The dynamic trio

EDMONTON - They are perhaps the most dynamic young line in the National Hockey League today, a gusher of talent that have taken Oil Country by storm this fall. Two first overall draft picks and a steal at No. 22, together they represent the gain for all that pain the Edmonton Oilers have endured over the past couple of seasons.

But weren't Taylor Hall and Jordan Eberle supposed to be the goal scorers, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins that distributing centreman with the elite vision? And wasn't Nugent-Hopkins, who is still in the midst of his nine-game NHL tryout, supposed to be too small to battle at an NHL level?

"He's got four goals now and they're not snipes or dangles by any means," Hall said Saturday, after Nugent-Hopkins registered a hat trick in a well contested, 4-3 loss to the Vancouver Canucks. "They're just really good plays, having good timing in front of the net and getting sticks on pucks.

"If you do that over the course of 82 games, you're going to get a few goals."

It was the right-winger Eberle who scored what many believe to be the Goal of the Year on opening night of last season. He would go on to lead the Oilers in scoring with 18 goals and 43 points as a rookie, while an ankle injury in Game 65 stalled Hall's production at 42 points, likely costing him a spot as a Calder Trophy finalist.

And thus far in the 2011-12 season, both have been overshadowed by the latest phenom, 18-year-old Nugent-Hopkins, who through three games this season has scored four of the Oilers five goals.

The trio was put together in a preseason game against Phoenix, where they produced seven points. Head coach Tom Renney went to the well again Saturday, and was rewarded with another seven-point night, including Nugent-Hopkins' maiden hat trick.

"I don't do it justice by suggesting I didn't get caught up in the moment," said head coach Tom Renney. "But quite honestly, I tried not to. I'm trying to coach the team to a win."

That is, of course, where we are reminded that this Oilers rebuild is nowhere near complete. Edmonton did not win Saturday, but in a relationship that played out in the same building back in 1983 between the New York Islanders and the young, Wayne Gretzky-led Oilers, the Canucks left Rexall Place Saturday knowing that wins against these Oilers are going to be increasingly difficult to accrue.

The defence is still weak, the goaltending seemingly improved, and the depth up front stocked this summer with free agents like Eric Belanger, Ben Eager and a trade for Ryan Smyth.

It is the Nugent-Hopkins line however, that breathes true belief into the tattered sails of Good Ship Oiler. At age 18 (Nugent-Hopkins), 19 (Hall) and 21 (Eberle), this is a unit that could do some damage for a long, long time to come.

The trio is already lethal off the rush, though as Renney puts it, "still a bit of a high-wire act at times."

"It draws me back to when I broke in, watching them and what they can do," said Smyth, the 35-year-old veteran who sees in Hall a younger,

faster and more highly-touted version of himself.

"Getting the puck on the wall, with that speed? He's fearless, I'll say that. And for sure, D-men are well aware. He's a dynamic player. A very dynamic player."

As for Nugent-Hopkins, "The puck doesn't die with him," Smyth said. "He makes plays. That's what makes him an elite player."

The only wart? Through three games and 38 draws, Nugent-Hopkins has a faceoff percentage of 18.4 percent.

"I just try and put my entire effort into the faceoff circle every time I go out there," said Nugent-Hopkins, who grew up idolizing Paul Kariya, Joe Sakic, Jason Spezza and Sidney Crosby. "If I do that and don't end up winning a lot of them, I can at least say I tried as hard as I could."

He is utterly egoless at this stage, and like Hall was a year ago, very careful not to sound like he has expectations of playing in Edmonton past this nine-game window.

"He's a lot quieter than I was, maybe a bit more reserved," Hall observed. "What surprises me the most about him, is his knack for being in the right spot in front of the net."

"A key message from the coaches is always go hard into the blue paint," Nugent-Hopkins said Saturday post-game. On Sunday he added, "This morning I woke up, and I just have to forget about last night."

Good luck with that, son. Because nobody in Edmonton - and we mean, nobody - will forget about that hat trick, and the line that forged it, any time soon.

Mark Spector is the senior columnist on sportsnet.ca