Just visually, it was impressive.
And when the heights and weights were accounted for, it only amplified the display.
During the Pittsburgh Penguins’ regular season finale, a 5-2 home win against the rival Washington Capitals on Thursday, Penguins forward Sam Poulin made an impact.
At 5:49 of the second period, Poulin (6-foot-2, 220 pounds) planted one of the biggest players in the NHL, Capitals defenseman Dylan McIlrath (6-foot-5, 240 pounds) into the left wing boards of Washington’s zone, causing the elephantine blueliner to stumble a bit.
“He wasn’t really happy about it,” Poulin said with a slight grin. “But I was just playing my game and doing what I had to do.”
By most measures, Poulin has done quite well in his fourth professional season.
Primarily stationed with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League this season, the 24-year-old Poulin set career highs at that level with 19 goals, 24 assists and 43 points in 57 games.
Pouly lights the lamp ‼️ pic.twitter.com/OSaUac7MWP
— x - Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (@WBSPenguins) March 22, 2025
Not bad for a player who had to clear waivers out of training camp in order to report to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
“I try to focus on my process every single day,” Poulin said following Thursday’s victory. “And afterward, look back at my results and reassess my process relating with that. I think numbers are just after-effects of doing those good things on the ice. But obviously, I’m really happy about the way I’ve been playing, especially the last couple of months.
“Our team has been doing really good, as well. Just really excited for playoffs that are coming up.”
Poulin has largely settled into a middle-six role on either wing with the playoff-bound Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, who open the Calder Cup playoffs Wednesday with an opening-round series against the rival Lehigh Valley Phantoms.
Given the Pittsburgh Penguins management’s emphasis on restocking the pool of future assets, there is legitimate hope the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins could advance past the first round for the first time since 2016.
As Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s fourth-leading scorer during the regular season, Poulin is a significant component of that optimism.
“We’re young, but I feel like we have everything it takes to win,” Poulin said. “Obviously, we have a wonderful group this year. It’s not every year that you get to go to the rink and have so much fun like that. We’ll try to maximize that opportunity that’s in front of us.”
The Penguins’ first-round draft pick in 2019 (No. 21 overall), Poulin has only appeared in only 13 NHL games. That includes Thursday’s victory which he participated in after being recalled earlier in the day.
While his overall development arc stalled out in 2022 when he took a multi-month hiatus to address his mental health, his progress in 2024-25 has sated management.
“Sam’s had a great year,” coach Mike Sullivan said. “He’s played extremely well for (Wilkes-Barre/Scranton). He continues to grow and develop his game. … Obviously, his size and his strength on the puck is something that we like. He’s good on the wall. The best aspect of his game is in the offensive zone underneath the hashmarks down low. He protects pucks well. He’s pretty good at the net front. He has a good stick.
“We’re obviously thrilled with his overall growth (with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton).”
With the organization gradually turning to youth, Poulin would appear to be a candidate to finally break through to the NHL level on a full-time basis next season, presumably in a bottom-six capacity.
For his part, Poulin’s vision is affixed to more immediate concerns.
“That’s too far ahead,” Poulin said. “I haven’t really thought about that. There’s still a lot of time before (training camp). We have big things coming up the next couple of weeks. That’s where my focus is at right now.”