Wednesday Premium Content: Has Pionk turned into an elite defensive defenseman?

How much confidence can we place in Pionk's RAPM defensive

Welcome to this week's edition of our paid-subscriber hockey analysis series, where we delve deep into the world of hockey statistics, analytical theory, player development, Winnipeg Jets, and more.

This time around, we continue our exploration of the Jets' performances in microstatistics, talk statistical analysts' focus in debates, and Neal Pionk’s recent defensive surgance.

So, without further ado, let's dive right in.

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MICROSTATISTICS UPDATE

All three games since last week have been tracked.

For the sake of a comprehensive tally and full disclosure, the games I haven't tracked are Game 2, Game 11, Game 14, and Game 17. This puts us at tracking 87 percent of the games.

Nikolaj Ehlers surpassing Kyle Connor for the top spot in offensive production would typically be the headline, but only if we ignored Connor's injury and absence from play.

The more intriguing narratives unfold further down the rankings, featuring Morgan Barron and Gabriel Vilardi. While their ranks haven't changed since last week, they’ve shown the most significant improvements.

Vilardi, in particular, has been on a scoring spree, accumulating seven points in the last three games. Notably, he has nearly doubled his 5v5 scoring chance production during this impressive stretch.

In Barron's case, his production may not match Vilardi's in terms of points or chances, but his efficiency is noteworthy, especially considering his limited ice time. Barron has been driving offense through individual efforts, adding an extra layer of impressiveness to his performance. Additionally, he boasts the Jets' highest scoring chance-to-scoring chance pass ratio relative to those above him, which is more interesting than informative.