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Ice Lab

Defence · #4

Neal Pionk

New York Rangers Winnipeg Jets(traded during the season)
Age
31
Shoots
Right
Height
183 cm
Weight
86 kg
Born
Omaha, USA
Draft
Undrafted

Career · 2017–18 to 2026–27

Games
592
Goals
47
Points
269
TOI per game
21:53
xGF% (5v5)
47.1%
Goals above expected
−3.5

Season by season

The regular-season line for each season, with the total, by team for traded players.

2017–18NYR2811314−122:23541.9%52.941.2%
2018–19NYR7362026−1621:101324.5%135.645.1%
2019–20WPG7163945+1023:231773.4%218.545.0%
2020–21WPG5432932+621:581003.0%104.148.6%
2021–22WPG7733134+521:081402.1%127.046.7%
2022–23WPG82102333−1221:561427.0%37.149.3%
2023–24WPG8252833+920:501463.4%86.348.8%
2024–25WPG69102939+2122:041238.1%125.051.2%
2025–26WPG513912+122:43973.1%23.445.3%
2026–27WPG5011−423:2180.0%00.634.3%
Total2 teams59247222269+1921:531,1194.2%8650.547.1%

Form

Rolling averages smooth out single games so the trend shows.

Form, ten-game rolling

Points and individual expected goals per game (left scale), averaged over the previous ten games. Ice time is on the second chart.

Points per gameixG per gameTOI per game (minutes)
00.20.40.60.811.2100200300400500
16m18m20m22m24m26m100200300400500Game

Player card

How 2017–18 to 2026–27 compares with everyone else at the position over the same seasons, and the players with the most similar profile.

Overall rating

2nd pair

60th percentile among qualified defencemen, blending scoring 30%, play-driving 50%, usage 20%.

  1. 1st pair
  2. 2nd pair
  3. 3rd pair
  4. Extra / AHL

Scoring

1st pair
  • Goals /600.2264th pct
  • Assists /601.0389th pct
  • ixG /600.2373rd pct
  • Shots /605.1883rd pct

Play-driving

3rd pair
  • xGF% (5v5)47.1%29th pct
  • CF% (5v5)48.4%41st pct
  • Relative xGF%−2.823rd pct
  • xGA /60 (lower is better)2.6822nd pct

Usage

1st pair
  • TOI per game21:5390th pct
  • PP time share39.6%86th pct
  • PK time share36.3%70th pct
  • Quality of competition25.0%93rd pct

Percentiles among defencemen with 200+ minutes at 5-on-5 and 20+ games. Ratings rank each column's average percentile among the same players and read it as a role on a depth chart (how).

Finishing

Did the goals match the chances?

Goals against expected goals

Cumulative goals (solid) and individual xG (dashed) through the season. The gap is finishing: above the dashed line, the player scored more than an average shooter would from the same chances.

−3.5 goals above expected

01020304050100200300400500Game

Goals above expected, everyone at the same position with 20+ games

−20−100+10+20+30+40

Speed and tracking

From the NHL's EDGE tracking system (2021–22 on): skating speed, shot speed, distance and zone time, for the selected seasons and then every tracked season, to show improvement or decline.

Tracking data (NHL EDGE)

Values from the NHL's puck and player tracking, with the NHL's own league percentile for each. Missing values mean the player wasn't tracked enough.

Tracking

  • Top skating speed33.2 km/h60th pct
  • Speed bursts over 20 mph125th pct
  • Hardest shot146.6 km/h90th pct
  • Distance skated15 km67th pct
  • Offensive-zone time41.6%56th pct
Tracking, season by season

Each season against the other defencemen that season with 20+ games. A season in progress appears once half its games are played, as provisional: season bests only grow. Bursts and distance are per 60 minutes of ice time, so seasons with fewer games still compare. Percentiles are on these rates, so they can differ from the NHL's, which are on season totals.

This playerMedian defencemanMiddle half (25th–75th percentile)Hollow dot: too few games to rank, or a season in progress (*, dashed). Dotted line: no NHL games that season.

Top skating speed

33.8 km/h11th pct

▼ −1.6 km/h since 2024–25

333435363721–2222–2323–2424–2525–262021–22: 36.0 km/h, 73rd percentile (77 games)2022–23: 34.9 km/h, 39th percentile (82 games)2023–24: 34.6 km/h, 32nd percentile (82 games)2024–25: 35.4 km/h, 51st percentile (69 games)2025–26: 33.8 km/h, 11th percentile (51 games)

Bursts over 20 mph per 60

0.714th pct

▼ −0.5 since 2024–25

012321–2222–2323–2424–2525–262021–22: 0.9, 28th percentile (77 games)2022–23: 1.0, 30th percentile (82 games)2023–24: 0.6, 11th percentile (82 games)2024–25: 1.3, 40th percentile (69 games)2025–26: 0.7, 14th percentile (51 games)

Distance skated per 60

13.5 km42nd pct

▼ −0.1 km since 2024–25

1313.213.413.613.81414.221–2222–2323–2424–2525–262021–22: 13.8 km, 58th percentile (77 games)2022–23: 13.6 km, 60th percentile (82 games)2023–24: 13.7 km, 57th percentile (82 games)2024–25: 13.6 km, 48th percentile (69 games)2025–26: 13.5 km, 42nd percentile (51 games)

Hardest shot

145.7 km/h36th pct

▼ −6.5 km/h since 2024–25

14014515015516021–2222–2323–2424–2525–262021–22: 152.5 km/h, 57th percentile (77 games)2022–23: 150.7 km/h, 48th percentile (82 games)2023–24: 155.9 km/h, 76th percentile (82 games)2024–25: 152.2 km/h, 70th percentile (69 games)2025–26: 145.7 km/h, 36th percentile (51 games)

Offensive-zone time

41.5%55th pct

▼ −0.7 points since 2024–25

39%40%41%42%43%44%21–2222–2323–2424–2525–262021–22: 42.6%, 65th percentile (77 games)2022–23: 43.1%, 71st percentile (82 games)2023–24: 42.3%, 62nd percentile (82 games)2024–25: 42.2%, 56th percentile (69 games)2025–26: 41.5%, 55th percentile (51 games)