This Penguins forward has a golden chance in front of him.
The Pittsburgh Penguins called up former first-round pick Sam Poulin from the American Hockey League (AHL) on Nov. 18. This was in response to the Penguins placing forward Ville Koivunen on injured reserve (IR).
Poulin getting the chance to play on Pittsburgh's roster is entirely understandable. The 24-year-old forward has been having a strong season down in the AHL with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, as he has recorded seven goals, eight assists, and 15 points in 16 games. Now, he will be looking to translate some of this offense over to the NHL after getting this latest call-up to Pittsburgh's roster.
Poulin also has a big opportunity to try to prove to the Penguins that he is ready to take that next step and be a full-time NHL player. If the 2019 first-round pick can stand out during this call-up, it could very well help his chances of sticking around on the Penguins' NHL roster once they start getting healthier.
It will be very interesting to see how much of an impact Poulin can make after getting called up to Pittsburgh's roster. In 13 career NHL games over three seasons with the Penguins, Poulin has recorded two assists, six penalty minutes, and 18 hits.