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Photo of Neal Pionk

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 2021-22. Pick one to see the two side by side, or choose someone else.

Dmitry Orlov WSH · 35 P in 76 GP Mark Giordano TOR · 35 P in 75 GP Colton Parayko STL · 35 P in 80 GP Vladislav Gavrikov CBJ · 33 P in 80 GP Vince Dunn SEA · 35 P in 73 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

2021-22 season totals

GP G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits P/GP Shooting % Avg TOI
77 3 31 34 5 46 140 185 0.44 2.1 21:08

Contract

$5.875MCap hitends in 2025, then UFA
$173KCap dollars per point34 points in 77 games
-$3.1MWorth at the going ratewhat teams paid for a season like his
-$9MValueworth 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. He rated at or below a spare-part player, so there is no cost per goal to show. Value is coloured by where it ranks among the 716 ranked skaters whose contract is known. How value is worked out.

The contract

Signed by the Winnipeg Jets on Aug 11, 2021, as a new contract: 4 years and $23.5M, beginning in 2021-22. It runs through 2024-25, with 3 seasons left after this one, and he is then an unrestricted free agent.

Season Cap hit Base salary Signing bonus Performance bonuses Paid in all Clause
2021-22 $5.875M $3.5M $0 $3.5M
2022-23 $5.875M $6.5M $0 $6.5M
2023-24 $5.875M $7.5M $0 $7.5M M-NTC
2024-25 $5.875M $6M $0 $6M M-NTC

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 2021-22 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.

2021-22 analytics

Rating

-5.3Goals above replacement715th of 723 skaters, 236th of 242 defencemen
-0.9Wins above replacementgoals above replacement divided by six
-10.7Goals above averagethe five parts below added up

Each number is coloured by where it ranks among the 242 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-2.7 22nd percentileEven-strength defence-7.0 1st percentilePower play-0.6 17th percentilePenalty kill-0.1 43rd percentilePenalties-0.4 54th 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

46.9Corsi for %1175 attempts for, 1332 against
-3.9CF% relative to teamagainst the team without him
46.5Expected goals for %57.8 expected for, 66.5 against
-5.9xGF% relative to teamagainst the team without him
46.7Fenwick for %unblocked attempts
50.4Goals for %58 for, 57 against
101.3PDO8.9% shooting + 92.4% saves
211Attempts takenhis own shot attempts

Each share is coloured by where it ranks among the 636 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
Brenden Dillon · Neal Pionk66781:5047.848.138-33
Nate Schmidt · Neal Pionk51177:2745.144.95-8
Dylan Samberg · Neal Pionk11104:2944.039.95-4
Neal Pionk · Ville Heinola994:5744.142.75-5

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.

3Goalsnot counting empty-netters
6.5Expected goalsfrom 202 unblocked attempts
-3.5Goals above expectedgoals minus expected goals
Chances created 0.24 expected goals per 60 minutes70th
Shot quality 3.2% chance per attempt49th
Finishing -3.5 goals above expected5thOne season of finishing is mostly luck.

Each bar shows the share of defencemen he is ahead of, among the 241 who played 300 minutes or more this season.

