Derrick Pouliot (born January 16, 1994) is a
Canadian professional
ice hockey defenceman for the
San Jose Barracuda
The San Jose Barracuda are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL) that began play in the 2015–16 season. The team will play at Tech CU Arena beginning in the 2022-23 season.
The Barracuda is a relocation of the ...
in the
American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract to the
San Jose Sharks of the
National Hockey League (NHL). He has previously played for the
Pittsburgh Penguins,
Vancouver Canucks,
St. Louis Blues,
Vegas Golden Knights and the
Seattle Kraken. Pouliot was selected eighth overall in the
2012 NHL Entry Draft
The 2012 NHL Entry Draft was the 50th NHL Entry Draft. The draft was held June 22–23, 2012, at Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was the first time that Pittsburgh hosted the draft since the 1997 NHL Entry Draft. The top th ...
by the Penguins.
Playing career
Midget
Pouliot made his appearance at the midget level for the Moose Jaw Warriors Midget AAA of the
SMAAAHL
The Saskatchewan Male U18 'AAA' Hockey League (SMAAAHL), formerly the Saskatchewan Midget AAA Hockey League,) is a U-18 'AAA' ice hockey league, with teams based in the province of Saskatchewan, Canada. It is the highest level of minor hockey in ...
in 2008–09 with a short, five-game stint, though he still qualified to play in
bantam at the time. A highly regarded prospect, Pouliot was selected with the first overall pick in the 2009
WHL Bantam Draft by the
Portland Winterhawks, who placed him on their protected list. Pouliot then rejoined Moose Jaw for the full season in 2009–10, finishing as a point-per-game player (14 goals and 29 assists). Pouliot finished fourth on his team in scoring and as the top-scoring defenceman. During the course of the season, Pouliot found time to play for the Winterhawks, first in January and again after the Warriors were eliminated, recording a single assist in seven games, as he played against players who were three to four years his senior.
Major junior
2010–11
Pouliot joined the Winterhawks for the
2010–11 season. On a team laden with talent (
2010
File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
fourth- and fifth-overall picks
Ryan Johansen and
Nino Niederreiter, along with future first-round picks in
2011
File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...
Sven Bärtschi and
Joe Morrow), Pouliot played the majority of the season and finished with 30 points in 66 games. During the season, Pouliot was invited to play for Canada-West at the 2011
World U-17 Hockey Challenge
The World U-17 Hockey Challenge, originally known as the Quebec Esso Cup, is an international ice hockey tournament held annually in Canada. Prior to 2011, the tournament did not operate during years in which the Canada Winter Games were held. ...
, finishing with three assists in five games as Canada-West lost in the fifth-place game to Canada-Atlantic. Portland finished the regular season with 103 points in the standings, finishing one point ahead of U.S. Division rival
Spokane to clinch the top spot in the Western Conference.
In an opening-round sweep of the
Everett Silvertips, Pouliot scored a goal in the 7–2 Game 2 rout, his only point of the series. Following a win in the conference semifinals against the B.C. Division champion
Kelowna Rockets, the Winterhawks lost 4–1 to the
Kootenay Ice. Pouliot posted an assist in each of Portland's first two games in the series, including a helper on
Ty Rattie
Ty Rattie (born February 5, 1993) is a Canadian professional ice hockey forward who is currently playing for Linköping HC of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL).
Playing career
In June 2011, the St. Louis Blues made Rattie their first draft pick ...
's overtime power play game-winner in Game 1. While Portland had a successful playoffs, Pouliot's 4 points in 21 games were considered disappointing after a regular season in which he had averaged a half-point per game. Over the summer, Pouliot was a member of Canada's gold-medal team at the
2011 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament
The 2011 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament was an under-18 ice hockey tournament held in Břeclav, Czech Republic and Piešťany, Slovakia from August 8–13, 2011. As in 2010, the venues were Alcaplast Arena in Břeclav and Patrícia Ice Arena ...
.
2011–12
Pouliot entered his draft year with a four-assist night in only his second game of the season and while his output dipped as the season went along, he was performing much better in his second full season with the Winterhawks. Despite being omitted from Canada's roster for the
2012 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships
The 2012 IIHF U20 World Championship (commonly known as the 2012 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships) was the 36th edition of the Ice Hockey World Junior Championship. It was hosted in Calgary and Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It began on Decemb ...
, Pouliot was listed in the top-ten of North American skaters by
NHL Central Scouting in the mid-season rankings, though once again not as the top defenceman. Pouliot finished the season with 59 points, almost doubling his output from the season before, while playing in all 72 of Portland's games. The Winterhawks again had a stellar season, ending up as the most prolific offensive team in the WHL, due in part to Pouliot's scoring prowess.
