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Neal Pionk

#4 · Defence · Winnipeg Jets

Born Jul 29, 1995 in Omaha, Nebraska, USA (age 31) · 6'0", 190 lb · Shoots right

Compare with a similar player

The defencemen closest to him in points in 2019-20. Pick one to see the two side by side, or choose someone else.

Brent Burns SJS · 45 P in 70 GP Keith Yandle FLA · 45 P in 69 GP Shea Theodore VGK · 46 P in 71 GP Kris Letang PIT · 44 P in 61 GP Adam Fox NYR · 42 P in 70 GP

Career

Regular season games only. Pick a season to see its game log below. Cap hit is what he counted against the salary cap that season, where it is known.

0102030402017-18: 14 points1417-182018-19: 26 points2618-192019-20: 45 points4519-202020-21: 32 points3220-212021-22: 34 points3421-222022-23: 33 points3322-232023-24: 33 points3323-242024-25: 39 points3924-252025-26: 12 points1225-262026-27: 1 points126-27

Points by season. The darker bar is the season shown below.

Season Team GP G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits P/GP Cap hit
2017-18 NYR 28 1 13 14 -1 12 54 49 0.50 $925K
2018-19 NYR 73 6 20 26 -16 35 132 138 0.36 $925K
2019-20 WPG 71 6 39 45 10 32 177 165 0.63 $3M
2020-21 WPG 54 3 29 32 6 20 100 137 0.59 $3M
2021-22 WPG 77 3 31 34 5 46 140 185 0.44 $5.875M
2022-23 WPG 82 10 23 33 -12 44 142 169 0.40 $5.875M
2023-24 WPG 82 5 28 33 9 63 146 221 0.40 $5.875M
2024-25 WPG 69 10 29 39 21 44 123 114 0.57 $5.875M
2025-26 WPG 51 3 9 12 1 37 97 111 0.24 $7M
2026-27 WPG 5 0 1 1 -4 0 8 9 0.20 $7M
10 seasons Career 592 47 222 269 19 333 1119 1298 0.45

Playoffs

Playoff games only. Pick a season to see that year's bracket.

Season Team GP G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits P/GP
2019-20 WPG 4 0 2 2 -6 0 10 11 0.50
2020-21 WPG 8 0 4 4 -2 2 17 29 0.50
2022-23 WPG 5 0 7 7 -6 0 9 24 1.40
2023-24 WPG 5 0 1 1 -2 4 5 19 0.20
2024-25 WPG 13 1 6 7 1 14 23 45 0.54
5 seasons Playoffs 35 1 20 21 -15 20 64 128 0.60

2019-20 season totals

GP G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits P/GP Shooting % Avg TOI
71 6 39 45 10 32 177 165 0.63 3.4 23:23

Contract

$3MCap hitends in 2021
$67KCap dollars per point45 points in 71 games
$553KCap dollars per goal above replacement5.4 goals above replacement
$5.2MWorth at the going ratewhat teams paid for a season like his
+$2.2MValueworth minus cap hit; below zero is overpaid

His cap hit for the whole season, set against what he did in the regular season. Lower is better value. In a season still being played the cost per point starts high and falls as the games add up. Value is coloured by where it ranks among the 668 ranked skaters whose contract is known. How value is worked out.

The contract

Signed by the Winnipeg Jets on Jul 21, 2019, as a new contract: 2 years and $6M, beginning in 2019-20. It runs through 2020-21, with 1 season left after this one.

Season Cap hit Base salary Signing bonus Performance bonuses Paid in all Clause
2019-20 $3M $2.85M $0 $2.85M
2020-21 $3M $3.15M $0 $3.15M

Each season of the contract, with this one marked. The cap hit is the same every year; what he is paid is not. The pay is as written when the contract was recorded in October 2024, so a later change, such as the rise in the lowest salary for 2026-27, is not shown.

Contracts he has signed

Signed Signed by Kind Seasons Years In all Cap hit
Apr 17, 2025 Winnipeg Jets Extension 2025-26 to 2030-31 6 $42M $7M
Aug 11, 2021 Winnipeg Jets New contract 2021-22 to 2024-25 4 $23.5M $5.875M
Jul 21, 2019 Winnipeg Jets New contract 2019-20 to 2020-21 2 $6M $3M
May 1, 2017 New York Rangers Entry-level 2017-18 to 2018-19 2 $3.55M $925K

Every contract on record for him, newest first, with the team that signed him to it and the day it was signed. The one covering 2019-20 is marked. An extension is signed while the contract before it is still running, often a year ahead. A row with no team or date is a contract known only by its cap hit, most often one signed since October 2024.

2019-20 analytics

Regular season Playoffs

Rating

+5.4Goals above replacement161st of 670 skaters, 41st of 231 defencemen
+0.9Wins above replacementgoals above replacement divided by six
-0.1Goals above averagethe five parts below added up

Each number is coloured by where it ranks among the 231 ranked defencemen: green is in the top fifth and red the bottom fifth, with paler shades in between and amber for the middle. Hover over a tile for its percentile.

