Waterloo Black Hawks defenseman Aaron Pionk is an over-age 2023 NHL Draft prospect who has been an integral piece to Matt Smaby’s blueline this year.

In his first USHL season, Pionk has collected 12 goals and 24 assists in 59 games. His 36 points are the second-most among Black Hawks defensemen and seventh in the league.

And while the Clark Cup Playoffs and next steps over the summer are the priority, Pionk may have a career as a Zamboni driver after his playing days are done.

Most high school students seek employment at their local grocery stores, fast food chains or mowing the neighborhood lawns. Pionk wanted to work at his local hockey rink in Hermantown, Minnesota.

He figured since he’s at the rink all day anyway, he might as well find a way to make some money doing it. Thanks to the family’s connection with the rink manager, a brief conversation led to Pionk learning the ins and outs (and challenges) of driving a Zamboni.

“It’s so big in the front,” he said of driving it for the first time. “I mean, you can’t see 10 feet in front, so that was a little challenging there, and you don’t have brakes on the ice, so nothing’s going to stop that.”

After his training period, Pionk was free to drive the machine solo, which required a whole new period of adjustment without having a second set of eyes watching.

A couple of run-ins with the endboards, something Pionk noted happens with every Zamboni driver, were some of his early challenges.

But from a player’s perspective, the young defenseman knows what a good sheet of ice should look like.

“If you make a bad (sheet of ice), you’re kind of mad about it, so you go out and do it again,” he said.

After a couple of months of settling in at Waterloo, Pionk and a couple of his teammates decided to look for jobs to fill their downtime. 

The defenseman spoke with the managers at Young Arena, who still are in place from when Pionk’s father, Scott, was the head coach for Waterloo, and the younger Pionk was able to arrange a set schedule to run the Zamboni.

From November 2022 to February 2023, Pionk worked two days a week at the rink, providing a clean sheet after the local hockey junior varsity and varsity teams practiced at the arena.

He even offered his Zamboni services in between periods during Black Hawks games.

“I think I said to our trainer, ‘If I’m ever hurt, I’m getting on that thing,’” he said jokingly. “I know our fans would love it.”

Fortunately, for his sake, Pionk was never injured during the regular season, so fans will have to hold out to see that next season or at his next stop.

With the Black Hawks this year, the young defenseman has pieced together a strong resume that should garner the attention of NHL clubs in June’s draft.

Pionk sits in the top 10 among all USHL defensemen in goals (12), points (36), plus/minus (+20) and shots (135). He’s a well-rounded blueliner who has adapted to playing on his off-side after Waterloo bolstered the left side by acquiring Nate Benoit.

Like learning to drive the Zamboni, there was a period of adjustment for Pionk, but he felt it was a great tool for his development and, thus, making him more attractive to NHL scouts.

“I was definitely a little timid at first,” he said. “But now, I’ve gotten really comfortable with it. Sometimes, I honestly do like it better. Grabbing pucks and walking the blueline is easier on your right side because you’re face up to it. I’m really comfortable playing both sides now.”

Looking ahead to the 2023 NHL Draft, Pionk has been overlooked by NHL clubs before. 

He recently was listed No. 117 on the NHL Central Scouting’s final ranking of North American skaters. Certainly not impossible, but Pionk could be a mid- to late-round draft pick with incredible upside.

The young blueliner would take great pride in being selected by an NHL organization because it would kickstart his road to becoming a professional. He also wants to add his name to the list of players drafted out of Hermantown, a city that really rallies around its locals.

Pionk is the youngest of five brothers, with three others who pursued hockey as a career. However, if drafted, the youngest Pionk would become the first in the family to do so. That includes older brother Neal, who now plays for the Winnipeg Jets after starting his pro career as an undrafted free agent with the New York Rangers.

“I think it would mean a little bragging rights to my brothers for them not being drafted,” he laughed. “It would just be an outstanding feeling, just for that.”