At this stage in his career, the word “prospect” feels somewhat ill-suited to describe Sam Poulin. The Pittsburgh Penguins winger has only appeared in six career NHL contests, and he is just 23 years old. But he has played parts of three seasons as a professional, and over that span, Poulin, the Penguins’ first-round (No.
19 overall) draft pick in 2019, has yet to crack the NHL roster and stay there. Extenuating circumstances, namely injuries as well as a multi-month break from hockey in 2022-23 to prioritize his mental health, have played a role. Now, for a number of reasons, Poulin is operating with a heightened sense of urgency compared to prior years as he approaches a crossroads with the Penguins.
“My mindset is to make the team, nothing else,” Poulin said. “I’ve done a couple camps now, so I know what to expect and I know what to bring. This camp, that’s my only goal, make the team and go from there.
” Poulin no longer can be reassigned to the American Hockey League without first being subjected to waivers. Were Poulin to be cut from the Penguins’ camp roster and placed on waivers, the 31 other NHL clubs would have an opportunity to claim him before he could join Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Given Poulin’s pedigree, it’s easy to imagine another team thinking that a former first-round draft pick might benefit from a change of scenery.
Thus, a realistic outcome for Poulin by the conclusion of the preseason is his time with the Penguins coming to an end. A.