Even-strength offence+1.7 85th percentileEven-strength defence-1.1 32nd percentilePower play+0.7 95th percentilePenalty kill-0.8 5th percentilePenalties-0.5 50th percentile

The goals he added to his team's goal difference, compared with a spare-part player given the same ice time. Each part is measured against the league, so zero is an average skater, and the rank beside it is among defencemen. A full season is about two-thirds the player and one-third chance. Before 2023-24 the NHL timed events less exactly, and differently from rink to rink, so expected goals for this season are rougher than for recent ones.

-10-505102017-182019-202021-222023-242025-26Goals above replacementGoals above replacement, by season

On the ice

What happened at five-on-five while he was on the ice. What these numbers mean

51.5Corsi for %1236 attempts for, 1165 against
+4.4CF% relative to teamagainst the team without him
46.9Expected goals for %51.8 expected for, 58.5 against
+4.6xGF% relative to teamagainst the team without him
50.3Fenwick for %unblocked attempts
50.0Goals for %51 for, 51 against
99.8PDO7.3% shooting + 92.4% saves
240Attempts takenhis own shot attempts

Each share is coloured by where it ranks among the 583 skaters who played enough to be ranked: green is in the top fifth and red the bottom fifth, with paler shades in between and amber for the middle. Hover over a tile for its percentile. PDO and attempts taken are left plain, since neither is good or bad on its own.

Who he played with

Defence pairGPTimeCF%xGF%Goals
Dmitry Kulikov · Neal Pionk44446:1253.248.215-13
Luca Sbisa · Neal Pionk27337:1347.841.013-17
Josh Morrissey · Neal Pionk51229:0550.146.85-4
Neal Pionk · Ville Heinola8103:0148.541.35-4

The pairs he spent the most time in at five-on-five, with the team's share of the shot attempts and expected goals, and the goals for and against, while they were out. The two shares are coloured as above, against the league's pairs that played a fair amount together. Hover over one for its percentile.

Chances and finishing

Expected goals adds up how likely each of his shots was to go in, judged by where it came from, what kind of shot it was and whether it was a rebound. All situations, leaving out shots at an empty net. Before 2023-24 the NHL timed events less exactly, and differently from rink to rink, so expected goals for this season are rougher than for recent ones.

6Goalsnot counting empty-netters
7.5Expected goalsfrom 244 unblocked attempts
-1.5Goals above expectedgoals minus expected goals
Chances created 0.27 expected goals per 60 minutes79th
Shot quality 3.1% chance per attempt53rd
Finishing -1.5 goals above expected17thOne season of finishing is mostly luck.

Each bar shows the share of defencemen he is ahead of, among the 229 who played 300 minutes or more this season.

0246Game 20Game 40Game 60Expected 7.5Goals 6

His goals and his expected goals as the season went on. When the goals line pulls away above, he is scoring more than his chances were worth; below, less.

Where he shot from

Every attempt he took this season, in all situations, attacking the net on the right. Darker red means more attempts from that spot, and each dot is a goal. "Show every shot" switches to a dot for each attempt, bigger for a better chance. Click a goal for its details.