0246Game 20Game 40Game 60Expected 6.5Goals 3

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
May 1, 2022 vs SEA W 4-3 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 19:32
Apr 29, 2022 vs CGY W 3-1 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 20:01
Apr 27, 2022 vs PHI W 4-0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 17:58
Apr 24, 2022 vs COL W 4-1 0 1 1 2 0 4 6 18:37
Apr 21, 2022 @ CAR L 2-4 0 0 0 -2 0 1 2 18:30
Apr 19, 2022 @ NYR L 0-3 0 0 0 -1 0 2 0 21:44
Apr 16, 2022 @ TBL L 4-7 0 1 1 -1 2 0 5 19:24
Apr 15, 2022 @ FLA L 1-6 0 1 1 -1 2 2 1 18:32
Apr 11, 2022 @ MTL W 4-2 0 0 0 -1 0 0 5 20:16
Apr 10, 2022 @ OTT W 4-3 0 1 1 -1 2 0 2 19:31
Apr 8, 2022 vs COL L 4-5 (OT) 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 19:42
Apr 6, 2022 vs DET L 1-3 0 0 0 1 0 2 1 18:47
Apr 2, 2022 vs LAK L 2-3 0 1 1 2 2 1 1 18:16
Mar 31, 2022 @ TOR L 3-7 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 20:54
Mar 30, 2022 @ BUF W 3-2 (SO) 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 20:31
Mar 27, 2022 vs ARI W 2-1 (OT) 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 18:44
Mar 25, 2022 vs CBJ W 4-3 (OT) 0 0 0 1 0 2 1 19:49
Mar 24, 2022 vs OTT L 2-5 0 0 0 -1 0 2 2 20:12
Mar 22, 2022 vs VGK W 4-0 1 0 1 1 2 4 6 17:33
Mar 20, 2022 @ CHI W 6-4 0 0 0 -1 0 0 4 18:07
Mar 18, 2022 vs BOS L 2-4 0 0 0 -1 0 1 1 18:47
Mar 15, 2022 vs VGK W 7-3 0 0 0 1 2 0 1 21:10
Mar 13, 2022 @ STL W 4-3 (OT) 0 1 1 0 0 4 3 20:15
Mar 11, 2022 @ NYI L 2-5 0 1 1 -1 0 2 4 18:54
Mar 10, 2022 @ NJD W 2-1 0 0 0 2 0 1 2 19:03
Mar 8, 2022 vs TBL W 7-4 0 1 1 1 4 3 3 17:07
Mar 6, 2022 vs NYR L 1-4 0 1 1 0 0 3 1 19:39
Mar 4, 2022 vs DAL L 3-4 (OT) 0 0 0 -3 0 2 2 23:35
Mar 1, 2022 vs MTL W 8-4 0 1 1 -2 4 1 4 19:23
Feb 27, 2022 @ ARI W 5-3 0 1 1 1 0 1 4 21:57
Feb 25, 2022 @ COL L 3-6 0 0 0 2 0 2 3 23:10
Feb 23, 2022 @ DAL L 2-3 (OT) 0 2 2 0 0 0 2 21:44
Feb 21, 2022 @ CGY L 1-3 0 1 1 1 0 2 0 19:41
Feb 19, 2022 vs EDM L 2-4 0 0 0 -2 0 0 0 17:46
Feb 17, 2022 vs SEA W 5-3 0 0 0 1 0 2 3 19:22
Feb 16, 2022 vs MIN W 6-3 0 0 0 2 0 2 4 20:48
Feb 12, 2022 @ NSH W 5-2 0 0 0 0 2 2 6 18:41
Feb 11, 2022 @ DAL L 3-4 (OT) 0 1 1 0 2 3 0 19:20
Feb 1, 2022 @ PHI L 1-3 0 0 0 -1 0 1 1 24:54
Jan 29, 2022 @ STL W 4-1 0 1 1 1 2 1 1 26:11
Jan 27, 2022 vs VAN L 1-5 0 0 0 -2 0 3 1 21:58
Jan 25, 2022 vs FLA L 3-5 0 0 0 -1 2 1 2 23:36
Jan 23, 2022 @ PIT L 2-3 (SO) 0 0 0 -1 0 2 9 26:20
Jan 22, 2022 @ BOS L 2-3 0 0 0 2 0 1 1 22:21
Jan 20, 2022 @ NSH L 2-5 0 0 0 -3 0 2 4 23:01
Jan 18, 2022 @ WSH L 3-4 (OT) 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 23:03
Jan 13, 2022 @ DET W 3-0 0 0 0 2 2 1 0 20:35
Jan 6, 2022 @ COL L 1-7 0 1 1 -2 0 2 3 23:01
Jan 4, 2022 @ ARI W 3-1 0 0 0 1 0 2 1 23:19
Jan 2, 2022 @ VGK W 5-4 (OT) 0 0 0 1 0 3 2 24:33
Dec 19, 2021 vs STL W 4-2 0 0 0 1 0 3 1 24:04
Dec 17, 2021 vs WSH L 2-5 0 0 0 -2 0 2 1 21:45
Dec 14, 2021 vs BUF L 2-4 0 0 0 1 0 5 1 20:39
Dec 5, 2021 vs TOR W 6-3 0 2 2 1 0 3 0 22:30
Dec 3, 2021 vs NJD W 8-4 0 2 2 2 0 2 8 24:06
Nov 29, 2021 vs ARI L 0-1 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 22:04
Nov 27, 2021 @ CGY W 4-2 0 1 1 2 2 1 1 24:56
Nov 26, 2021 @ MIN L 1-7 0 0 0 -2 0 1 1 23:47
Nov 24, 2021 @ CBJ L 0-3 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 24:59
Nov 22, 2021 vs PIT L 1-3 0 1 1 0 0 2 2 21:02
Nov 19, 2021 @ VAN L 2-3 0 0 0 1 0 2 3 23:13
Nov 18, 2021 @ EDM L 1-2 (SO) 0 0 0 1 0 3 2 25:08
Nov 16, 2021 vs EDM W 5-2 0 0 0 0 0 2 5 21:27
Nov 13, 2021 vs LAK W 3-2 (OT) 0 0 0 0 0 1 5 21:34
Nov 11, 2021 vs SJS W 4-1 0 0 0 1 0 2 3 21:04
Nov 9, 2021 vs STL L 2-3 (SO) 1 0 1 1 0 3 0 22:45
Nov 6, 2021 vs NYI L 0-2 0 0 0 -1 0 1 4 22:39
Nov 5, 2021 vs CHI W 5-1 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 18:44
Nov 2, 2021 vs DAL W 4-3 (SO) 0 0 0 -2 2 4 1 22:21
Oct 30, 2021 @ SJS L 1-2 (OT) 0 0 0 0 0 3 2 20:36
Oct 28, 2021 @ LAK W 3-2 0 2 2 -1 0 1 5 24:46
Oct 26, 2021 @ ANA W 4-3 0 1 1 1 2 3 5 19:07
Oct 23, 2021 vs NSH W 6-4 0 2 2 0 0 2 4 22:14
Oct 21, 2021 vs ANA W 5-1 0 0 0 1 0 1 4 20:09
Oct 19, 2021 @ MIN L 5-6 (OT) 0 2 2 0 2 5 2 23:05
Oct 16, 2021 @ SJS L 3-4 0 1 1 -1 4 1 4 20:36
Oct 13, 2021 @ ANA L 1-4 0 0 0 -1 2 5 4 18:28