🏒@HockeyBangers2026-27 projections

Overview

@HockeyBangers

2026-27 Projection

Neal Pionk

WPG · Age 31.0 · 🇺🇸 USA · 6′0″, 185 lb · Undrafted
WPGteam
Dposition
29position rank
122skater rank
60overall
-25offense
85peripherals

Value over replacement, based on 82 games played.
Ideal for H2H 12-team banger category leagues, 16 roster spots.

Per 82 GP2026-27projection2025-2651 GPH215 GPH136 GPPrev 3233 GP · 3y
TOI22.4222.7122.9221.1721.58
PP TOI1.631.601.601.641.72
G95859
A2515221128
PTS3420301637
PPP73058
SOG154154154169145
PIM64601344353
Hits181178213174177
Blocks121121110116118

Sample: 51 GP · 895 5v5 min (2025-26) — how much ice time backs these rates

Positional rankingDefense · league-wide (of 303)
offenseperipheralsvalue over replacement

Counts = projected deployment × projected /60 rate, per 82 GP. Rates regress off the process metric (ixG, shot-driving), not last year's finishing %. PP points = projected PP rate (anchored on the 2nd-half PP1 role, finishing regressed) × projected PP TOI.

Metrics worth highlighting

The charts that move this projection — where he broke from his own 3-year rate, where the season split in half, and where we’re taking the number next year
Second-half surge
PIM
6422-2323-2424-25H1H226-27
all5v5

Penalty minutes ran at a 134 pace in the second half after 43 in the first, per 82 games.

Above his 3-year rate
PP SOG/60
19.9022-2323-2424-2525-26

PP SOG/60 ran 146% above his 3-year rate last season (19.90 against 8.08).

Second-half surge
A
2522-2323-2424-25H1H226-27
all5v5

Assists ran at a 22 pace in the second half after 11 in the first, per 82 games.

We project it up
PTS
3422-2323-2424-25H1H226-27
all5v5

We’re projecting points 70% above last season, 20 to 34.

Picked automatically from every chart on this card, ranked by how far each number moved. Each claim is measured off the chart drawn beside it.

Similar & complementary players

Similar makeup Defense
Closest across all seven categories — match % is the whole-profile fit
Complementary Defense
Same position, opposite profile — strong where Neal Pionk is weak or average, light where he’s strong
  • Zach WerenskiD · Columbus Blue Jacketscovers 3
    fills: SOG, A, PPP
  • Cale MakarD · Colorado Avalanchecovers 3
    fills: A, PPP, SOG
  • Quinn HughesD · Minnesota Wildcovers 3
    fills: A, PPP, SOG
  • Evan BouchardD · Edmonton Oilerscovers 3
    fills: A, PPP, SOG
Profile shape — per-82 category values vs the league p99 for the position (same scale as the hero bars)
This player
GAPPPSOGPIMHitsBlocks
the profile below
vs Similar
GAPPPSOGPIMHitsBlocks
similar players hug the shape
vs Complementary
GAPPPSOGPIMHitsBlocks
complements fill the gaps

Deployment

Deployment projection — next-year TOI & PP TOI vs the last two years (the role that drives every count)
Coaching
2026-27 · Scott Arniel (WPG)
Last year: Scott Arniel full season — no change
Metric26-27
proj
2025-26Prev 3Diff
TOI22.4222.7121.58+5%
5v5 TOI17.8217.5717.24+2%
PP TOI1.631.601.72-7%
By quarter — 2025-26 vs 3-yr baseline
GP  19 · 17 · 4 · 11
TOI*
3-yr 21.5822.92Q1Q2Q3Q4
5v5 TOI
3-yr 17.2418.83Q1Q2Q3Q4
PP TOI
3-yr 1.721.60Q1Q2Q3Q4
*Total TOI by quarter reconstructs 5v5+PP quarterly totals plus a held-flat season PK/GP — NST has no all-strength quarterly export. Level is accurate; quarter-to-quarter movement comes from 5v5+PP.
By season — year over year
TOI
22.4222-2323-2424-2525-2626-27
5v5 TOI
17.8222-2323-2424-2525-2626-27
PP TOI
1.6322-2323-2424-2525-2626-27

Shooting — volume & conversion

How much and how well he shoots — volume (SOG), finishing (% vs chance quality), and the individual shot-quality funnel (iCF ⊇ iSCF ⊇ iHDCF).

