Neal's scoring touch has been apparent wherever he's played, most recently with the Edmonton Oilers after he was traded by the Calgary Flames on July 19, 2019. He played the 2018-19 season for the Flames and 2017-18 for the Vegas Golden Knights during their inaugural NHL season, when he helped them advance to the Stanley Cup Final.

Neal showed his scoring prowess early on with 18 goals for Plymouth in 2004-05, his first full season in the Ontario Hockey League. He played in the Canadian Hockey League Top Prospects Game that season and finished second with Canada at the 2005 Under-18 World Championship. The Dallas Stars selected Neal in the second round (No. 33) of the 2005 NHL Draft.

Neal was chosen to the OHL First All-Star Team and CHL Second All-Star Team in 2006-07 after scoring 27 goals for OHL champion Plymouth. He had 43 points in 37 total OHL playoff games and scored a Memorial Cup-high five goals in 2007. He also helped Canada finish first at the 2007 World Junior Championship.

Neal played his first pro season with Iowa of the American Hockey League and was third on the team with 18 goals. That helped him earn a spot on the Stars in 2008-09. He was second among NHL rookies with 24 goals, becoming the first Stars rookie to have a 20-goal season since the franchise relocated to Dallas in 1993.

Neal scored a goal in his NHL debut Oct. 10, 2008, against the Columbus Blue Jackets. He led the Stars with nine power-play goals and played in the 2009 NHL YoungStars Game. Neal also helped Canada earn a silver medal at the 2009 World Championship. He tied for 11th in the NHL in even-strength goals (24) in 2009-10 and had four game-winning goals, tied with Loui Eriksson for the most on the Stars.

On Feb. 21, 2011, Neal was traded by Dallas to the Pittsburgh Penguins with Matt Niskanen for Alex Goligoski. In 2011-12, his first full season in Pittsburgh, Neal scored 40 goals, had 81 points and was named a First-Team All Star. Neal got his first Stanley Cup Playoff hat trick in Game 5 of the first round against the Ottawa Senators on May 30, 2013.

On June 27, 2014, the Penguins traded Neal to the Nashville Predators for Patric Hornqvist and Nick Spaling. He quickly made an impact in Nashville; tying for second on the Predators with 23 goals, and they were 25-2-4 the following season when he scored a goal. He scored 23 goals in 2016-17, helping the Predators advance to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since entering the NHL in 1998.

However, the Predators left him unprotected in the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft and he was selected by the Golden Knights. Neal scored the first goal in Vegas history Oct. 6, 2017 and the winning goal in each game when the Golden Knights became the first NHL expansion team to win its first three games.

Neal scored four goals against the New York Islanders on Oct. 8, 2019 and set a new Oilers record by scoring six goals in the first three games of a season. He scored 11 goals in October but tailed off and missed 16 games with an ankle injury sustained against the Flames on Jan. 29, 2020.

NOTES & TRANSACTIONS

• OHL First All-Star Team (2007)
• Canadian Major Junior Second All-Star Team (2007)
• NHL First All-Star Team (2012)
• Played in NHL All-Star Game (2012, 2016, 2018)
• Traded to Pittsburgh by Dallas with Matt Niskanen for Alex Goligoski, February 21, 2011.
• Traded to Nashville by Pittsburgh for Patric Hornqvist and Nick Spaling, June 27, 2014.
• Claimed by Vegas from Nashville in Expansion Draft, June 21, 2017.
• Signed as a free agent by Calgary, July 2, 2018.
• Traded to Edmonton by Calgary for Milan Lucic and a conditional pick in 2020 NHL Draft, July 19, 2019.
• Signed as a free agent by St. Louis, October 9, 2021.