Pittsburgh Hockey Insider has no direct affiliation to the Pittsburgh Penguins, NHL or NHLPA
Penguins re-assign former first-round forward to the AHL
Just one day after calling him up, Pittsburgh has decided to re-assign Sam Poulin back to the AHL's Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
The Pittsburgh Penguins reassigned their rookie winger, Sam Poulin, to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the American Hockey League on Wednesday.
"The Penguins have re-assigned forward Sam Poulin to the AHL."
- Pittsburgh Penguins X account
- Pittsburgh Penguins X account
What the Penguins did with Sam Poulin after calling him up from the AHL yesterday
Poulin, a former first-round pick, was called up from the AHL only the day before, only to serve as a healthy scratch in Tuesday's 4-3 shootout loss to the Anaheim Ducks at PPG Paints Arena.
This year, Poulin has only played in two games for the NHL Penguins, failing to register any points and logging 13:49 of ice time per game.
In the AHL, Poulin is the leading scorer for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, having collected 20 points for the season, including nine goals and 11 assists, through 21 games of play.
Why this move gives GM Kyle Dubas roster flexibility
This brings the total number of players the Pittsburgh NHL team has on the active NHL roster to 22, one below the NHL maximum of 23 players.
This will give GM Kyle Dubas flexibility on his roster, keeping a spot open instead of utilizing one of their top AHL scorers.
Poulin's shuttling between the NHL and the AHL embodies the Penguins' delicate line between managing their depth, providing opportunities for the next generation, and adhering to the challenges of their next several games for the 2025-26 season.
| POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 10 | 142 ANSWERS Penguins re-assign former first-round forward to the AHL Should the Penguins have kept Sam Poulin in the NHL? | ||
| Yes | 69 | 48.6 % |
| No | 73 | 51.4 % |
| List of polls | ||