Signing highly sought after college free agent Neal Pionk would make a lot of sense for the Vegas Golden Knights.
The Vegas Golden Knights don’t really have much of a roster. As a matter of fact, their roster only consists of a one player. I expect the Golden Knights to make another signing sometime soon to assist their only player Reid Duke.
Luckily for Vegas, one of college hockey’s best defenseman has decided to go pro. The Minnesota-Duluth Bulldog Neal Pionk had a terrific sophomore season on the stat sheet. In 42 games played, Pionk collected seven Goals, 27 Assists and 34 Points.
A ton of Minnesota-Duluths success this season had a lot to do with Pionk. The 21-year-old had a plus/minus rating of +24. If that wasn’t enough, he led his team to the National Championship game against Denver despite just falling short. This player look’s like he has “it” after seeing he was on the ice for almost half of the Bulldogs Goals scored in the Frozen Four Tournament.
Pionk is dangerous both offensively and defensively thanks to his skating ability and quickness. He’s considered to be a puck moving defenseman and makes outlet passes look easy. Pionk is relentless in the offensive zone as he pinches in quite often.
The problem with Pionk is he has a small stature as defensemen. The Hermatown Minnesota native stands at 5’11 and only 170 lbs. He’ll absolutely need to beef up if he wants to become a full-time NHL top four defenseman.
Pionk also struggles defensively going one on one against the rush. And even though he’s a smaller player, his toughness and physicality is at a pretty high level. His ability in the one on one battles is also impressive given his size disadvantage.
Craig Custance reported 20 teams were interested in Pionk’s services a few months ago. Custance went out of his way and said the Vegas Golden Knights are in the mix. I wouldn’t be surprised to see all 31 NHL teams interested in Pionk’s play especially after the Frozen Four tournament.
Lots of interest in UMD college free agent defenseman Neal Pionk. A good 20 teams showing interest in the sophomore. Vegas in the mix.
— Craig Custance (@CraigCustance) February 21, 2017
The Vegas Golden Knights are a true fit for Pionk, however it looks like it may be a bidding war for the young defenseman. fortunately for Vegas General Manager George McPhee, he only has one player on their cap. So it really shouldn’t be an issue if you outbid other teams for Pionk.
What Vegas could sell Pionk on is he could have a much clearer path to their NHL roster. Sure he’ll need some developing in the AHL first, but it may not be long to see him in a Golden Knights sweater if he signs here.
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If McPhee truly believes in this player and that he’s capable of helping his NHL team in the near future, then he should sign him. I wouldn’t be shocked if McPhee took a pass on Pionk but honestly why would you pass on him? Teams don’t have a lot of depth defensively and with the lack of depth at defense in this years draft, Pionk could very well be the best option available for the Golden Knights
It’s time for McPhee to make the call to Neal Pionk’s agent and get him signed.