Neal Pionk said he admitted that his first reaction to being traded to the Winnipeg Jets wasn't great.
He now knows he will play a big role in shaping their future.
"Obviously when the trade first went down, I wasn't very pleased, and I don't think anybody would be," the defenseman said Thursday. "But I always tell people that I think within 24 hours I was cool with it. I turned the page and moved forward. And now I couldn't be happier to be in Winnipeg."
The Jets traded defenseman Jacob Trouba to the New York Rangers on June 17, 2019 for Pionk and a first-round pick (No. 20) in the 2019 NHL Draft. This was after Pionk's first full season in the NHL with the Rangers, with whom he signed as a free agent May 1, 2017 after two seasons at the University of Minnesota Duluth.
Now the 24-year-old is being trusted with helping others, including a friend from home, along the same journey: defenseman prospect Dylan Samberg, who signed a three-year, entry-level contract (average annual value of $1.175 million) with the Jets on April 7.
Pionk is familiar with Samberg, Winnipeg's second-round pick (No. 43) in the 2017 NHL Draft. The 21-year-old signed after his junior season at Minnesota Duluth and is from Hermantown, Minnesota, where Pionk grew up, three years ahead of Samberg in youth hockey.
"I'm really pumped for him," Pionk said. "I've known him my whole life just because I have three younger brothers. In a small community like Hermantown, everyone pretty much knows everyone. I think Dylan played with at least two of my younger brothers for at least a year or two.
"I remember growing up watching him and then just to watch his whole journey going from Hermantown, playing a little bit of junior, and then going to Duluth having all of the success that he did at UMD and then signing his first pro contract, it's really cool to see."
Pionk has promised to help Samberg make a successful transition to Winnipeg and the Jets but knows much of his advice will have to wait. The NHL season was paused March 12 due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus.
"I let him, his family and his agent deal with most stuff but I did text him a few times," Pionk said. "We were texting throughout the process too. I just gave him a helping hand just like the older guys in New York and even Winnipeg did for me. Basically, if you need anything around the city or need some advice as far as lifestyle in Winnipeg, just shoot me a text. And I'm sure once everything gets back to normal, we'll be working out and training and I'm sure our conversation will continue then."
Pionk's mentorship will likely extend beyond Samberg to other defensemen the Jets hope find their way into regular roles.
Sami Niku, 23, was poised to take on a bigger NHL role but was sidetracked with multiple injuries this season. Ville Heinola, 19, made the Jets out of training camp and scored five points (one goal, four assists) in eight games before being returned to Lukko Rauma in Liiga, Finland's top league. Tucker Poolman, 26, is in his third professional season and with 81 NHL games played is just beginning to find his way.
Pionk is uniquely qualified in the transition that awaits them because he went from being shocked to finding fulfillment in short order. He leads Winnipeg at 23:23 of ice time per game and Jets defensemen with six goals, 39 assists and 45 points in 71 games. His reliability helped the Jets ease the sting of losing the entire right side of their defense. Trouba was traded, Tyler Myers signed as an unrestricted free agent with the Vancouver Canucks, and Dustin Byfuglien asked for and was granted a personal leave of absence before the 2019-20 season started.
Defensemen Nathan Beaulieu, Dmitry Kulikov, Dylan DeMelo and Anthony Bitetto each can become an unrestricted free agent after the season, and the Jets must find a replacement for Byfuglien, who mutually agreed with Winnipeg to terminate his contract April 17.
Pionk will be part of the evolution and a young core including Josh Morrissey, 25, who will help the next generation of Winnipeg defensemen.
"I give credit to my coaches for giving me the opportunity, and also to my teammates, more than anything, because you make a good play and your teammates capitalize on it, it makes everyone look good," Pionk said. "And same thing when I make a mistake, those guys were there to bail me out. All of that led to myself having more confidence and having an overall pretty good year."
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