Metric (5v5)26-27
proj
2025-26Prev 3Diff
SOG/604.424.425.00-12%
G/600.180.130.22-42%
iSH%4.012.944.46-34%
ixG/600.110.20-45%
iCF/6010.7811.00-2%
iSCF/602.082.09-1%
iHDCF/600.000.32-100%
By quarter — 2025-26 vs 3-yr baseline
GP  19 · 17 · 4 · 11
SOG/60
3-yr 5.004.06Q1Q2Q3Q4
iSH%
3-yr 4.467.14Q1Q2Q3Q4
ixG/60
3-yr 0.200.10Q1Q2Q3Q4
iCF/60
3-yr 11.009.85Q1Q2Q3Q4
iSCF/60
3-yr 2.092.61Q1Q2Q3Q4
iHDCF/60
3-yr 0.320.00Q1Q2Q3Q4
By season — year over year
SOG/60
4.4222-2323-2424-2525-26
iSH%
2.9422-2323-2424-2525-26
ixG/60
0.1122-2323-2424-2525-26
iCF/60
10.7822-2323-2424-2525-26
iSCF/60
2.0822-2323-2424-2525-26
iHDCF/60
0.0022-2323-2424-2525-26
Per-82 count — 3 seasons, 2025-26 halves & 26-27 projection
G
922-2323-2424-25H1H226-27
all5v5
SOG
15422-2323-2424-25H1H226-27
all5v5
The blue 26-27 point is our projection. The bold line is all situations; the muted line under it is 5v5 alone, so the gap between them is his special-teams production. Full seasons are true per-82 counts; the 2025-26 H1/H2 reconstruct all-strength from the 5v5+PP quarterly exports plus the season's held-flat PK/other. The projected 5v5 point is the engine's even-strength share of the total, converted to 5v5 by his own 5v5-to-even-strength split, so overtime and 4-on-4 scoring stays out of it.
Regression read — where next year's /60 rate lands and why (process over finishing)
ContextFinishing looks earned: iSH% 2.9% sits near the 4.5% 3-yr mark with 5v5 ixG/60 0.11 (5th pct league-wide) — goals held close to last year.
RiskShot volume down 12% (5v5 SOG/60 4.42 vs 5.00) — volume is the repeatable half, so this caps the goal ceiling.
ContextTrajectory: 5v5 ixG/60 fell from 0.12 (1st half) to 0.10 (2nd).

Assists — playmaking & on-ice offense

Primary vs secondary helpers, plus the on-ice offense and luck signals underneath them.

Metric (5v5)26-27
proj
2025-26Prev 3Diff
on-ice SH%8.959.108.77+4%
IPP32.6628.6339.22-27%
1A/600.300.200.35-42%
2A/600.340.330.42-21%
By quarter — 2025-26 vs 3-yr baseline
GP  19 · 17 · 4 · 11
1A/60
3-yr 0.350.00Q1Q2Q3Q4
2A/60
3-yr 0.420.87Q1Q2Q3Q4
By season — year over year
1A/60
0.2022-2323-2424-2525-26
2A/60
0.3322-2323-2424-2525-26
Per-82 count — 3 seasons, 2025-26 halves & 26-27 projection
A
2522-2323-2424-25H1H226-27
all5v5
PTS
3422-2323-2424-25H1H226-27
all5v5
The blue 26-27 point is our projection. The bold line is all situations; the muted line under it is 5v5 alone, so the gap between them is his special-teams production. Full seasons are true per-82 counts; the 2025-26 H1/H2 reconstruct all-strength from the 5v5+PP quarterly exports plus the season's held-flat PK/other. The projected 5v5 point is the engine's even-strength share of the total, converted to 5v5 by his own 5v5-to-even-strength split, so overtime and 4-on-4 scoring stays out of it.
Regression read — where next year's /60 rate lands and why (process over finishing)
TailwindIPP 28.6% sits below the 39.2% 3-yr mark — participation should rebound, nudging assists up.
ContextDefenseman — weight transition/PP facilitation over raw 2A; secondary assists read a touch better for D than forwards.

