Young Rangers blueliner wants to be ‘dominating defensively’

With 28 games in the NHL under his belt, Neal Pionk came into Rangers training camp this month feeling more confident than he had in the past.

But that confidence was not to be confused for comfort.

“I really liked his attitude coming into camp,” veteran defenseman Marc Staal said. “He had a lot of success when he came up with us last year, and he could have come in and maybe taken it for granted a little bit. But he came in in incredible shape, he’s worked hard, he’s had a great attitude. It’s going to bode well for him.”

Pionk left a solid impression when he made the jump from the AHL to the NHL last season, picking up more minutes down the stretch as he was leaned on and lauded for his dependability on the right side.

Now entering his first full season, Pionk is hungry for more.

“I just want to work on dominating defensively,” Pionk said Saturday after the Rangers wrapped up their second practice with their 23-man roster in place. “Not just managing defensively, but dominating and being able to play against top lines in the league.”

After getting called up from AHL Hartford on Feb. 8 last season, Pionk showed he can also provide some offense in addition to his defensive responsibilities. He seemed to find his groove 10 games in — just after the trade deadline — when he reeled off a stretch of 13 points (one goal, 12 assists) over the next 12 games. Pionk credited the surge to the power play getting hot, but only four of the assists came on the man advantage.

Still, the 23-year-old undrafted free agent from Minnesota-Duluth showed he could play on the blue line and carried over the confidence through camp.

“Neal obviously is known for his skating, his defensive play, his tenacity, and he’s got an offensive ability to his game as well,” coach David Quinn said. “He’s a guy that never takes a shift off, competes night in and night out, and is exactly the type of attitude and personality we’re looking for.”

With a new coaching staff in place, Pionk knew nothing was set in stone and wanted to prove himself over again. And with plenty of competition fighting for minutes at his position — including Tony DeAngelo, Fredrik Claesson, Ryan Lindgren, Libor Hajek and Rob O’Gara — there was no time for settling.

“You gotta come in determined, you can’t take a breath in this league,” Pionk said. “We have a bunch of great prospects in this system, and once you take a breath, someone’s going to pass you.”

Pionk was alternately paired with both Staal and Brady Skjei down the stretch last year, but has reunited with Staal. They are on opposite ends of the experience spectrum — Staal is entering his 12th season with the Rangers — but have formed a solid chemistry built on strong communication, on and off the ice.

“We talk to each other on the ice, but also will come off the ice onto the bench and we’ll give each other pointers,” Pionk said. “He helps me out a bunch.”

Quinn said he feels comfortable with all eight defensemen on the roster and likes each of his defensive pairs — Staal and Pionk, Skjei and Adam McQuaid, Brendan Smith and Kevin Shattenkirk, and Claesson and DeAngelo — that will try to rebound from the unit allowing the fourth-most goals in the NHL last season.

“It means a lot,” Pionk said of making the roster out of camp. “It’s a step in the right direction towards my development. I’ll take it one step at a time and go from here.”