Game log

Date Opponent Result G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits TOI
Mar 11, 2020 @ EDM W 4-2 0 1 1 -1 0 5 5 23:12
Mar 9, 2020 vs ARI W 4-2 0 0 0 0 0 4 1 23:52
Mar 6, 2020 vs VGK W 4-0 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 22:34
Mar 3, 2020 vs BUF W 3-1 0 0 0 0 0 3 3 25:00
Feb 29, 2020 @ EDM L 2-3 0 0 0 1 0 7 5 24:15
Feb 27, 2020 vs WSH W 3-0 0 1 1 2 2 5 2 18:45
Feb 25, 2020 @ WSH L 3-4 (SO) 0 0 0 1 0 8 2 25:31
Feb 23, 2020 @ BUF L 1-2 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 21:02
Feb 22, 2020 @ PHI L 2-4 0 1 1 -2 0 2 1 22:38
Feb 20, 2020 @ OTT W 5-1 0 2 2 1 2 5 3 20:24
Feb 18, 2020 vs LAK W 6-3 0 1 1 2 0 2 3 21:58
Feb 16, 2020 vs CHI W 3-2 0 0 0 -1 0 3 0 19:16
Feb 14, 2020 vs SJS L 2-3 0 1 1 1 0 2 2 25:08
Feb 11, 2020 vs NYR L 1-4 0 0 0 -1 0 3 0 26:51
Feb 9, 2020 vs CHI W 5-2 0 1 1 1 2 1 4 24:34
Feb 8, 2020 vs OTT W 5-2 1 2 3 0 0 6 1 22:22
Feb 6, 2020 @ STL W 4-2 0 0 0 2 0 3 0 27:36
Feb 4, 2020 vs NSH L 1-2 (OT) 0 0 0 0 2 4 1 25:22
Feb 1, 2020 vs STL W 5-2 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 24:33
Jan 31, 2020 vs BOS L 1-2 0 1 1 0 4 5 2 25:42
Jan 22, 2020 @ CBJ L 3-4 1 0 1 -2 0 2 5 23:30
Jan 21, 2020 @ CAR L 1-4 0 0 0 -2 2 1 0 24:25
Jan 19, 2020 @ CHI L 2-5 0 1 1 0 0 3 5 24:44
Jan 17, 2020 vs TBL L 1-7 0 0 0 -1 0 1 8 22:39
Jan 14, 2020 vs VAN W 4-0 0 1 1 2 0 0 0 20:22
Jan 12, 2020 vs NSH L 0-1 0 0 0 0 0 4 6 25:08
Jan 9, 2020 @ BOS L 4-5 1 0 1 0 0 1 4 23:14
Jan 8, 2020 @ TOR W 4-3 (SO) 0 1 1 -1 0 2 4 27:17
Jan 6, 2020 @ MTL W 3-2 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 23:17
Jan 4, 2020 @ MIN L 2-3 (OT) 0 1 1 0 4 3 4 25:38
Jan 2, 2020 vs TOR L 3-6 0 1 1 0 0 2 2 22:44
Dec 31, 2019 @ COL W 7-4 0 2 2 3 0 0 7 22:58
Dec 29, 2019 @ STL L 1-4 0 0 0 -1 0 1 2 24:40
Dec 27, 2019 vs STL L 4-5 (OT) 0 1 1 -2 0 2 3 24:57
Dec 23, 2019 vs MTL L 2-6 0 1 1 -2 2 4 2 22:02
Dec 21, 2019 @ MIN W 6-0 0 1 1 2 2 1 5 22:22
Dec 19, 2019 vs CHI L 1-4 0 0 0 -1 0 2 3 24:13
Dec 17, 2019 vs CAR L 3-6 0 1 1 -2 0 3 4 22:34
Dec 15, 2019 vs PHI W 7-3 0 3 3 2 0 2 1 22:38
Dec 12, 2019 @ DET L 2-5 0 0 0 -1 0 1 1 24:03
Dec 10, 2019 vs DET W 5-1 0 1 1 2 2 3 1 19:01
Dec 8, 2019 vs ANA W 3-2 0 1 1 0 0 2 0 23:55
Dec 5, 2019 @ DAL L 2-3 (OT) 0 0 0 0 0 6 0 27:40
Dec 3, 2019 vs DAL W 5-1 0 1 1 1 0 4 1 23:24
Nov 30, 2019 @ LAK L 1-2 0 0 0 -1 0 4 0 25:17
Nov 29, 2019 @ ANA W 3-0 1 0 1 1 2 2 2 25:06
Nov 27, 2019 @ SJS W 5-1 0 1 1 1 2 2 4 19:58
Nov 23, 2019 vs CBJ W 4-3 0 0 0 2 0 1 3 24:51
Nov 21, 2019 @ DAL L 3-5 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 22:07
Nov 19, 2019 @ NSH W 2-1 0 0 0 -1 0 1 3 22:15
Nov 16, 2019 @ TBL W 4-3 0 0 0 -1 0 2 0 21:12
Nov 14, 2019 @ FLA W 4-3 0 0 0 -1 0 4 1 23:47
Nov 12, 2019 vs COL L 0-4 0 0 0 -1 0 2 4 22:11
Nov 10, 2019 vs DAL W 3-2 (OT) 0 1 1 -1 0 2 3 20:03
Nov 8, 2019 vs VAN W 4-1 0 1 1 0 0 4 1 23:20
Nov 5, 2019 vs NJD L 1-2 (SO) 0 0 0 0 0 4 1 23:28
Nov 2, 2019 @ VGK W 4-3 (OT) 0 1 1 1 0 2 5 29:24
Nov 1, 2019 @ SJS W 3-2 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 22:38
Oct 29, 2019 @ ANA L 4-7 0 0 0 1 2 2 3 20:06
Oct 26, 2019 vs CGY W 2-1 (OT) 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 23:56
Oct 22, 2019 vs LAK L 2-3 0 1 1 2 2 3 3 22:27
Oct 20, 2019 vs EDM W 1-0 (SO) 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 24:25
Oct 17, 2019 vs NYI L 1-3 0 1 1 0 0 2 3 19:47
Oct 15, 2019 vs ARI L 2-4 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 23:17
Oct 13, 2019 vs PIT L 2-7 0 0 0 -1 0 4 0 20:36
Oct 12, 2019 @ CHI W 3-2 (OT) 0 1 1 1 0 1 2 20:18
Oct 10, 2019 vs MIN W 5-2 0 1 1 2 0 1 2 21:14
Oct 8, 2019 @ PIT W 4-1 1 0 1 0 0 1 5 25:53
Oct 6, 2019 @ NYI L 1-4 0 0 0 -1 0 2 1 23:32
Oct 4, 2019 @ NJD W 5-4 (SO) 1 1 2 0 0 2 1 27:21
Oct 3, 2019 @ NYR L 4-6 0 0 0 0 0 2 4 23:13