Poulin Takes Leave of Absence from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton

Pittsburgh Penguins prospect Sam Poulin is taking a leave of absence from the Penguins’ American Hockey League affiliate in Wilkes-Barre.

He is doing to for “personal reasons,” according to a release, which did not elaborate, issued by the team.

There was no timetable given for his return.

“The Penguins support Sam’s decision to take time away from hockey to focus on himself,” GM Ron Hextall said, in the release. “As with all of our players, our priority is them as individuals, first. We look forward to having him back with the team when he is ready.”

The team said Poulin, 21, is returning to his home in Quebec and will do workouts, on and off the ice, there.

Poulin was the Pittsburgh Penguins’ first-round draft choice in 2019 and made a strong bid for a spot on the major-league roster during training camp this fall. He has spent most of the season in Wilkes-Barre, but recorded his first NHL point Oct. 25 in Calgary.

He has four goals and no assists in 13 games with Wilkes-Barre this season.

Poulin is in the second season of his three-year, entry-level contract. It carries a salary-cap hit of $863,333 when he is in the NHL and is worth $70,000 when he is in Wilkes-Barre.