diff --git a/modules/angular2/src/dom/parse5_adapter.cjs b/modules/angular2/src/dom/parse5_adapter.cjs
index 28f9642237..371b144fe1 100644
--- a/modules/angular2/src/dom/parse5_adapter.cjs
+++ b/modules/angular2/src/dom/parse5_adapter.cjs
@@ -127,7 +127,12 @@ export class Parse5DomAdapter extends DomAdapter {
     return this.createEvent(eventType);
   }
   createEvent(eventType) {
-    return {type: eventType};
+    var evt =  {
+        type: eventType,
+        defaultPrevented: false,
+        preventDefault: () => {evt.defaultPrevented = true}
+      };
+    return evt;
   }
   getInnerHTML(el) {
     return serializer.serialize(this.templateAwareRoot(el));
diff --git a/modules/angular2/src/router/path_recognizer.js b/modules/angular2/src/router/path_recognizer.js
index dbd917a752..6e9ea101aa 100644
--- a/modules/angular2/src/router/path_recognizer.js
+++ b/modules/angular2/src/router/path_recognizer.js
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import {RegExp, RegExpWrapper, RegExpMatcherWrapper, StringWrapper, isPresent} from 'angular2/src/facade/lang';
+import {RegExp, RegExpWrapper, RegExpMatcherWrapper, StringWrapper, isPresent, isBlank, BaseException} from 'angular2/src/facade/lang';
 import {Map, MapWrapper, StringMap, StringMapWrapper, List, ListWrapper} from 'angular2/src/facade/collection';
 
 import {escapeRegex} from './url';
@@ -27,6 +27,9 @@ class DynamicSegment {
   }
 
   generate(params:StringMap) {
+    if (!StringMapWrapper.contains(params, this.name)) {
+      throw new BaseException(`Route generator for '${this.name}' was not included in parameters passed.`)
+    }
     return StringMapWrapper.get(params, this.name);
   }
 }
@@ -118,6 +121,7 @@ export class PathRecognizer {
   }
 
   generate(params:StringMap):string {
-    return ListWrapper.join(ListWrapper.map(this.segments, (segment) => '/' + segment.generate(params)), '');
+    return ListWrapper.join(ListWrapper.map(this.segments, (segment) =>
+      '/' + segment.generate(params)), '');
   }
 }
diff --git a/modules/angular2/src/router/router_link.js b/modules/angular2/src/router/router_link.js
index ca8ab4068a..b959133214 100644
--- a/modules/angular2/src/router/router_link.js
+++ b/modules/angular2/src/router/router_link.js
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
-import {Directive} from 'angular2/src/core/annotations_impl/annotations';
+import {Directive, onAllChangesDone} from 'angular2/src/core/annotations_impl/annotations';
 import {ElementRef} from 'angular2/core';
+import {StringMap, StringMapWrapper} from 'angular2/src/facade/collection';
 
 import {isPresent} from 'angular2/src/facade/lang';
 import {DOM} from 'angular2/src/dom/dom_adapter';
@@ -32,33 +33,40 @@ import {Router} from './router';
   properties: {
     'route': 'routerLink',
     'params': 'routerParams'
-  }
+  },
+  lifecycle: [onAllChangesDone]
 })
 export class RouterLink {
   _domEl;
   _route:string;
   _params:any;
   _router:Router;
-  //TODO: handle click events
+  _href:string;
 
   constructor(elementRef:ElementRef, router:Router) {
     this._domEl = elementRef.domElement;
     this._router = router;
+    this._params = StringMapWrapper.create();
+    DOM.on(this._domEl, 'click', (evt) => {
+      evt.preventDefault();
+      this._router.navigate(this._href);
+    });
   }
 
   set route(changes) {
     this._route = changes;
-    this.updateHref();
   }
 
   set params(changes) {
     this._params = changes;
-    this.updateHref();
   }
 
-  updateHref() {
+  onAllChangesDone() {
     if (isPresent(this._route) && isPresent(this._params)) {
       var newHref = this._router.generate(this._route, this._params);
+      this._href = newHref;
+      // Keeping the link on the element to support contextual menu `copy link`
+      // and other in-browser affordances.
       DOM.setAttribute(this._domEl, 'href', newHref);
     }
   }
diff --git a/modules/angular2/src/router/router_outlet.js b/modules/angular2/src/router/router_outlet.js
index 56d93a7f1c..448aa6f24e 100644
--- a/modules/angular2/src/router/router_outlet.js
+++ b/modules/angular2/src/router/router_outlet.js
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ export class RouterOutlet {
   _router:routerMod.Router;
   _viewContainer:ViewContainerRef;
 
