Sam Poulin

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. He later played with the Collège Esther-Blondin Phénix of the Ligue de hockey Midget AAA du Québec (QMAAA) beginning in 2015–16, and was selected by the Sherbrooke Phoenix of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) in the 2017 QMJHL Draft.

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. He signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the team on September 22, 2019.

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

Professional

Poulin made his professional debut for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the American Hockey League (AHL) in the 2021–22 AHL season. 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. 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. He subsequently returned to the team in March 2023. After sustaining a separate lower-body injury on February 3, Poulin missed an additional month of playing time. Despite these setbacks, he was re-signed to a two-year contract extension by the Penguins organization on April 29, 2024.

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. He then joined the Bakersfield Condors, the Oilers' AHL affiliate, for the remainder of the 2025–26 AHL season.

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.

International play

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.

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.

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

CHL Canada/Russia Series 2018, 2019 CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game 2019