Penguins A to Z: Sam Poulin is happy. Now, he needs to stay healthy
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With the Pittsburgh Penguins’ 2023-24 season coming to an end without any postseason action, TribLive will offer Penguins A to Z, a player-by-player look at all 52 individuals signed to an NHL contract — including those whose deals do not begin until next season — with the organization, from fourth-line center Noel Acciari to reserve winger Radim Zohorna.
This series is scheduled to be published every weekday leading into the second day of the NHL Draft on June 29.
(Note: All contract information courtesy of Cap Friendly.)
Sam Poulin
Position: Center
Shoots: Left
Age: 23
Height: 6-foot-2
Weight: 213 pounds
2023-24 NHL statistics: Three games, zero points, 7:47 of average ice time per contest
2023-24 AHL statistics: 41 games, 31 points (16 goals, 15 assists)
2023-24 AHL postseason statistics: Two games, one point (zero goals, one assist)
Contract: In the final year of a three-year entry-level contract with a salary cap hit of $863,333. Entering the first year of a two-year, two-way contract with a salary cap hit of $775,000. Pending restricted free agent in 2026
Acquired: First-round draft pick (No. 21 overall), June 21, 2019
This season: Sam Poulin still maintains his privacy on the circumstances of what led him to take a nearly four-month respite from being a professional hockey player during the 2022-23 campaign so that he could address his mental health.
But he’s open about what he discovered during that downtime.
“Just to be happy,” Poulin said Oct. 5. “That’s one thing I learned over the last couple of months. … It’s something you want to hold on to.”
He seemingly realized that pursuit during the 2023-24 season, even if it was pockmarked by injuries.
Opening the campaign with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Poulin established a theme of being in and out of the lineup fairly early by missing the third and fourth games of the season due to an undisclosed injury.
After returning to the lineup for three games, Poulin wound up missing 18 games between Nov. 1 and Dec. 15 due to another unspecified ailment.
Back in the lineup by mid-December, Poulin bounced between left wing and center on the top three lines while being a mainstay on the power play. Over 21 games between Dec. 16 and Feb. 3, Poulin was productive as he posted 16 points (10 goals, six assists).
Top cheese for Pouly on the power play ???? pic.twitter.com/Zy08stsgdW
— Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (@WBSPenguins) December 22, 2023
Another undisclosed injury hobbled him for most of February, sidelining him for seven games. Worst yet, it denied him a chance to earn a recall when injuries began to hit the NHL roster.
Back on the ice by March 1, Poulin averaged nearly a point per game when he generated nine points (two goals, seven assists) in his next 10 games.
Pouly puts it top-shelf on the penalty shot! pic.twitter.com/Cv9fgcqdRO
— Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (@WBSPenguins) March 10, 2024
That surge led to his first recall to the NHL roster in about 17 months on March 26.
Appearing in three NHL contests, Poulin was primarily relegated to a bottom-six role and quietly recorded two shots in that capacity before being sent back to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on April 2.
Poulin was bounced between the NHL and AHL roster four different times in what were essentially paper transactions over the next week and was scratched over four games for the Pittsburgh Penguins, partly due to a team-wide illness that struck much of the roster.
Rejoining Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in full April 9, Poulin skated as either the No. 1 or 2 center for that team for the remainder of the regular season, posting four points (three goals, one assist) in the final five games.
What a redirect from Pouly! pic.twitter.com/LXw3bG5u69
— Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (@WBSPenguins) April 14, 2024
During the AHL Penguins’ brief two-game playoff run, Poulin served as the No. 2 center and recorded a single assist.
Originally scheduled to become a restricted free agent on July 1, Poulin signed a two-year contract extension on April 29.
The future: From a human perspective, Poulin’s 2023-24 season was a raging success. He played hockey after going through some difficult travails the season prior. That is something to celebrate.
At the same time, as wonderful of a development that was, it came with plenty of hiccups in the injuries that sidelined him repeatedly and at highly inconvenient moments when the NHL club could have used him.
To be clear, Poulin does not play a soft perimeter game. He goes to high-traffic areas and engages in contact. He has a large body and is willing to use it to generate offense. That approach will bear fruit but also carry risks.
Given Poulin’s pedigree, versatility and skillset as well as the endorsement of president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas, who suggested the forward could challenge for a roster spot out of training camp in September (to say nothing of him now requiring waivers for an assignment to a minor league affiliate), it’s more than fair to expect Poulin to be ready for the NHL.
Sam Poulin has found a way to remain happy. Now, he needs to find a way to stay healthy.