Video Room: How Neal Pionk became a power play force in his debut Jets season

After scoring a career-high 45 points in 71 games, Neal Pionk knew he’d had a productive debut season for the Winnipeg Jets.

Pionk just didn’t know how strong his production was, particularly on the power play, where he finished among the top players in the NHL.

The league leaders in points per minute at 5-on-4 last season were:

That’s incredible company for the 25-year-old defenceman to keep and he knows it.

“I would have never guessed that,” Pionk said by text this week. “Whenever your name is mentioned with guys like McDavid and Draisaitl, I think most people would be surprised.”

McDavid is the most dangerous offensive player on the planet. Draisaitl is the reigning Hart Trophy and Art Ross Trophy winner. Pastrnak’s 48 goals tied him with Alex Ovechkin for the Rocket Richard Trophy. Zibanejad scored 75 points in 57 games — an even higher scoring rate than Draisaitl’s 110 points in 70 games. That these four players show up among the league leaders in power play points per minute is not remotely surprising.

Pionk doesn’t move as fast as McDavid, pass as well as Draisaitl or shoot as well as Pastrnak. There are times when his pass across to Patrik Laine looks slow and it can’t be argued that he has a cannon from the point that’s the same as Dustin Byfuglien.

But Pionk’s power play points rate cannot be argued.

It’s not even likely to be a fluke, given that Pionk was ninth in 5-on-4 points per minute in 2018-19. He doesn’t have a freakish “on-ice” shooting percentage or an outlandish shooting percentage of his own. So how does Pionk keep scoring points like the league’s elite without great fortune or an eye-catching individual talent?

“I think it’s a combination of all the talents on the power play unit,” Pionk said. “Between Laine’s shot, Wheeler’s passing, Scheifele’s IQ and Connor’s hand-eye in front of the net, we’re able to create a lot of chances that turn into goals.”

Pionk’s credit for his teammates is well placed. While he is fifth in points per minute, he’s first in secondary assists per minute — a statistical suggestion that he is not the driving force on Winnipeg’s top power play unit. Secondary assists are thought to vary more than primary assists.

But it’s not as though Pionk relied solely on secondary assists. Pionk was 14th with 3.04 primary assists per minute — just 0.01 behind known quarterback and teammate Blake Wheeler. So yes, of course he benefits from an elite array of shooters on Winnipeg’s power play unit.

But so did the visually impressive, rocket launching Byfuglien — who also scored a ton of secondary assists and whose overall scoring rate Pionk just beat.

For more insight into how and why Pionk produced at such a high level last season, I thought it would be wise to deep dive all 25 of his power play points here on the site.

Some clear trends emerge — yes, his pass to Laine is slow but so many other passes are patient and poised. No, Pionk doesn’t have a cannon but he does time his shot through traffic with purpose and placement. Sometimes he gets the bounces and sometimes he doesn’t. Sometimes it looks spectacular and sometimes it doesn’t.

“There are a lot of things I can’t control,” Pionk said. “My job is to distribute the puck in a way that will give us the best chance to score.”

Whatever his process, the results were spectacular. Let’s have a look.

Oct. 12, 2019, at Chicago

A primary assist on a Nik Ehlers one-timer. The shot is a rocket and Corey Crawford is screened by a jumping Mathieu Perreault. Ehlers has as much room as he does because Pionk had previously played catch with Jack Roslovic on the other wall. Roslovic sized up Chicago’s PK for seams without finding any. He did look like a realistic enough threat for Chicago to collapse, however, meaning Roslovic to Pionk to Ehlers left the great Dane in a terrific position to shoot. Is there anything special about Pionk’s pass? Honestly, no — not as far as I can tell. The pace of the decision and the pass is what I would call “in flow” — the same pace as the play, not faster, not slower. It does land on Ehlers’ back foot exactly where it looks like 27 wants to blast it from.

