Pionk always trying to improve

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 18/12/2023 (661 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Neal Pionk is a notoriously hard marker.

So, when the Winnipeg Jets defenceman was asked for an assessment of his play this season, it didn’t come as a surprise Pionk was still asking more of himself.

“I feel good on the ice,” Pionk said. “Sure, there are mistakes throughout the game, but for the most part I’m pretty happy with my play.

“I’m always looking at video and trying to get better.”

Going into Monday’s game against the Montreal Canadiens, Pionk was well on his way to a bounce-back campaign and that’s been a critical development for the Jets.

He’s chipped in offensively with a goal and 10 points through 29 games, but equally important is he’s been moving better on the ice and doing a good job on the defensive side of the puck.

He’s back to playing with an edge and that’s usually when you know Pionk is feeling his best.

“He never shies away from contact or a battle in the corner,” Jets head coach Rick Bowness said Monday morning. “He’s just far more consistent, there’s a steady play. Overall, we still want to see our D score more goals. They’re getting chances, it’s just not going in for them right now.

“Neal has got a great shot, it’s why he is on the power-play unit. So, eventually if he keeps shooting, those pucks will go in. I find his overall defensive game, his overall play without the puck and his breakouts are far more consistent.”– Jets head coach Rick Bowness

“Neal has got a great shot, it’s why he is on the power-play unit. So, eventually if he keeps shooting, those pucks will go in. I find his overall defensive game, his overall play without the puck and his breakouts are far more consistent.”

Pionk managed to produce a career-high 10 goals in 82 games with the Jets last season, something just didn’t seem right.

Although he was quick to dismiss any talk about playing hurt, it was clear he was not operating at 100 per cent.

Physically, he’s looked quicker while skating in both directions this season, but Pionk’s biggest challenge this season has been dealing with the mental toll of losing his best friend, Adam Johnson, in a tragic skate-cut accident while playing in England.

When you consider everything he’s been dealing with off the ice, it makes Pionk’s resurgence even more impressive.

“We’ve had a lot of adversity as a team and for Neal specifically,” said Jets defenceman Brenden Dillon, who has been Pionk’s partner for most of the past three seasons. “If you look at what Neal has gone through, that’s not something that just goes away in a day or a week or a month even. That’s going to be something that he lives the rest of his life with, when someone that close to you passes away unexpectedly.”

There’s no playbook when it comes to the grieving process, but it seems clear the rink has become a place of refuge for Pionk.

“It’s something where early on, as teammates, you want to be there for him and be a bit of a sounding board,” said Dillon. “But he’s someone who has taken it as (Johnson) is here with him every day at the rink now. We’ve got the (AJ) decals on our helmets.

“We’ve done a good job of supporting him because we know Neal would be there for us in the same instance.”

Having the second pairing play at such a high level has been one of the keys in the Jets taking an important step forward this season as they continue to battle for top spot in the Central Division standings.

“(Neal’s) a competitive guy and we’ve been really focusing on the defensive side of things and offensively, he moves pucks so well through the neutral zone.”– Jets defenceman Brenden Dillon

“Neal has been awesome. He’s a competitive guy and we’ve been really focusing on the defensive side of things and offensively, he moves pucks so well through the neutral zone. He’s not afraid to make that pass through the seam because he knows he can make it,” said Dillon. “We just really complement each other so well, we know the other person’s tendencies now in Year 3 of being together. We’ve just been getting better and better every year.”

Going into Monday’s action, Pionk had generated 50 shots on goal, with nine of those resulting in rebounds, according to Natural Stat Trick.

He had also registered 60 hits (which left him second on the Jets behind Dillon) and 39 blocked shots, so he’s involved in a lot of facets of the game.

There was an interesting moment in last week’s game against the San Jose Sharks, when Pionk found himself leading the forecheck and his ability to apply pressure on Jan Rutta actually led to a goal for Dillon.

For a moment, it looked like Pionk was channelling the minor hockey version of himself.

“Yeah, exactly. I felt like I was a centre again,” Pionk joked. “Sometimes momentum carries me in there and if the forwards are flat-footed, I might as well go. We’ve talked about that before.

“As long as they back me up, we’re good with it.”

Bowness is also good with it, as he’s looking for a bit more offence from his defence corps.

“We’re yelling go, so he’s going. We want that to become a natural instinct,” said Bowness, who is looking for north of 40 goals from the back end this season. “If you watch (Josh Morrissey), he doesn’t even hesitate. If he gets that puck, we’re going and that’s how we want to play.”

ken.wiebe@freepress.mb.ca

X: @WiebesWorld