CRANBERRY, Pa. -- The Penguins' 2019 first-round pick Samuel Poulin got a piece of advice before making the trip from Quebec to Pittsburgh to join training camp as a Black Ace.
The advice came from his father, Patrick, whose 10-year NHL career began 28 years ago when he joined the Whalers as a Black Ace for the 1992 playoffs and played in all seven of the Whalers' games against the Canadiens in the first round.
"He just told me to be ready at any time," Poulin said. "You never know when your chance is going to be. Just be prepared as best as possible, and if they need me I'll be ready for it."
Regardless of if Poulin's shot at the NHL comes this summer, the experience of being on the Penguins' expanded roster provides the valuable experience of going through a training camp and getting acquainted with the players and coaches before that opportunity comes.
"It's fun to get to know the team and get some experience," Poulin said. "It's a pretty nice experience to be here. I'm enjoying it so far."
Poulin joined the Penguins in the last few days of the voluntary informal skates in Phase 2, but missed the first week of training camp after he and eight other players were sidelined as a precautionary measure due to possible secondary exposure to someone with coronavirus.
"It was a tough week to go through," Poulin said of the experience. "It's never fun to be isolated. With the COVID thing, it's part of it, so you just have to respect that. It was a tough week, but I tried to keep myself motivated even though it was long in the hotel room. I'm happy to be back now."
Poulin is coming off of a strong season with the Sherbrooke Phoenix in the QMJHL. His team finished as the league's regular season champions with an incredible 51-8-3-1 record, and Poulin was his team's No. 3 leading scorer with 32 goals and 45 assists in 46 games.
"I didn't really change much," Poulin said of his strong season. "I'm a powerful guy, I can move the puck, some offense too. I don't think my game really changed much, but with another year of experience I'm more developed. I think it's helping me so far, it's a difference from last training camp."
The message Poulin said he got from Penguins' coaches and management at that first training camp back in September is the same message he got from his father coming into this training camp: Just be ready for anything.
"They just told me to play my game and compete, like I always do," Poulin said. "You know, last year I didn't get a chance to make the team. But they said to just be prepared for next season, and you never know when your chance is going to be. Just prepare yourself for any opportunity."
To continue reading, log into your account:
