Ryan Hugent-Hopkins, The Real Deal

As of November 27, 2001, rookie Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is tied for 10th in NHL scoring as an 18 year-old. Is this a rarity? Umm...yes, the only other teenage rookies to finish in the NHL top ten scoring was Wayne Gretzky and Sidney Crosby (yes, I consider Gretzky's 79/80 NHL season as a rookie year). Two guys did it. Not Mario Lemieux, not Dale Hawerchuk, not Bryan Trottier. Gretzky of course tied Marcel Dionne for first in scoring as an 18 year old and Crosby was 6th in his 18 year old rookie year.

In his rookie year of 84/85, Lemieux (at 19 years old) amassed 100 points good for 16th place in the high-flying 1980's. Similarly, in Hawerchuk's rookie year of 81/82 his 103 points was good for "only" 12th spot in scoring. Not bad for an 18 year old. In 1975/76, 19 year old Bryan Trottier scored 95 points and finished 12th as well.

Other teenage rookies who've placed fairly well in the scoring race were:

Gaye Stewart, 1942/43, 19 years old, 47 pts finished in 16th place.
Ted Kennedy, 1943/44, 18 years old, 49 pts finished 21st place.
Henri Richard, 1955/56, 19 years old, 40 pts finished 21st place.
Bobby Hull, 1957/58, 19 years old, 47 pts finished 19th place.
Bobby Orr, 1966/67, 18 years old, 41 pts finished 28th place but 3rd among D-men.
Jimmy Carson, 198/87, 18 years old, 79 pts finished 26th place.

And just last season, 18 year old Jeff Skinner notched 63 points to finish 38th overall. If Nugent-Hopkins continues as he's going he is bound to better Skinner's season and will likely nab the Calder Trophy as Rookie of the Year.

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