CRANBERRY TWP, PA (93.7 The Fan) –Pens 2019 first-round pick Sam Poulin said he worked a lot on himself the last couple of months and is back to being in a good place. He's ready to play hockey as he headlined the skaters at prospect camp which started Saturday at the UPMC Lemieux Complex.
Last year Poulin took a leave of absence from the Pens AHL team in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton to deal with some mental health issues. He understandably doesn't want to relive it, and is working to move forward with an opportunity to make the team this season.
"I think it's just a matter of having a different mindset," Poulin said. "I didn't play for a couple of months. My body is not really used to that stress again. I just have to be patient with the process and eventually I'll get back to where it was."
Poulin impressed during the team's training camp last year, nearly making the Opening Day roster. He would end up playing in three NHL games and 13 in the AHL before taking a break from December 4 and returning for the last two games of the season in April. Having been so close, he has an idea what he needs to do and what level of consistency he needs to play to make the NHL roster this coming season. It's now a matter of the 6'1", 208-pounder getting back there.
"I haven't skated that much in the last couple of months after the season," Poulin said. "It's a process and I'm just being patient with it. I don't want to put too much pressure on a timeline. I know time will take care of itself. I got to have faith in that."
Whether it's his more natural winger or at center, where he worked at camp last year, he's willing to do whatever. The 22-year-old had 16 goals during the 2021-22 season in the AHL and put up some big numbers in juniors.
"He's a moose," said Wilkes-Barre/Scranton head coach JD Forrest. "He can battle down low with anybody and he wins those battles most of the time. Whether it's in the defensive end or the offensive end down low, he's really hard to play against. You can't get the puck from him and when he's defending, he defends hard."
Forrest said that's why they worked him so much at center. The Pens coach said Poulin was 'fantastic' on the ice during the first day on Saturday.
"I just want to be better as a person every day and hockey will come second," Poulin said. "It's a matter of getting my health back where it was."