Oct. 17, 2019, vs. New York

This one is pure Ehlers. Winnipeg wins a faceoff in the Islanders’ zone, Ville Heinola taps it to Pionk at the left point, and Pionk circles to the middle of the blue line. The Islanders are shaped into a wedge, with a ton of room on either flank. Pionk finds Ehlers — again with a ton of time and space — and this time Ehlers corrals it, steps to the top of the circle and snipes over a screened Semyon Varlamov. Once again, Perreault is the man taking the goaltender’s eyes away (he may be losing a step but his offensive instincts are still quite right). And once again, Pionk has done the right thing — playing the role in a straightforward, correct manner as opposed to searching for spectacular.

Nov. 8, 2019, vs. Vancouver

This secondary assist has very little to do with Pionk. Wheeler leads a rush into Vancouver’s zone, cutting into the middle and shooting wide. Roslovic recovers the puck on the left wing wall and then walks all the way to the top of the crease before shooting, collecting his own rebound and top-shelving his second effort. Roslovic is elated — it’s a pure effort play. Pionk’s last touch was in the other end of the rink.

Nov. 10, 2019, vs. Dallas

Laine can still launch rocket, seen here against a helpless Anton Khudobin. But Pionk does three easily identifiable things that lead to the goal.

First, he recognizes Wheeler’s options as Wheeler curls below the goal line in search of a one-timer from Roslovic in the slot or Laine in the Ovi spot. When the seam doesn’t open up for Wheeler, Pionk is a safe out for him on the right wing boards because he knew Wheeler might need one. Second, Pionk fakes a slap shot that freezes the Stars’ defence, guaranteeing space across the ice for the often over-guarded Laine. And finally, the pass is in a place Laine can wire it from.

This brings us to one of the most common gripes about Pionk’s 5-on-4 game — a place where the eye-test says he doesn’t excel but the end-of-year point scoring stats say he’s elite.

How fast, or slow, is Pionk’s tee-up pass supposed to be?

“I think there is a fine line of speed when passing for a one-timer,” said Pionk. “A lot of it is player preference and it’s something that Patty and I work on after practices.”

To watch Winnipeg’s power play is to think more Laine one-timers are available with a faster pass.

And yet, to look at the rate at which Pionk generates primary assists is to think he’s one of the NHL’s elite setup men. He ranked 14th in primary points per minute in 2019-20, tucked just behind Erik Karlsson and Blake Wheeler and just ahead of Sidney Crosby and Roman Josi.

Nov. 27, 2019, at San Jose

The most famous goal from this game will always be the one where David Gustafsson walked around his childhood hero Erik Karlsson and then picked a corner for the first goal of his NHL career. Laine’s seventh goal of the season was just as pretty, though, capping off a passing play between Wheeler and Pionk that caught San Jose sleeping. Pionk faked a pass to Laine, keeping Karlsson frozen high, then passed to Wheeler in his office. Wheeler found a seam underneath Barclay Goodrow and Melker Karlsson and Laine blasted it home.

Nov. 29, 2019, at Anaheim

Pionk’s first power play goal of the season was not a rocket. It was the product of Pionk using his patience and vision to keep the play alive with a little help from Laine and Wheeler.

The play starts with a Pionk missed shot that Laine recovers under pressure and returns to Pionk at the point. Pionk is also under pressure — Rickard Rackell is all over him at the blue line — but Pionk waits just long enough for Jakob Silfverberg to leave Laine alone. The pass itself is simple but it’s simultaneously patient and brazen stuff from Pionk.

From there, it’s Laine across the ice to Wheeler and Wheeler back to Pionk at the top. Anaheim is moving, which is good news for Pionk, and Kyle Connor has taken away John Gibson’s eyes. In the second playthrough, you can see Gibson straining to see around Connor and then dropping into a butterfly just in time for Pionk’s shot to beat him high.

Dec. 8, 2019, vs. Anaheim

Whereas Pionk’s goal against the Ducks in November can be directly linked to his unique skill set, his December assist against them could have been anyone. Laine gained the zone with tenuous possession of the puck, prompting Cam Fowler and Derek Grant to chase him to the left wing boards. He recovered in time to feed Pionk, who passed to Wheeler, who found Mark Scheifele in the slot before the Ducks could recover.

