DETROIT — Sam Poulin was keeping his goals for the start of the season pretty modest when he spoke at the Penguins’ prospect development camp in July.
Poulin, 22, missed much of last season as he took a personal leave of absence for mental health reasons. His leave was announced on Dec. 7, and he didn’t return to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton until mid-March. He was back around the team and practicing for the last month of the season, but he only dressed for two of Wilkes-Barre’s games to finish the season, once Wilkes-Barre had already been eliminated from playoff contention.
Poulin, who attended development camp as part of the process of getting back up to his usual form, wasn’t putting too much pressure on himself. He knew that there would be a battle for spots in the Penguins’ bottom six during training camp, but he was still focused on taking things slow.
“We’ll see where it takes me,” Poulin said at development camp. “If I’ve got to go back to Wilkes, it’ll be fine. And if I make the (NHL) team, that’ll be fine too. I just want to be better as a person every day and hockey will come second after. It’s just a matter of getting my health back to where it was.”
Poulin was a full participant throughout development camp, and he sure looked like he was picking up right where he left off, though the development camp roster was primarily college, junior and European prospects with limited pro experience.
The Prospects Challenge — a three-game exhibition series in Buffalo — was up next in mid-September. Poulin, who played in three games with and against players who were more so his peers in terms of experience level, didn’t look out of place there either. He had two goals over that weekend, both a result of him driving hard to the net. He saw time on both the power play and penalty-kill, and was putting in work at times like it was a Game 7 rather than summer exhibition game. One of the more impressive things he did that trip was when he was on the penalty kill late in a game, and his stick got broken. He stayed out there and was diving to block shots and diving to knock the puck off of the sticks of opponents.
His coach was impressed with where Poulin’s game was at that weekend.
“You would never know by watching him play, practice, compete (that he missed so much time),” J.D. Forrest said. “He’s just a hockey player. He battles, he’s a bear down low. He does a lot of good things out there. For him, it’s just about getting back and playing consistently. I have no concerns about where his game is going to go. I’m extremely excited, and I think he is as well.”
With the Penguins’ preseason schedule opening this weekend, these games are the closest Poulin has come to real, meaningful hockey in months. He’s dressed in two games so far — a 4-3 overtime loss to the Blue Jackets in Columbus on Sunday, and a 4-3 loss to the Red Wings in Detroit on Tuesday. The Penguins dressed very prospect- and depth player-heavy lineups those games, affording Poulin the opportunity to center the second-line in an elevated role. Both the Blue Jackets and Red Wings dressed pretty star-heavy lineups, giving Poulin the opportunity to go up against NHL-level talent.
Again, Poulin has yet to give any indication that he’s lost a step as a result of that extended time away from the game last season.
Poulin’s 19:40 was the second-highest ice time among Penguins forwards in that game. He didn’t see much time as far as the penalty-kill went — only 28 seconds — but his 3:15 on the power play was tied for a team-high. His four shots on goal led the team, and he also recorded a blocked shot and a 7-and-7 record in the faceoff circle. Special teams dictated much of the ice time distribution on Tuesday, and Poulin had a bit of a different role. He played 14:57, and only 14 seconds of it came on the power play. But with 1:32 shorthanded, he was one of the more frequent penalty-killing forwards. He had two shots on goal and a blocked shot, but a tougher night in the faceoff circle at 4-and-8.
Poulin scored late in the first period on Sunday, a wrister into a wide-open net after Columbus goaltender Elvis Merzlikins got caught out of position:
The goal Poulin scored Tuesday here in Detroit was one for the highlight reels. Just see for yourself:
“Well, it happened fast,” Poulin told me of that play after Tuesday’s game. “I got a pass from being in the middle. I was trying to make a pass but didn’t see any lanes, so I just put it on net.”
To attempt a move like that, though? Is that just an indication of where Poulin’s confidence is with his overall game at this point?
“I think I’m getting more and more comfortable as I get more and more games,” Poulin said. “I’m just trying to work on the things that I do … not wrong, but like the mistakes that I do. It’s just the learning process overall.”
Those little things mostly revolve around puck management, Poulin said. Things like being more efficient in his playmaking to limit turnovers, because you’re much more likely to get burned by a turnover at this level compared to the AHL.
That’s a part of Poulin’s game that he’s been focused on improving since he turned pro, and he’s made massive strides in that regard. He’s come a long way from being the rookie who got healthy scratched in the AHL one weekend after committing a turnover that led to a goal going the other way. He’s still got a ways to go to be trustworthy to his coaches at the NHL level, but he continues to make progress.
What Poulin didn’t mention when talking about those little focuses was impressive. Oftentimes when a player was sidelined for months like Poulin was, like for a long-term injury, conditioning can be something that needs to catch up. Timing can be something that needs some work too, since it’s been awhile since the player has shared an ice with nine other skaters at once. Poulin, who didn’t really skate often at all while he was away last season, says that he doesn’t feel like he’s lost much in those areas. It shows on the ice.
“Actually, I felt pretty good,” Poulin said. “I don’t feel like I lost too much of my legs or my execution or stuff like that. I’m just pretty happy to be here and be playing games again.”
Mike Sullivan has been impressed with what he’s seen from Poulin so far this preseason. He noted that Poulin’s improving each day with things like his timing and pace of play. And that tenacity and strength that Poulin has long had in his game is still there.
“One of the things I really admire about his game is I think he’s really stiff on the puck down in the battle areas, in the offensive zone,” Sullivan said. “He plays below the goal line really well, he’s good at the netfront. I think that’s one of the big strengths of this game.”
That puck management, something Poulin already knows he needs to work on, will be key if he is to see NHL time. While Poulin has experience at both wing and center, the Penguins’ coaches have made clear for awhile now that they prefer Poulin at center. When Poulin made his NHL debut last season in Calgary, it was as a center. If he’s going to stick as a center long-term and make it to the next level, being reliable with the puck is going to be all the more important.
“We’ll work with him on just some of his awareness and some of the reads defensively away from the puck, just the recognition skills,” Sullivan said of Poulin. “The way we play defense within our system, there’s a huge burden or responsibility on the center ice position. So I think he has an opportunity to grow there. But we’re seeing it every day, he’s getting better.”
After seeing Poulin play now in a number of different situations since that development camp back in July, it’s clear that he’s picking up right back where he left off last season. Just before Poulin took his leave last season, he had just started to crack the NHL lineup for the first time in his career. After these first two preseason games, his name is very much in the mix for a spot in the Penguins’ bottom six, whether it be on opening night or as the next man up if a call up is needed.
Poulin wasn’t looking that far ahead yet when he spoke in July. After a strong open to the preseason, I asked him Tuesday if he’s allowing himself to think about that competition for a bottom-six spot yet.
His answer was the same — he’s just happy to be on the ice, wherever that may be.
“Maybe,” he said with a smile. “But again, I’ll say the same thing. I’m just pretty happy to be here and to play hockey. No matter where I end up, I’ll just be really excited. If it’s up here, great. If it’s down in Wilkes, that’s great as well.”
