VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- There's no question left winger Samuel Poulin, whom the Penguins claimed with the 21st choice in Round 1 of the NHL draft tonight at Rogers Arena, has an impressive pedigree.
After all, his father Patrick was a first-round draft choice in 1991 and played 634 games in the NHL from 1992-2002 with the Whalers, Blackhawks, Lightning, and Canadiens.
And Samuel Poulin turned in some pretty nice performances in 2018-19, as he put up 29 goals and 47 assists in 67 games with the Sherbrooke Phoenix of the QMJHL.
But perhaps the most impressive things about Poulin are his patience and perspective, for he recognizes at age 18, even though he has NHL size -- he is 6 feet 1, 207 pounds -- he likely needs a few more years of seasoning before he is ready to step into the NHL.
"I would say, two years," he said. "I want to play next year, because everybody's dream is to play as fast as possible in the NHL, but the logical answer would be two or three years."
Of course, if Poulin continues to progress on his current trajectory, he might be NHL-ready sooner than almost anyone expects.
His stock rose steadily last season, as he began to complement an exceptional work ethic and solid two-way game with offensive skills that hadn't been evident when he was younger.
"As the year went on, I just kept improving and getting more confident," Poulin said.
Central Scouting rated Poulin the No. 22 North American skater. He is reputed to have a good shot and is comfortable playing the body.
"I'm a power forward with skills," Poulin said. "I can play an all-around game and I can be physical, as well. ... I can do a lot of things on the ice."
And, apparently, off of it, because he was chosen to serve as Sherbrooke's captain.
"It meant a lot for me," he said. "Especially at 17 years old, it's a big role on the team. I embraced it as much as possible."
The Penguins noticed everything about him, which is why Jim Rutherford said they targeted Poulin.
"He's got a good skill level," Rutherford said. "He's a power forward. He's a guy who will go inside and go to the net. ... And he's got great character, too. He's a guy we liked a lot."
Poulin described being drafted by the Penguins as "an honor" because "it's such a great organization."
His father was a first-round choice of Hartford in 1991, when former Penguins GM Eddie Johnston held that position with the Whalers.
"I don't have any memories of my dad (in the NHL) because he stopped playing when I was only one year old," Poulin said. "I've seen a few clips of him, but from what I hear, we play the same style."
And, sometime in the next few years, he should be able to say they did it at the same level, too.
The Penguins' other four picks:
DEJAN KOVACEVIC GALLERY
NHL Draft weekend, Vancouver, British Columbia, June 21-22, 2019 - DEJAN KOVACEVIC / DKPS