Power play

PP opportunity and finishing — modelled separately from 5v5.

Metric26-27
proj
2025-26Prev 3Diff
PP TOI1.631.601.72-7%
PP iSH%7.853.7211.10-67%
PP SOG/6016.9519.908.08+146%
PP ixG/601.040.58+79%
By quarter — 2025-26 vs 3-yr baseline
GP  19 · 17 · 4 · 11
PP TOI/GP
3-yr 1.721.60Q1Q2Q3Q4
PP SOG/60
3-yr 8.0820.47Q1Q2Q3Q4
PP ixG/60
3-yr 0.581.21Q1Q2Q3Q4
By season — year over year
PP TOI/GP
1.6022-2323-2424-2525-26
PP SOG/60
19.9022-2323-2424-2525-26
PP ixG/60
1.0422-2323-2424-2525-26
Per-82 count — 3 seasons, 2025-26 halves & 26-27 projection
PPP
722-2323-2424-25H1H226-27
PPG
322-2323-2424-25H1H226-27
PPA
422-2323-2424-25H1H226-27
The blue 26-27 point is our projection. PPG and PPA are the 2 halves of the PPP above them, split by the projection's own goal/assist mix. PP-only, so the halves are exact.
Regression read — where next year's /60 rate lands and why (process over finishing)
ContextPP role steady at ~1.6 PP TOI/gp.
TailwindPP finishing ran cold (3.7% vs 11.1%) over steady PP chances — PP goals should rebound.

Physical — PIM · hits · blocks

Peripheral counting categories. Noisier and scorer-biased — read as role over the years, not pure talent.

Metric (5v5)26-27
proj
2025-26Prev 3Diff
PIMs/603.082.481.91+30%
Hits/606.516.506.17+5%
Blks/603.833.883.99-3%
By quarter — 2025-26 vs 3-yr baseline
GP  19 · 17 · 4 · 11
PIMs/60
3-yr 1.915.21Q1Q2Q3Q4
Hits/60
3-yr 6.177.53Q1Q2Q3Q4
Blks/60
3-yr 3.993.19Q1Q2Q3Q4
By season — year over year
PIMs/60
2.4822-2323-2424-2525-26
Hits/60
6.5022-2323-2424-2525-26
Blks/60
3.8822-2323-2424-2525-26
Per-82 count — 3 seasons, 2025-26 halves & 26-27 projection
PIM
6422-2323-2424-25H1H226-27
all5v5
HITS
18122-2323-2424-25H1H226-27
all5v5
BLK
12122-2323-2424-25H1H226-27
all5v5
The blue 26-27 point is our projection. The bold line is all situations; the muted line under it is 5v5 alone, so the gap between them is his special-teams production. Full seasons are true per-82 counts; the 2025-26 H1/H2 reconstruct all-strength from the 5v5+PP quarterly exports plus the season's held-flat PK/other. The projected 5v5 point is the engine's even-strength share of the total, converted to 5v5 by his own 5v5-to-even-strength split, so overtime and 4-on-4 scoring stays out of it.
Regression read — where next year's /60 rate lands and why (process over finishing)
TailwindHits surging late: Q4 7.53/60 and 2nd-half 7.53 vs a 6.50 season rate (6.17 3-yr) (72nd pct league-wide) — reads as a real role/confidence step, so projected UP to 6.51/60, weighting the finish over the 3-yr baseline.
RiskBlocks tailing off: Q4 3.19/60 and 2nd-half 3.19 below the 3.88 season rate — projected DOWN to 3.83/60, weighting the recent decline over the 3.99 3-yr mark.
TailwindFights / takes majors (0.07/60) — a real PIM source, valuable in banger and PIM formats.