The summer after his rookie season in the WHL, Red Deer Rebels center Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is back home in Burnaby, British Columbia. His mission until training camp opens: get stronger.

Nugent-Hopkins is listed at 6-foot and 160 pounds; he has a long way to go before he's physically ready for the NHL. But in terms of hockey skills, he's far ahead of the curve. He didn't turn 17 until April but was able to put up 65 points in 67 regular-season games for the Rebels last season. His 41 assists were fourth among WHL rookies and he won the league's Rookie of the Year award. The only Red Deer player who finished ahead of him in points, Willie Coetzee, is nearly three years his senior.

"When you see him off the ice it's 'how does this kid survive out there?'" says Rebels coach Jesse Wallin. "Yet he never puts himself in a situation where he seems to be in danger. And every time you think he is in trouble he seems to make one or two quick little agile moves and he's out of it."

The emphasis on assists on Nugent-Hopkins' statistical resume confirms the kind of game he plays. He's never going to be a 200-pound power forward. He projects as a playmaker and distributor of the puck; that's been his style in juniors so far as well. And he's done it well enough that he could go as high as first overall depending on what happens next year.

"He's got unbelievable hands and incredible vision on the ice," Wallin says. "Very creative, he can do things in traffic and he can do things at top speed."

Kyle Woodlief of Red Line Report scouting service says Nugent-Hopkins' vision, passing, quick hands and overall offensive instincts are the reasons he's a favorite to be drafted in the top five in 2011. Nugent-Hopkins' lack of size is one of the few weaknesses Woodlief can point to.

"As a very slightly built kid, he's got to put on both leg strength and upper body strength." Woodlief says. "There are times when he gets into physical games, or if you hit him hard early, he can get away from what he does."

In order to get stronger, Nugent-Hopkins is working with a personal trainer every day this summer, mainly with weights. He's also consuming a steady stream of carbohydrates and protein drinks.

"I don't want to get too big. I just want to get stronger so I can handle myself better against the boards and stuff like that," he says. "Also improve my shot, and you can never improve your skating too much, so I'm working on that too."

He skates two to three times a week with other players from the Vancouver area, including Colton Gillies (drafted 16th overall by the Minnesota Wild in 2007) and Ryan Johansen (drafted fourth overall by the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2010).

"They just say 'enjoy the ride,'" Nugent-Hopkins says about the older players' draft-year advice. "And that it's a really cool experience so just to have fun with it."

Nugent-Hopkins was drafted first overall by Red Deer in the 2008 WHL bantam draft. That was when his family started hearing from NHL scouts, an experience he describes as "surreal." He joined the Rebels for five games at the end of the 2008-09 season, scoring two goals with four assists in that short period.

"Then I was seeing a guy off my team, Alex Petrovic, get drafted, and it seems like it's getting real, real fast," he says.

People around the WHL, however, are not surprised to see Nugent-Hopkins attracting so much attention from the NHL. Shaun Clouston, coach of Red Deer's division rival Medicine Hat Tigers, was most impressed that Nugent-Hopkins was able to establish himself in major junior at such a young age.

"He was one of [Red Deer's] key players at 16 years old, which is an amazing feat. It's extremely rare," Clouston says. "I think everything's there. He's going to get stronger and he's going to get better."

Aside from physical maturation, Wallin's goal for Nugent-Hopkins in 2010-11 is to have him become more of a leader off the ice. As a rookie, he was comfortable taking charge during games. But in the dressing room he deferred to older players, which is natural for one of the youngest and least experienced members of the team. With a year of major junior experience, Wallin thinks it's Nugent-Hopkins' turn to guide some of his younger teammates.

"On the ice he's a take charge type of kid. He's directing traffic on faceoffs, telling guys where to line up," Wallin says. "He's got that leadership ability. For him now it's just coming back as a second-year player and realizing that that's an expectation for him. Being a veteran now he's going to be more comfortable doing that."

Nugent-Hopkins says the name he has heard the most in comparisons is Mike Modano, but he doesn't model his game after anyone. His favorite teams to watch are the Blackhawks and Penguins, which aren't surprising given his predilection for offense.

Nugent-Hopkins wasn't invited to the Canadian world junior team's development camp but will be attending a selection camp for the under-18 national squad in Newfoundland this month. After that he has three more weeks before it's time to report to Red Deer.

"I'm looking at it a little bit different this year," he says. "Last year I was kind of feeling my way through, but this year I'm looking to come in as a leader."

Bill Weisbrod is a researcher for ESPN The Magazine.