuff that truly matters to Nugent-Hopkins after all those failed seasons.

“Every year is the same for those two. It’s so impressive,” Nugent-Hopkins said of McDavid and Draisaitl. “I wanted to chip in offensively more this year. I’m happy with how it’s gone so far, but the important stuff is the playoffs. That’s where you really want to chip in.”

Added Oilers coach Jay Woodcroft: “He makes a lot of good, subtle plays that go unnoticed by maybe the general public but are certainly appreciated by his teammates and coaching staff. He’s part of the group of players that we have that have grown together and whom all have an intolerance for anything that’s going to get in the way of winning.”

Stuart Skinner grabbing the starting goalie position when Jack Campbell faltered and playing so well that he’s in the Calder Trophy conversation is easily the most pleasant surprise for the Oilers. Nugent-Hopkins hitting 100 points is a close second considering his lengthy track record of fine-but-not-spectacular production.

Sure, he was second in rookie of the year voting in 2011-12 and tore apart opposing teams for a couple months to start 2020 on a line with Draisaitl and Kailer Yamamoto. But that leaguewide recognition was rare and fleeting.

The 2021 COVID-19-truncated season saw him produce just two primary assists at five-on-five.

Even last season, an ex-teammate teased Nugent-Hopkins about his inflated early production, telling him he was dining out on secondary power-play assists. Cruel criticism, but not unfair. Nugent-Hopkins didn’t score the first of his 11 goals until his 14th game. By that time, he already had 17 assists — 11 of which came with the Oilers on the man advantage.

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“You come in as a high pick and you have expectations to put up a lot of points. Early in my career, it wasn’t really happening for me,” Nugent-Hopkins said. “I stopped trying to focus on it and think too much of it. I think that kind of frees you up a little bit.

“I just tried to grow my game and understand that I can be an effective player in this league one way or the other. I just try to be confident in my ability. When you free yourself up of expectations it goes a long way.”

Does it ever. Although it’s not like Nugent-Hopkins came into this season with a completely carefree attitude.

He wanted to be more assertive and shoot more. Mission accomplished. Nugent-Hopkins had one power-play goal last season. He has 15 in 2022-23.

Nugent-Hopkins is cashing in as part of the NHL’s top power play of all time — he has 52 points in that situation — but he’s a big part of it.

He’s doing more than padding his stats there.

Nugent-Hopkins has been driving play this season like never before. That was evident during a midseason stretch where he centred Klim Kostin and Mattias Janmark as his most common linemates.

“I’ve seen a lot of growth in his game this year — and not just on the points,” Woodcroft said.

He’s hitting the net with his shot with the same frequency — 2.44 shots on goal per game — but that release is heavier and more accurate. His 18.7 shooting percentage on his 36 goals is the best of his career.

“It’s just a little bit of (extra) confidence in his offensive game,” Draisaitl said. “Early on in his career he was very much so aware of the defensive side of the game and maybe didn’t fully reach his potential on the offensive side. Now he’s doing both.”

That’s just it. Nugent-Hopkins was always a two-way force. Now he’s a 100-point-getter on top of that — and deserves all the credit in the world for it.

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“I know how smart and talented a player he is,” Oilers radio broadcaster Cam Moon said. “So, I’m not surprised at all that he’s having this type of offensive success.”

Moon was calling Nugent-Hopkins’ games for the WHL’s Red Deer Rebels the last time the slick forward was in the 100-point club. That was back in 2010-11 when RNH was 17 — right before he made the jump to the NHL.

The way Nugent-Hopkins has played this season is so much like how he dominated in the WHL all those years ago.

“You could see a full, rounded game,” Moon said. “Even at that age, he wasn’t just an offensive player. He was a player that was responsible in his own end — a guy that didn’t cheat for offence.

“I love to see the success that he’s having this season offensively. But that doesn’t change the fact that he’s always been the type of player that touches all the aspects of the games and has been responsible defensively.”

Like a nice bottle of Scotch, RNH has taken 12 years to age and the Oilers are the team that’s reaping the benefits.

There have been plenty of tough patches along the way. Nugent-Hopkins was a byproduct of the Decade of Darkness and then endured the tail end of it.

All the while, he did the little things that don’t get much notoriety like killing penalties and taking in Draisaitl in his rookie year. Draisaitl joked that RNH’s now-wife Breanne kept them going with her cooking.

“He helped me a lot,” Draisaitl said. “He’s a guy I looked to coming in. I’m very appreciative of everything he’s done for me and for our organization.”

As the Oilers have improved, Nugent-Hopkins has become more valuable.

“He’s a winner,” Woodcroft said. “He does a lot of things that go into team wins. We’re lucky that we have him on our team.”

Time sure has passed. Nugent-Hopkins is about to turn 30 and is due to become a first-time father in August.

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Looking almost identical to his draft-day pictures, Nugent-Hopkins is now the offensive player that so many managers, scouts and coaches could only dream he would be for this franchise.

He told the assembled media in Anaheim that he never thought he’d ever be a 100-point player. It’s taken time — a lot of it — but Nugent-Hopkins has broken through.

“He’s just a great hockey player,” Draisaitl said.

Always beloved in Edmonton, he shouldn’t be underappreciated outside of these parts any longer.

(Photo: Stephen R. Sylvanie / USA Today)