BUFFALO | Almost a year ago to the day, Samuel Poulin wore the same Pittsburgh Penguins uniform and skated on the same ice surface, the Lecom Harborcenter, the Sabers training facility that is hosting a six-team NHL rookie tournament.
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A year ago, Poulin’s main dream was the NHL. First-round pick (21st) by the Penguins in 2019, he introduced himself to Pittsburgh with Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kristopher Letang.
He has lost nothing of this dream. But he’s doing it differently now. Before he pursues a full-time position at the NHL level, he needs to take care of the most important thing: himself. He needs to feel good about himself, his body and his mind.
“The way I see it, it’s an ongoing process,” Poulin told a handful of Quebec journalists. When I came home last season, I tried to have a better day than the day before. I somehow brought that to ice hockey. I don’t stress too much about the NHL or AHL. Honestly, if I have to play in the ECHL because I lost too many, then that’s it. »
“I just want to play hockey and have fun. I also want to perform because I am an athlete. But I just want to have fun. »
Take a step back to move forward
After a 4-2 loss in the first game against the Boston Bruins at the rookie tournament in Buffalo, Poulin shared the main points of the problem that consumed him last season. Mental problems forced him to stop playing ice hockey.
Archive photo, AFP
“I really stay on the surface, I don’t want to go into detail, but I got to the rink and I was… When I started playing at 4-5 years old, I just had a smile on my face every day face that I had a stick in my hands. But over the years I had lost that a little. This is what I found in the last few months. It just feels good knowing that I’m going to the rink to have fun with the boys. »
Last year, he played just 15 games for the Wilkes-Barre Penguins of the American League, scoring four goals. He also took his first steps in the NHL by wearing the Penguins jersey for three games.
On December 7, 2022, he decided to suspend his season for several weeks due to personal problems. He returned home to Quebec and then played just two games in Wilkes-Barre in April, at the end of the season.
Poulin knows he will now need time to find his feet. One day he promises to open himself up even more, probably to help other players or athletes.
“I don’t want to talk too much about it. It’s extra stress because I’ve played two games in the last nine months. Haven’t played much lately. As with anyone coming back from injury, it’s a little more stressful. I’ll share more at a better time, but right now I’m busy with camp so I’ll focus on that. »
A meeting with the managers
The Penguins will keep an eye on Poulin in the coming weeks. Kyle Dubas, the team’s new president and general manager, and Jason Spezza, a new assistant general manager, watched his first game closely.
Poulin also spoke to his bosses.
“I attended the team’s development camp in July. The team asked me if I wanted to go, I was on my heels, I wasn’t really tempted. I have decided to take part. At the end of the camp I had a discussion with Dubas and Spezza. It was really nice of them the way they talked to me to understand that side of people’s lives. They told me that there are a lot of people in Toronto dealing with these issues and they know how much it impacts people. »
Poulin never felt like he was being judged because he was going through psychological trials.
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“The staff that were there before were the same thing, they were super open to it. It is wonderful that we are here in 2023. In my father’s time [Patrick], it was equal to zero. He talked to me about it. It was: You don’t say anything, you keep your mouth shut, you go back to work. I’m happy that it’s becoming less and less taboo and people are becoming more and more open. »
Poulin, who faced Jonathan Drouin in three-on-three hockey games this summer, has not yet spoken to him. But he would like to meet him to tell his story.