Dec. 10, 2019, vs. Detroit

A lot of things had to go right for Scheifele’s rocket to turn into Pionk’s primary assist.

It begins with Wheeler taking the draw. This is interesting because neither Wheeler (50.7 percent) nor Scheifele (51.2 percent) were particularly good faceoff men on the power play last season. It’s also worth noting that both players were well above 50 percent that night against Detroit.

Wheeler wins the draw, Pionk moves it to Scheifele, and short term Red Wing Eric Comrie doesn’t stand a chance.

Dec. 15, 2019, vs. Philadelphia (1)

Pionk picked up two secondary assists against the Flyers in this game. The first is trademark Jets: Pionk to Wheeler to Scheifele in the slot. Winnipeg was able to exploit a broken Flyers stick down low but Scheifele’s goal was just the Jets power play working how it’s supposed to work.

Dec. 15, 2019, vs. Philadelphia (2)

Pionk’s second secondary assist of the night highlights his patience and then the power of a fortunate bounce. He and Wheeler pass back and forth around Kevin Hayes — Pionk’s saucer pass in particular is a nice piece of handiwork — but the goal itself is a double deflection.

Scheifele tips Pionk’s long-range wrist shot from the high slot and the puck bounces off Connor’s foot on the way into the net. Scheifele and Connor share a laugh, Pionk gets a point, and Winnipeg ends up winning 7-3.

Dec. 17, 2019, vs. Carolina

The most spectacular goal scored between the Jets and Hurricanes on this day belongs to Andrei Svechnikov, whose lacrosse-style goal was the second “Michigan” of his NHL career.

The most clever play of the Scheifele goal on which Pionk netted his assist belongs to Laine, who set up in the high slot and one-timed a pass to Scheifele in the circle. The one-timed pass fooled all four Hurricanes but missed Scheifele’s wheelhouse, landing on his backhand and thus not immediately turning into a goal.

From there, it was Scheifele in the circle to Pionk at the top, Pionk at the top to Wheeler in his office and Wheeler across the seam back to Scheifele for a one-timer.

The Wheeler pass was exceptional and yet this goal had a feeling of inevitability to it. All four right-handers on Winnipeg’s power play were moving the puck with purpose and speed.

Dec. 23, 2019, vs. Montreal

No clip necessary here: Carey Price can’t find Pionk’s wrist shot through Scheifele, Connor and a teammate in front. The rebound goes to Scheifele who takes a stab at it before Connor finishes the play.

Dec. 27, 2019, vs. St. Louis

This is another case of Pionk getting a point for doing his job — a reminder that many power play points (and therefore many points, period) are a function of opportunity.

In this case, Connor dodges a stick check from one Blues defender at the St. Louis line and then feeds Scheifele through two more defenders’ sticks. Scheifele corrals the pass and gets a path straight to Jordan Binnington as a reward. Scheifele doesn’t score but Connor does and Pionk gets a point for having started the play.

Dec. 31, 2019, at Colorado

Sometimes gamesheets lie.

Pionk is credited with the secondary assist on this goal but, for the life of me, I can’t see anything other than Pionk taking a wrist shot and Connor tipping it in front.

Either way, the play is a faceoff win and a wrist shot that goes well. It’s tough to make the objective case that Pionk is gifted or average or horrible at getting his shot through — we have to trust our eyes on this one — but I’m willing to say I think he’s good at it. How definitive, I know.

Jan. 4, 2020, at Minnesota

This goal is why Wheeler is the quarterback.

The way he protects his space against two Minnesota defenders, unfazed by Ryan Suter’s aggressive feint in particular, for long enough to open up the lane to Scheifele is worthy of praise on its own. The pass itself deserves a three-part biopic.

Pionk gets a secondary assist for doing his job at the top.

