Neal Pionk

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Neal Pionk
Neal Pionk (51833498269) (cropped).jpg
Pionk with the Winnipeg Jets in 2022
Born (1995-07-29) July 29, 1995 (age 26)
Omaha, Nebraska, U.S.
Height 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight 186 lb (84 kg; 13 st 4 lb)
Position Defense
Shoots Right
NHL team
Former teams		 Winnipeg Jets
New York Rangers
National team  United States
NHL Draft Undrafted
Playing career 2017–present

Neal Robert Pionk[1] (born July 29, 1995) is an American professional ice hockey defenseman for the Winnipeg Jets of the National Hockey League (NHL).

Undrafted, Pionk was signed by the New York Rangers as a college free-agent from the University of Minnesota Duluth in 2017.

Early life[]

Pionk was born on July 29, 1995, in Omaha, Nebraska,[2] to parents Karen and Scott Pionk.[1] His father Scott played hockey and baseball at Proctor High School before moving onto collegiate baseball at the University of Wisconsin–Superior.[3] Following college, Scott became the head coach of the Waterloo Black Hawks for two seasons.[1] Beyond his father, Pionk has four other brothers who also play ice hockey.[4] Growing up in Minnesota, he and his brothers would play with Travis and Cole Koepke on outdoor rinks.[5]

Playing career[]

Undrafted, Pionk first played at the junior level with the Sioux City Musketeers in the United States Hockey League, before committing to a collegiate career with the University of Minnesota Duluth of the National Collegiate Hockey Conference. While playing with the Musketeers, Pionk was named to the First All-Star Team and named Defenseman of the Year.[6]

On May 1, 2017, Pionk signed a two-year, $3.55 million contract with the New York Rangers.[7] Pionk made his NHL debut on February 9, 2018, in a 4–3 win over the Calgary Flames.[8][9] He recorded his first NHL goal on March 24, against the Buffalo Sabres.[10] Pionk split the season between the Rangers and their American Hockey League affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack.

Pionk joined the Rangers full-time during the 2018–19 season. He recorded six goals and 26 points in 73 games, leading all Rangers' defencemen with 13 power play points.

On June 17, 2019, Pionk and a 2019 first-round pick were traded to the Winnipeg Jets in exchange for Jacob Trouba. The first-round pick originally belonged to the Jets.[11] On July 21, the Jets signed Pionk to a two-year, $6 million contract extension.[12]

On August 11, 2021, Pionk signed a four-year, $23.5 million contract with the Jets.[13]

International play[]

Medal record
Representing  United States
Men's ice hockey
World Championships
Bronze medal – third place 2018 Denmark

As a citizen of the United States, Pionk has represented his home country at both the junior and senior levels. He first represented Team USA at the 2013 World Junior A Challenge where he helped them earn a gold medal and was named to the Tournament All-Star Team.[14] Following this, Pionk never represented Team USA again until 2018, when he along with teammate Chris Kreider, were the only Rangers players selected to represent the United States at the 2018 IIHF World Championship.[15] During the tournament, Pionk recorded three points through 10 games to win a bronze medal.[16]

Career statistics[]

Regular season and playoffs[]

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2011–12 Hermantown High School HSMN 25 7 6 13 12 3 0 3 3 2
2012–13 Hermantown High School HSMN 25 14 15 29 25 3 2 3 5 2
2012–13 Sioux City Musketeers USHL 12 1 5 6 2 — — — — —
2013–14 Sioux City Musketeers USHL 54 2 21 23 93 7 0 1 1 10
2014–15 Sioux City Musketeers USHL 53 7 41 48 104 5 0 1 1 10
2015–16 University of Minnesota Duluth NCHC 40 4 13 17 44 — — — — —
2016–17 University of Minnesota Duluth NCHC 42 7 27 34 25 — — — — —
2017–18 Hartford Wolf Pack AHL 48 1 16 17 20 — — — — —
2017–18 New York Rangers NHL 28 1 13 14 12 — — — — —
2018–19 New York Rangers NHL 73 6 20 26 35 — — — — —
2019–20 Winnipeg Jets NHL 71 6 39 45 32 4 0 2 2 0
2020–21 Winnipeg Jets NHL 54 3 29 32 20 8 0 4 4 2
NHL totals 226 16 101 117 99 12 0 6 6 2

International[]

Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2018 United States WC 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 10 2 1 3 4
Senior totals 10 2 1 3 4

Awards and honours[]

Award Year
USHL
First All-Star Team 2015 [6]
Defenseman of the Year 2015
College
NCHC All-Tournament Team 2017 [17]
NCAA All-Tournament Team 2017 [18]
NCHC Second All-Star Team 2017

References[]

  1. ^ a b c "NEAL PIONK". umdbulldogs.com. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
  2. ^ "Neal Pionk". Elite Prospects. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
  3. ^ "Versatile Hawk commits to UMD". Duluth News Tribune. December 18, 2012. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
  4. ^ Blittner, Matthew (March 19, 2018). "GETTING TO KNOW NEAL PIONK". MSG Networks. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
  5. ^ Campbell, Tim (October 21, 2019). "Pionk has high expectations for Heritage Classic with Jets". National Hockey League. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
  6. ^ a b "League Names 2014-15 All-USHL Teams". ushl.com. May 28, 2015. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
  7. ^ "Rangers Agree To Terms With Free Agent Defenseman Neal Pionk". NHL.com. May 1, 2017. Retrieved February 12, 2018.
  8. ^ "Rangers beat Flames to snap 4-game losing streak". Sportsnet.ca. February 9, 2018. Retrieved February 12, 2018.
  9. ^ Joyce, Greg (February 10, 2018). "Rangers rookies make good first impression in NHL debuts". New York Post. Retrieved February 12, 2018.
  10. ^ "Vesey, Georgiev lead Rangers to 5-1 win over Sabres". toronto.com. March 24, 2018. Retrieved May 1, 2018.
  11. ^ "Jets acquire Neal Pionk and a first-round draft pick". Winnipeg Jets. June 17, 2019. Retrieved June 17, 2019.
  12. ^ "Jets sign Neal Pionk to a two-year contract". Winnipeg Jets. Retrieved July 21, 2019.
  13. ^ "Pionk signs four-year contact with Jets, avoids arbitration hearing". National Hockey League. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
  14. ^ "UNITED STATES WINS GOLD MEDAL AT 2013 WORLD JUNIOR A CHALLENGE". Hockey Canada. November 10, 2013. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
  15. ^ Calamia, Matt (April 28, 2018). "Kreider, Pionk Named to Team USA World Championship Roster". National Hockey League. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
  16. ^ "QUINTET OF NCHC ALUMNI EARN BRONZE MEDAL AT 2018 IIHF WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP". NCHC. May 21, 2018. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
  17. ^ "Bulldogs capture 2017 Frozen Faceoff for first NCHC title". NCHC. 2017-03-18. Retrieved 2017-03-18.
  18. ^ "Denver Survives, Claims 8th National Championship". Inside Hockey. 2017-04-09. Retrieved 2018-04-23.

External links[]

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