Sam Poulin (ice hockey)

Sam Poulin
Poulin with the Bakersfield Condors in 2026
Born (2001-02-25) February 25, 2001
Blainville, Quebec, Canada
Height 6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Weight 217 lb (98 kg; 15 st 7 lb)
Position Forward
Shoots Left
NHL team
Former teams		 Montreal Canadiens
Pittsburgh Penguins
NHL draft 21st overall, 2019
Pittsburgh Penguins
Playing career 2021–present

Samuel Poulin (born February 25, 2001) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player who is a forward for the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected in the first round, 21st overall, by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2019 NHL entry draft.

Playing career

Early years

As a youth, Poulin participated in both the 2013 and 2014 iterations of the Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with a minor ice hockey team from Boisbriand.[1] He later played with the Collège Esther-Blondin Phénix of the Ligue de hockey Midget AAA du Québec (QMAAA) beginning in 2015–16,[2] and was selected by the Sherbrooke Phoenix of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) in the 2017 QMJHL Draft.[3]

Following the 2018–19 QMJHL season, Poulin was selected in the first round (21st overall) of the 2019 NHL entry draft by the Pittsburgh Penguins.[4][5] He signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the team on September 22, 2019.[6]

Serving as captain of the Phoenix during his final two QMJHL seasons from 2019 to 2021,[7] Sherbrooke opted to trade Poulin to the Val-d'Or Foreurs in January 2021.[8]

Professional

Poulin made his professional debut for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the American Hockey League (AHL) in the 2021–22 AHL season.[9] On October 23, 2022, he was recalled by Pittsburgh and made his NHL debut two days later, recording one assist in a 4–1 loss to the Calgary Flames.[10][11] Thereafter, Poulin took a leave of absence from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in December 2022 to address mental health concerns after suffering a panic attack during a game.[12] He subsequently returned to the team in March 2023.[9]

Early into the 2023–24 AHL season, Poulin suffered a high-ankle sprain on October 29, 2023, which kept him out of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton lineup until mid December.[13] After sustaining a separate lower-body injury on February 3, Poulin missed an additional month of playing time.[13][14] Despite these setbacks, he was re-signed to a two-year contract extension by the Penguins organization on April 29, 2024.[15]

On December 12, 2025, Pittsburgh traded Poulin, along with goaltender Tristan Jarry, to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for goaltender Stuart Skinner, defenceman Brett Kulak and a 2029 second-round draft pick.[16][17] He then joined the Bakersfield Condors, the Oilers' AHL affiliate, for the remainder of the 2025–26 AHL season.[18]

Entering the offseason as an unrestricted free agent, Poulin agreed to a one-year, two way contract with the Montreal Canadiens on July 1, 2026.[19]

International play

Medal record
Representing  Canada
Hlinka Gretzky Cup
Gold medal – first place2018 Canada

Internationally, Poulin represented the Canada national under-18 team at the 2018 Hlinka Gretzky Cup and 2019 World U18 Championships, capturing gold at the former.[20]

Personal life

Poulin's father, Patrick, was chosen ninth overall by the Hartford Whalers in the 1991 NHL entry draft. During his 11-year NHL career spanning from 1991 to 2002, he amassed 101 goals in 634 total games for the Whalers, Chicago Blackhawks, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Montreal Canadiens.[21]

Poulin's godfather is former Penguins goaltender Jocelyn Thibault, who previously served as the general manager of the QMJHL's Sherbrooke Phoenix.[3]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GPGAPtsPIM GPGAPtsPIM
2015–16 Collège Esther-Blondin Phénix QMAAA 3821274814 11310134
2016–17 Collège Esther-Blondin Phénix QMAAA 3930386850 50556
2017–18 Sherbrooke Phoenix QMJHL 5516294542 115166
2018–19 Sherbrooke Phoenix QMJHL 6729477646 1086144
2019–20 Sherbrooke Phoenix QMJHL 4632457747 —————
2020–21 Sherbrooke Phoenix QMJHL 53364 —————
2020–21 Val-d'Or Foreurs QMJHL 198172510 151181912
2021–22 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins AHL 7216213751 63146
2022–23 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins AHL 154046 —————
2022–23 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 30112 —————
2023–24 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins AHL 4116153135 20110
2023–24 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 30002 —————
2024–25 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins AHL 5719244334 20112
2024–25 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 70112 —————
2025–26 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins AHL 229112018 —————
2025–26 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 20000 —————
2025–26 Bakersfield Condors AHL 4912172937 31344
NHL totals 150226 —————

International

Year Team Event Result GPGAPtsPIM
2017 Canada White U17 4th 60330
2018 Canada HG18 1st place, gold medalist(s) 50110
2019 Canada U18 4th 71122
Junior totals 181562

