Sam Poulin in a Good Place, and Ready to Play Hockey

Back in the spring, Sam Poulin took to social media to share a heartfelt message.

"Three months ago, I made a decision to take a break from hockey, and return home to take care of myself and my mental health," the Quebec native wrote. "After seeking the help I needed, I am now ready to return to Wilkes-Barre to rejoin my team.

"I want to thank everyone who helped me get through this difficult time, including my family, my girlfriend, my friends, my medical team, the entire Pittsburgh Penguins organization, my teammates, and the fans, who showed unconditional love and support. I strongly encourage everyone to speak openly about mental health because it affects us all. For those who may be struggling, please know that you are not alone."

The forward went on to play two games for Pittsburgh's American Hockey League affiliate on April 7 and 10, his first game action since December, before their season ended. Now, Poulin is taking part in Penguins development camp from July 1-3 as he looks to get back into game shape ahead of next season, and said he's feeling happy to be back at the rink and on the ice.

"I worked a lot on myself in the past couple months," Poulin said. "Right now, I'm just in a good place, and just ready to play hockey. So, that's what matters for me right now."

The 21-year-old is giving himself some well-deserved grace as he moves forward, especially since he hasn't skated all that much since taking a leave of absence, so his body isn't quite used to the stress of this sport. Poulin said he knows that patience is going to be key for this process, and that eventually, he'll get back to where he was.

"I don't want to put too much pressure on a timeline. I know that time's going to take care of itself, so I just got to have faith in that and be confident with myself," Poulin said.

WBS head coach J.D. Forrest believes that Poulin has a lot to feel good about when it comes to his play, which earned him three games of NHL experience last season - starting with his debut on Oct. 25 versus Calgary.

Poulin spent a couple weeks in Pittsburgh before getting re-assigned to WBS, saying that the difference between the schedules - not practicing as much in the NHL compared to the AHL because of games every other night - was an adjustment for him. Learning to always be ready is one of his big takeaways from that.

"(My experience last year) for sure, it's going to help me. I've had a taste, so I know what it takes it to be there," Poulin said. "But it's just a matter of being able to be consistent enough to be able to stay there in the long run. So just got to show up every day, every night, be ready to play and play your best."

Poulin has skated in 87 total games at the AHL level for Forrest, picking up 20 goals - four of which came in 17 contests last season. Forrest called Poulin a "moose," saying they haven't seen too many young players at the professional level battle down low like Poulin can, which is why they like him at center.

"He's a competitor," Forrest said. Whether it's the defensive end, the offensive end, down low, he's just really hard to play against. Can't get the puck from him. And then when he's defending, he defends hard. He's also able to get the puck and distribute and keep his feet moving."

Poulin is passionate about this game that he's played since he was 3 or 4 years old, and that hasn't changed despite everything he's gone through as of late. While he's going to work hard to keep progressing along his path in hopes of becoming a full-time NHL player, his well-being remains the top priority.

"We'll see where it takes me," Poulin said. "If I got to go back to Wilkes, that'll be fun. And if I make the team, that would be fine too. I just want to be better as a person every day, and hockey will come second after. So, it's just a matter of getting my health back to where it was."