Jan. 9, 2020, at Boston

Pionk scores on a one-timer from the blue line that Jaroslav Halak can’t find through a dual screen of Connor and Brandon Carlo in front. “Pucks to the net” is a cliche for a reason.

Jan. 14, 2020, vs. Vancouver

Speaking of screens, Wheeler’s goal against Vancouver in January is an ice-level pass through Jacob Markstrom. It’s made possible by great passing by Connor earlier in the shift and it goes in because Connor takes away Markstrom’s line of sight. It may also be that Markstrom — like Wheeler — assumed that Connor would redirect the pass.

Pionk gets a primary assist and “get pucks to the net” lives on in our hearts.

Jan. 22, 2020, at Columbus

Pionk scored three power play goals last season and you’ve already read about two of them. Care to guess how he scores his third?

It’s a long range wrist shot through a little bit of traffic that Elvis Merzlikins probably still wants back. Scheifele and Connor both wave at the puck on its way to the net, possibly taking away Merzlikins’ eyes, but otherwise he’s in position and simply doesn’t make the save.

While I think that this is a case of Merzlikins missing, it’s also a reminder that Pionk’s three goals all came with at least a little bit of help from Connor in front. Smaller, skilled players can still be effective in front of the net if they’re willing to go there and time their screens.

Feb. 8, 2020, vs. Ottawa (1)

Pionk doesn’t have a cannon from the point but it’s worth celebrating his even strength goal that opened the scoring against Ottawa last February. He stepped into a Mason Appleton pass at the right point and just unloaded a slap shot past Craig Anderson to open the scoring. It could have been the hardest shot of Pionk’s season; it was a beauty.

Pionk’s first power play assist of the night is a product of precision instead of power — a wrist shot through traffic that Connor fights for and Laine buries on the rebound.

Feb. 8, 2020, vs. Ottawa (2)

Pionk’s second power play assist also ends up on Laine’s stick. Winnipeg already has Ottawa running around thank to a clean zone entry by Scheifele and a Connor one-timer that the Jets recover.

The Senators regain their shape just in time for Wheeler to set Pionk up at the top and then:

Pionk’s fake one-timer opens up space between Ottawa’s forwards at the top and his wrist shot meets a perfect redirection from Laine in the slot. It’s a goal earned by all five Jets and Pionk is a deserving part of it.

Feb. 9, 2020, vs. Chicago

Pionk’s breakout pass to Wheeler flying up the right wing was excellent; Wheeler’s snipe over Corey Crawford’s shoulder from the bottom of the right wing circle was spectacular. As a bonus, Connor Hellebuyck picked up an assist by stopping Chicago’s dump-in and leaving it for Pionk.

Feb. 14, 2020, vs. San Jose

Are you kidding me?

Feb. 20, 2020, at Ottawa

Scheifele has already scored one power play goal on this night in Ottawa when he redirects a Pionk wrist shot past Marcus Hogberg. Some credit should also go to Pionk and Laine for their nice passing at the top of the zone to keep the play alive off a scrambled faceoff win.

Feb. 22, 2020, at Philadelphia

Pionk at the top to Laine in his office. You know exactly how this goes.

March 6, 2020, at Vegas

Pionk’s final power play point of the regular season is the result of his point shot bouncing off Brayden McNabb and straight to Laine before Marc-Andre Fleury can recover. Laine’s shot is perfection. The season is paused just five days later.

The 197 minutes Pionk played at 5-on-4 last season — and 109 minutes the season before that — are a decent sample but hardly a lifelong body of work.

We’ve identified real strengths — patience, a wrist shot that beats the PK’s primary blockers and an ability to open up lanes with a well-timed fake. But Pionk’s weaknesses are real, too. His lack of a big shot means he doesn’t stretch defences so as to open up lanes from Wheeler to Laine quite like Byfuglien did, nor does his shot lead to goals for himself.

After all of this, I’m still not comfortable saying Pionk will maintain his place among the NHL’s elite. And yet he simply keeps scoring.

(Photo: Andy Devlin / NHLI via Getty Images)