Awards and honours

Award Year Ref
QMAAA
First All-Star Team 2017 [22]
CHL
CHL Canada/Russia Series 2018, 2019 [23][24]
CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game 2019 [25]

References

  1. ↑ "Professional Players". Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament. Retrieved July 2, 2026.
  2. ↑ Prévost Durand, Maxime (September 17, 2015). "Les Gaulois contiennent Parent et Poulin, mais pas le Phénix" [The Gaulois contain Parent and Poulin, but not the Phénix]. Le Courrier de Saint-Hyacinthe (in French). Retrieved July 2, 2026.
  3. 1 2 "Phoenix Draft Recap". Sherbrooke Phoenix. June 22, 2017. Retrieved June 23, 2017 – via CHL.ca.
  4. ↑ "Penguins Select Samuel Poulin in the First Round of the 2019 NHL Draft". Pittsburgh Penguins. June 21, 2019. Retrieved July 2, 2026 – via NHL.com.
  5. ↑ Mackey, Jason (June 21, 2019). "'He's a guy we liked a lot': Penguins take Samuel Poulin in first round". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved June 22, 2019.
  6. ↑ "Pittsburgh Penguins Sign Forward Sam Poulin To 3-Year, Entry-Level Contract". CBS News. September 22, 2019. Retrieved July 2, 2026.
  7. ↑ @PhoenixSherbroo (February 11, 2019). "C'est officiel : Samuel Poulin devient le nouveau Capitaine du #phœnixsherbrooke. Félicitations @poulin_sam ! #sherbylove" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  8. ↑ Rorabaugh, Seth (February 1, 2021). "Penguins Prospect Watch: Nathan Legare, Sam Poulin debut for Val-d'Or Foreurs". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
  9. 1 2 Davies, Colton (March 15, 2023). "Pittsburgh Penguins' Sam Poulin set to return after leave of absence for mental health reasons". DailyFaceoff.com. Retrieved July 1, 2026.
  10. ↑ "Pittsburgh Recalls Caggiula & Poulin". Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. October 23, 2022. Retrieved July 2, 2026.
  11. ↑ "Kadri's 3-point game powers Flames to 4–1 win over Penguins". ESPN. October 26, 2022. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
  12. ↑ Crechiolo, Michelle (January 13, 2025). "Breaking the Ice on Mental Health: Sam Poulin Opens Up". Pittsburgh Penguins – via NHL.com.
  13. 1 2 Haase, Taylor (March 18, 2024). "Penguins' Sam Poulin 'came a long way' on and off ice in last year". DK Pittsburgh Sports. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
  14. ↑ Crechiolo, Michelle (March 26, 2024). "Sam Poulin Has "Come a Long Way" Since Last Year". Pittsburgh Penguins – via NHL.com.
  15. ↑ "Penguins Re-Sign Forward Sam Poulin to a Two-Year Contract". Pittsburgh Penguins. April 29, 2024. Retrieved April 29, 2024 – via NHL.com.
  16. ↑ "Skinner, Kulak traded to Penguins by Oilers for Jarry". National Hockey League. December 12, 2025. Retrieved December 12, 2025 – via NHL.com.
  17. ↑ "Oilers acquire Jarry from Penguins for Skinner, Kulak and pick". Sportsnet. December 13, 2025. Retrieved December 13, 2025.
  18. ↑ Williams, Patrick (December 21, 2025). "First-half deals reshape AHL rosters". American Hockey League. Retrieved July 2, 2026 – via TheAHL.com.
  19. ↑ "One-year contracts for Samuel Poulin and Ethan Samson". Montreal Canadiens. July 1, 2026. Retrieved July 1, 2026 – via NHL.com.
  20. ↑ "Canada wins gold on home ice at 2018 Hlinka Gretzky Cup". Hockey Canada. August 11, 2018. Retrieved July 2, 2026.
  21. ↑ Crechiolo, Michelle (October 26, 2022). "Poulin Family Makes Mad Dash to See Sam's NHL Debut". Pittsburgh Penguins – via NHL.com.
  22. ↑ "Awards - QM18AAA First All-Star Team". Eliteprospects.com. Retrieved July 2, 2026.
  23. ↑ Brien, David (October 17, 2018). "Team QMJHL Roster for 2018 CIBC Canada Russia Series Unveiled". Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. Retrieved July 2, 2026 – via CHL.ca.
  24. ↑ Blouin, Maxime (October 16, 2019). "QMJHL announces roster for 2019 CIBC Canada Russia Series". Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. Retrieved July 2, 2026 – via CHL.ca.
  25. ↑ "40 Players Selected for 2019 Sherwin-Williams CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game". Canadian Hockey League. December 13, 2018. Retrieved July 2, 2026 – via CHL.ca.
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