Fully Healthy, Bolduc Looks to Bounce Back

Samuel Bolduc was drafted by the New York Islanders in the second round of the 2019 NHL Draft. Since then, none of his seasons have been normal.
"My last full year was in junior," Bolduc said during the team's rookie camp. "When you're a pro, you need to take care of your own dinner. It's a big adjustment, but I mostly just follow the veterans. It's fun to be back on a normal schedule."

Bolduc played his post-draft season in the QMJHL, scoring 16 points in 32 games for the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada before being traded to the Sherbrooke Phoenix, where he scored 27 points in 29 games. However, the pandemic struck, cutting the season short in March.
At his first NHL training camp in 2020, Bolduc impressed the Islanders brass, making a case for the NHL roster. He started his pro career in the AHL, joining Bridgeport for the 2020-21 season where he scored 14 points in the shortened, 24 game season, and was named to the AHL Atlantic Division All-Star team.

Bolduc's momentum stalled going into his second pro season, as an undisclosed injury caused him to miss training camp. Forced to catch up, Bolduc didn't see the same offensive success as in his first pro year, putting up just seven points in 52 games. While his production dipped, his Bridgeport teammates still praised his game.
"I think he made a lot of strides in his game," Grant Hutton said. "Maybe they didn't show up as much on the on the point sheet, but his progression is a little bit similar to mine early. I came in my first year and it had some success offensively and then my second year the production dropped off.
Bolduc lived with Hutton and fellow 2019 draftee Simon Holmstrom in his first Bridgeport season. He said living with Hutton and having other veterans in Bridgeport helped make his transition to professional hockey easier. Hutton, the veteran of the group, played 16 NHL games last season, and the defenseman said he sees a lot of similarity between Bolduc's growth and his own.
"I think he took more of a holistic approach and evaluated his game and said, these are the areas I need to improve, and I think he's done a tremendous job with that," Hutton said. "You see him here at camp he's in shape. He's a big body who skates really well and has a cannon for a shot. Anytime he can get that on net. It's a threat to score."

This season, Bolduc finally feels healthy and has a full rookie and training camp to work on his game and prepare for the upcoming season. During the offseason, Bolduc spent the summer in Québec training, and came back to Long Island early to train with other prospects like William Dufour in addition to players on the NHL roster.
General Manager Lou Lamoriello said the team sees openings on the NHL roster for the sixth and seventh defenseman, and Bolduc said he wants to prove he's ready for that opportunity.
"Summer was great," Bolduc said. "My body feels great, I'm pretty excited. There's going to be some battles for a spot on defense this year, so it's going to be a pretty exciting battle."