-  constructor(viewContainer:ViewContainerRef, compiler:Compiler, router:routerMod.Router, injector:Injector, @Attribute('name') nameAttr) {
+  constructor(viewContainer:ViewContainerRef, compiler:Compiler, router:routerMod.Router, injector:Injector, @Attribute('name') nameAttr:String) {
     if (isBlank(nameAttr)) {
       nameAttr = 'default';
     }
diff --git a/modules/angular2/test/router/outlet_spec.js b/modules/angular2/test/router/outlet_spec.js
index a7689f4745..6e95f18bbb 100644
--- a/modules/angular2/test/router/outlet_spec.js
+++ b/modules/angular2/test/router/outlet_spec.js
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ import {DirectiveMetadataReader} from 'angular2/src/core/compiler/directive_meta
 export function main() {
   describe('Outlet Directive', () => {
 
-    var ctx, tb, view, rtr;
+    var ctx, tb, view, rtr, location;
 
     beforeEachBindings(() => [
       Pipeline,
@@ -46,10 +46,11 @@ export function main() {
       }, [RouteRegistry, Pipeline, Location])
     ]);
 
-    beforeEach(inject([TestBed, Router], (testBed, router) => {
+    beforeEach(inject([TestBed, Router, Location], (testBed, router, loc) => {
       tb = testBed;
       ctx = new MyComp();
       rtr = router;
+      location = loc;
     }));
 
     function compile(template:string = "<router-outlet></router-outlet>") {
@@ -131,8 +132,18 @@ export function main() {
         });
     }));
 
+    it('should generate link hrefs without params', inject([AsyncTestCompleter], (async) => {
+      compile('<a href="hello" router-link="user"></a>')
+        .then((_) => rtr.config({'path': '/user', 'component': UserCmp, 'as': 'user'}))
+        .then((_) => rtr.navigate('/a/b'))
+        .then((_) => {
+          view.detectChanges();
+          expect(DOM.getAttribute(view.rootNodes[0].childNodes[0], 'href')).toEqual('/user');
+          async.done();
+        });
+    }));
 
-    it('should generate link hrefs', inject([AsyncTestCompleter], (async) => {
+    it('should generate link hrefs with params', inject([AsyncTestCompleter], (async) => {
       ctx.name = 'brian';
       compile('<a href="hello" router-link="user" [router-params]="{name: name}">{{name}}</a>')
         .then((_) => rtr.config({'path': '/user/:name', 'component': UserCmp, 'as': 'user'}))
@@ -145,6 +156,27 @@ export function main() {
         });
     }));
 
+
+    it('should generate link hrefs without params', inject([AsyncTestCompleter], (async) => {
+      compile('<a href="hello" router-link="user"></a>')
+        .then((_) => rtr.config({'path': '/user', 'component': UserCmp, 'as': 'user'}))
+        .then((_) => rtr.navigate('/a/b'))
+        .then((_) => {
+          view.detectChanges();
+          var anchorEl = view.rootNodes[0].childNodes[0];
+          expect(DOM.getAttribute(anchorEl, 'href')).toEqual('/user');
+
+          var dispatchedEvent = DOM.createMouseEvent('click');
+          DOM.dispatchEvent(anchorEl, dispatchedEvent);
+          expect(dispatchedEvent.defaultPrevented).toBe(true);
+
+          // router navigation is async.
+          rtr.subscribe((_) => {
+            expect(location.urlChanges).toEqual(['/user']);
+            async.done();
+          });
+        });
+    }));
   });
 }
 
diff --git a/modules/angular2/test/router/route_recognizer_spec.js b/modules/angular2/test/router/route_recognizer_spec.js
index 6cb84bc605..a35f54050a 100644
--- a/modules/angular2/test/router/route_recognizer_spec.js
+++ b/modules/angular2/test/router/route_recognizer_spec.js
@@ -68,5 +68,11 @@ export function main() {
       recognizer.addConfig('/app/user/:name', handler, 'user');
       expect(recognizer.generate('user', {'name' : 'misko'})).toEqual('/app/user/misko');
     });
+
+    it('should throw in the absence of required params URLs', () => {
+      recognizer.addConfig('/app/user/:name', handler, 'user');
+      expect(() => recognizer.generate('user', {})).toThrowError(
+        'Route generator for \'name\' was not included in parameters passed.');
+    });
   });
 }