CRANBERRY, Pa. -- The Penguins knew Sam Poulin could score goals when they spent a first-round draft choice on him in 2019.
After all, he had gotten 29 in 67 games with Sherbrooke in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League during the 2018-19 season.
And they certainly had to like his bloodlines and background, considering that his father, Patrick Poulin, had played 634 games in the NHL.
But they probably had some questions, if not concerns, about how he could handle his defensive duties when he got to this level.
For while the QMJHL had long had a reputation for producing gifted, creative offensive talents, defensive play there hasn't often been singled out for praise. (Which might explain why the league has turned out so many world-class goalies; it likely was a matter or survival for those guys, because their junior teammates often left them to fend for themselves.)
And it's possible that Poulin's defensive game still isn't where Mike Sullivan and his staff would like it to be; that won't be known until sometime after the Penguins begin on-ice workouts next Thursday.
But after the first session of the Penguins' development camp at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex Saturday, Poulin suggested that his defensive play is stronger than some might expect at this stage of his career.
"I think it grew a lot," he said. "It's one of the aspects where I improved a lot back in junior. I played the first (penalty-killing unit) and had some big minutes on the defensive side of the game. It helped me to be a better, well-rounded player."
It isn't clear how much of an impact, if any, the pandemic-disrupted 2020-21 season has had on Poulin's development.
COVID-19 caused numerous issues for the QMJHL, as it did for virtually every other league that tried to operate last winter. Its member clubs played anywhere from 26 to 43 games, which means players didn't compete nearly as often as they would have under normal conditions.
"It was different, for sure, from all those past years, with all the quarantines we had to do," Poulin said. "It was always on and off, and you had to find a way to make sure you were ready at any time."
That apparently wasn't a real problem for him, though, because he put up 11 goals and 20 assists in 24 games while splitting the season between Sherbrooke and Val d'Or.
When he was traded to Val d'Or, Poulin was reunited with right winger Nathan Legare, the Penguins' third-round draft choice in 2019. They helped the Foreurs reach the final round of the QMJHL playoffs.
"We had a lot of fun," Poulin said. "Our team was great, too."
Although the Penguins list Poulin as a left winger -- and from all indications, plan to deploy him there during training camp -- he played extensively at center with Val d'Or. Poulin said he hadn't been used at that position since bantam hockey, but believes the experience was a plus for him.
"Just to see the game from a different perspective, a different point of view, was good for me," he said. "I've learned to play all three positions, as a forward. I think it's good for my toolbox to be able to be (used) anywhere."
Poulin has good size (6-foot-1, 208 pounds) and a skill level that should earn him steady employment in the NHL at some point in the reasonably near future.
Carving out a spot in the lineup for the Oct. 12 regular-season opener at Tampa will be a challenge, though, given the number of Penguins forwards who have one-way contracts and would require waivers to go to the Penguins' farm team in Wilkes-Barre.
Poulin said the coaches have not detailed precisely what they want to see from him when the regular camp gets underway, but seems confident that he can play his way into the Penguins' short-term plans.
"I think they just want me to prove what I'm about," he said. "They just want us to compete and work as hard as possible and if I'm going to make their team better, I think there's a good chance I'm going to have my spot (on the roster) or whatever.
"I just don't know what's going to happen, but I'm ready. I think it's going to be a fun camp."
