The Pittsburgh Penguins took a slow approach with Samuel Poulin, perhaps the right decision with the 2019 first round already featuring a few bust candidates. After debuting at the NHL level, Poulin finally left a group of 2019 first round draft picks yet to appear in the NHL. Four remain and three, including Poulin, entered the 2022-23 with under 10 games of NHL experience.
Background
The son of former NHL player Patrick Poulin, Samuel Poulin joined the Sherbrooke Phoenix in the QMJHL after being selected second overall in the 2017 QMJHL entry draft and averaged nearly a point per game with 45 in 55 as a rookie the next season. Poulin led the team with 29 goals and 76 points in 67 games in a season leading into draft eligibility, and the Penguins used a rare first round pick to take Poulin 21st overall in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. Poulin recorded 108 points in 70 games over the next two seasons in the QMJHL nearly won a QMJHL championship in 2021 after being dealt to the Val-d’Or Foreurs. Poulin finished third on the team and sixth in the league with 19 points in 15 playoff games.
Making the jump to the professional level last season, Poulin got off to a bit of a slow start before finding a groove and finishing second on the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins with 16 goals and 37 points in 72 games. One of the final roster cuts after a strong training camp, Poulin joined Wilkes-Barre/Scranton to start the 2022-23 season, but earned a call up and debuted in the NHL, recording a secondary assist in a game against the Calgary Flames on October 25.
Draft Comparables
Three Before
Cole Caufield
15th Overall (+6), Montreal Canadiens
Cole Caufield showed the ability to score with the United States National Team Development Program with 72 goals in 64 games in 2018-19, though being a bit undersized likely led Caufield to drop to the Montreal Canadiens at 15th overall–six picks before Poulin. Caufield went on to score 49 goals in 67 NCAA games with the University of Wisconsin and, after joining the Montreal Canadiens full-time in 2021-22, scored 23 goals in 67 games as a rookie. Expected to play on a first line with emerging playmaker Nick Suzuki in 2022-23, Caufield appears ready to breakout as a top sniper in the NHL and brings 77 games of experience with 27 goals and 48 points into the 2022-23 season.
Alex Newhook
16th Overall (+5), Colorado Avalanche
The 16th overall pick in the draft–five picks ahead of Poulin–Alex Newhook put in two solid seasons at Boston College with 58 points in 46 games before joining the Colorado Avalanche last season. Posting respectable point totals with 33 in 71 games as a rookie, Newhook went on the win the Stanley Cup with Colorado and looks to be a big part of the future for now as the team let Nazem Kadri go in the offseason and promoted Newhook to the top six.
Peyton Krebs
17th Overall (+4), Vegas Golden Knights
Krebs spent two seasons after being drafted 17th overall–four picks ahead of Poulin–with the Winnipeg Ice in the WHL, putting up 103 points in 62 games, before joining the professional ranks. The 2021-22 season saw Krebs bounce around the NHL and AHL with four different teams–the Golden Knights and Buffalo in the NHL and Henderson and Rochester in the AHL. Krebs showed some promise last season with 22 points in 48 games with the Sabres and projects to be a regular in 2022-23 already with 61 games of NHL experience and 23 points.
Three After
Simon Homstrom
23rd Overall (-2), New York Islanders
Taken two picks after Poulin, Holmstrom immediately joined the Bridgeport Tigers in the AHL and struggled to produce for two seasons before finding some consistency in 2021-22, finishing third on the team with 43 points in 68 games. Perhaps a candidate for a call up in 2022-23, Homstrom, like Poulin, entered the 2022-23 season with zero games of NHL experience.
Philip Tomasino
24th Overall (-3), Nashville Predators
Tomasino, taken three picks after Poulin at 24th overall, appeared well on the way to NHL regularity after putting up 100 points in 62 OHL games a year after being drafted and impressed by leading the Chicago Wolves with 32 points in 29 AHL games the next season. Tomasino made the Nashville roster in 2021-22 and produced 32 points in 76 games, but suffered a demotion to the AHL in 2022-23 partly due to cap reasons.
Connor McMichael
25th Overall (-4), Washington Capitals
Like Tomasino, Connor McMichael dominated the OHL a year after being drafted 25th overall with 47 goals and 102 points in only 52 games. McMichael led the Hershey Bears the next season with 27 points in 33 games and debuted full-time in the NHL last season with nine goals and 18 points in 68 games.
Outliers
No players from the 2018 NHL Entry draft stick out outside of the first round except Nils Hoglander, though the Canucks took the Swedish forward only nine picks outside of the first round at 40th overall. A handful of later round picks boast minimal NHL experience and production.
Final Thought
The Penguins used the 21st pick in the 2018 NHL Entry draft to take Poulin with a long road of development and ceiling of a steady but not electric forward in mind. While Caufield turned into a legitimate NHL sniper, the Canadiens took a risk on the undersized forward and hope to reap the reward for the next several seasons. Perhaps the Penguins eventually regret passing on Tomasino, but the Predators sent the 24th overall pick to the AHL for the 2022-23 season to continue playing in a top six role. With Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin at center in Pittsburgh, the Penguins likely saw no fit given the likely timeline of Tomasino. Expect Poulin to continue producing at the AHL level in 2022-23 and get some looks at the NHL with the make-or-break year coming next season. Poulin compares relatively favorably to the draft picks clustered around the pick.