Schmidt, Pionk see potential in Jets blue line

WINNIPEG - Everyone seems to be getting along well inside the Winnipeg Jets dressing room - outside of a supposed missed offside call that played a role in deciding a scrimmage a couple days ago - but if there is one possible rift, it exists between Neal Pionk and Nate Schmidt.
"I played in Da Beauty League with him one summer. He actually got me traded," said Pionk. "I want that on record. He got me traded in Da Beauty League."
Da Beauty League, established in Minnesota in 2015, features National Hockey League players as well as talented players from other leagues in four-on-four style games.
Pionk and Schmidt were on the same team one summer, which led to the trade, although Schmidt considers himself innocent in all of it.
"I didn't trade Neal Pionk in Da Beauty League. The truth is our team was waxing. We were 3-0 and we had to move some guys," Schmidt said, laughing.
"We had too many guys with NHL experience on our team. We had Boeser, Stepan, myself, Neal, and I think one or two other guys who played in the American League and NHL. Our team just had too many… and here we are, getting roasted."

The two Minnesota products (Pionk from Hermantown and Schmidt from St. Cloud) are seemingly willing to leave the trade in the past for the betterment of their current team in Winnipeg.

For his part, Pionk has enjoyed his two most offensively productive seasons as a member of the Jets with 77 points in 125 games.
Still, he knows there is more for him - and the team - to do.
"Every year it's our goal to win the Stanley Cup, so for myself, that's the team goal," said Pionk. "That's what we're here for and that's what we play for."
That applies to the entire defensive group. Last season, the Jets gave up an average of 30.6 shots per game, which put them in the upper half of the league in terms of the most allowed.
That being said, the Jets also finished 10th when it came to fewest goals against in the NHL. Connor Hellebuyck was busy on a lot of nights - and while the perennial Vezina Trophy candidate doesn't mind the work - the Jets want to reduce the amount of rubber Hellebuyck has to kick aside.
"You can draw up all the Xs and Os you want, trade for whatever guys you want, sign whatever guys you want, but it's the mindset and the commitment that the team has to have," said Pionk.
"Other teams are going to get Grade A chances, we're playing against good players at the end of the day, but we know we have to limit those chances in order for us to have more success."
That goal was a big reason why both Schmidt and Brenden Dillon were acquired in the off-season. Both seem to have fit seamlessly into the room, with Dillon sitting beside Pionk in the room and being partners together on the ice.
As for Schmidt, he's been alongside Josh Morrissey since day one of camp.
"It's gone really well so far. Each day, you feel a little more comfortable. We still have a ways to go but that's something that's going to happen in a game tomorrow night or a game in preseason," said Schmidt. "So far just trying to get to know him and some things about, we talk a lot about tendencies especially when we're on the ice. We want to do this, we want to do that, let's be really aggressive here today."

That concept of being aggressive in practice, especially during training camp, was a lesson Schmidt learned when he played with the (now retired) Matt Niskanen in Washington.
"Be ridiculously over aggressive early, try and put yourself in a position where you might fail - like a 60-40 - just so you know where that line is when you get to the regular season," Schmidt said. "That's something that we've been trying to do in camp, really try to push the envelope on each other and when we play rushes as well."
Outside of his own pairing, Schmidt - who has 450 NHL games under his belt - likes what he sees from the Jets defence.
They're physical, they can skate, and they can get up in the play.
"You don't have - as the coaches say - we don't have any slugs back there," Schmidt said, laughing.
"You look at this team and you look at the offensive firepower we have - when you play against this group, you look at that. Now when you start adding a little more dynamic to your back end, I think that adds another element to your group."
One other aspect of this season not to be underestimated is the fact the entire team can be in the same room - and they can be together outside of it as well.

Pionk and Dillon can sit next to each other and develop a bond. Both players were undrafted and now play prominent roles on a team expected to contend, something that Pionk says puts a chip on both of their shoulders heading into this season.
Outside of the room, players can further those bonds by going out for dinner together - something that wasn't permitted during the 2020-21 season due to protocols.
An NHL season will inevitably have its ups and downs, its wins and losses, but how that room sticks together will tell the ultimate tale.
"That room will decide how far we go. That's the best way to look at it. It's in that room. How we play and how we decide to conduct ourselves, that will determine how far we go," said Schmidt.
"There are a lot of things that can happen, a lot of things have to go your way in a year to win the whole thing. But I really think we have a group that can determine where we go this year."
It's so important that Pionk is willing to overlook that trade from Da Beauty League.
Even if he got the last laugh.
"I won the championship," Pionk laughed. "I'm not holding a grudge. I did bring it up this year - but I'm not holding a grudge."