In their pre-season rankings for the 2011 National Hockey League (NHL) Entry Draft, the International Scouting Service ranked Nugent-Hopkins sixth overall, the second highest WHL player after Vancouver Giants defenceman David Musil. E. J. McGuire, the Director of the NHL Central Scouting Bureau, said of Nugent-Hopkins, "He's got great skill and a knack for offense," while Cam Moon, the Rebels' play-by-play announcer, called him the best player the team had ever seen.