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Top pick sticks: Nugent-Hopkins to remain with Oilers

2011 NHL Entry Draft - Portraits

ST PAUL, MN - JUNE 24: (EDITOR’S NOTE: This image has been digitally altered) First overall pick Ryan Nugent-Hopkins of the Edmonton Oilers poses for a photo portrait during day one of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft at Xcel Energy Center on June 24, 2011 in St Paul, Minnesota. (Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images)

Getty Images

The Twitter machine is abuzz this afternoon with news that Ryan Nugent-Hopkins has been told he’ll be sticking with the Edmonton Oilers. Nugent-Hopkins, 18, was the first overall pick at the 2011 NHL Entry Draft and has posted 5G-4A-9PTS in nine games this season.

It’s big news, though not terribly surprising -- as tweeted by Oilers defenseman Ryan Whitney:

Whitney-Nuge

Nugent-Hopkins is tied for the team scoring lead and generally speaking, teams like to keep their leading scorers on the active roster. (It’s just a thing they have.) The decision to keep RNH with the parent club also follows the recent trend of first overall picks jumping immediately to the NHL. Taylor Hall, John Tavares, Steve Stamkos, Patrick Kane, Erik Johnson and Sidney Crosby all went straight to the pros; you’d have to go all the way back to Chris Phillips -- the top pick at the 1996 Draft -- to find the last No. 1 that returned to his junior team.

Updating the ‘Staying or Going’ post Yerdon wrote earlier in the week, here’s where the other rookies sit as of today:

Gabriel Landeskog
Prediction: Staying
Verdict: Staying

Adam Larsson
Prediction: Staying
Verdict: Staying

Mika Zibanejad
Prediction: Going
Verdict: Going

Sean Couturier
Prediction: Staying
Verdict: Staying

Ryan Johansen
Prediction: Going
Verdict: Undecided

Erik Gudbranson
Prediction: Staying
Verdict: Staying

Brett Bulmer
Prediction: Staying
Verdict: Staying

Brett Connolly
Prediction: Staying
Verdict: Staying

Devante Smith-Pelly
Prediction: Going
Verdict: Undecided