Portland swept their opening round playoff series against the
Kelowna Rockets, in which Pouliot produced two assists, and defeated the
Kamloops Blazers to move on to the conference finals against the
Tri-City Americans, a match-up which pitted the top offensive and defensive teams in the WHL against one another. In another four-game sweep of the Americans, Pouliot put up a 4-assist performance in Game 2, assisting on each of the Winterhawks' goals except the overtime game-winner. In their second consecutive finals appearance, the Winterhawks were matched up against the
Edmonton Oil Kings
The Edmonton Oil Kings are a major junior ice hockey team based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, that play in the Western Hockey League. As of July 2008, they are owned by Daryl Katz's Oilers Entertainment Group, which also owns the Edmonton Oilers. ...
, who finished the regular season with the best record in the WHL. Portland lost the series in seven games, and Pouliot, who had been effective in the first five games of the series, was silent in the last two, including being on the ice for two of Edmonton's goals in Game 7.
Despite the outcome, Pouliot produced 17 points in 22 games during the playoffs. The final Central Scouting rankings placed him as the 12th-ranked North American skater. The draft host
Pittsburgh Penguins selected Pouliot with the
eighth overall selection, which they had obtained from the
Carolina Hurricanes in the
Jordan Staal trade when Pittsburgh had their own first-round selection at 22nd overall (
Olli Määttä
Olli Määttä (born 22 August 1994) is a Finnish professional ice hockey defenceman for the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round, 22nd overall, in the 2012 NHL Entr ...
). Less than one week later, Pouliot was invited to Canada's National Development Camp, the first stepping stone in joining the
2013 WJC roster. A few months later, Pouliot signed a three-year,
entry-level
An entry-level job is a job that is normally designed or designated for recent graduates of a given discipline and typically does not require prior experience in the field or profession. These roles may require some on-site training. Many entry ...
contract with Pittsburgh just a few days before the
2012–13 NHL lockout
The 2012–13 NHL lockout was a labor dispute between the National Hockey League (NHL) and the National Hockey League Players' Association (NHLPA) that began at 11:59 pm EDT on September 15, 2012. A tentative deal on a new collective barga ...
was to begin.
2012–13
With the departure of fellow Penguins draft pick
Joe Morrow to the
American Hockey League (AHL), Pouliot became the Winterhawks' star offensive defenceman and immediately rose to the challenge. Pouliot took charge of the
power play and increased his scoring. By the end of November, Pouliot had posted 24 points in 26 games, including five- and six-game point streaks, earning him an invitation to Canada's World Junior Championship selection camp alongside fellow Penguins prospect
Scott Harrington. However, after the second day of the camp, Pouliot was returned to Portland. Upon his return to the WHL, Pouliot immediately produced a three-assist game and finished with 12 points in the month of December.
In the third game back in January, Pouliot suffered a
high ankle sprain (unreported at the time) and would miss time intermittently over the next few months. Nevertheless, he finished the regular season with 45 points in 44 games. Portland finished with the best record in the WHL (57–12–1–2) along with the top offence in the league and the best defence in the conference. In a five-game opening series win over the Everett Silvertips, Pouliot finished with nine points (six coming on the power play) as well as assisting on the game-winner in the deciding match.
In a second round sweep of the Spokane Chiefs, the Winterhawks scored 18 goals and allowed only 3, and Pouliot recorded a four-point night in the opening match. A win over the Kamloops Blazers in the conference finals propelled the Winterhawks into the WHL finals for the third straight season. Portland won in six games, during which Pouliot posted four assists, finishing the playoffs with 20 points in 21 games to lead all defencemen in playoff scoring.
Despite a disappointing loss to the
Halifax Mooseheads in the Memorial Cup Final, Pouliot's seven points led all defencemen for the tournament. After the Winterhawks finished for the season, Pouliot joined the Pittsburgh Penguins' AHL affiliate, the
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, for their last game of the
2013 Calder Cup playoffs
The 2013 Calder Cup playoffs of the American Hockey League began on April 26, 2013, with the same playoff format that was introduced in 2012. The sixteen teams that qualified, eight from each conference, played a best-of-five series in the confe ...
.
2013–14
Pouliot returned to the WHL for the
2013–14 WHL season
The 2013–14 WHL season is the 48th season of the Western Hockey League (WHL). The regular season began on September 19, 2013 and ended on March 16, 2014. The playoffs began on March 27, 2014 following the regular season and ended on May 12, 201 ...
, allowing him to make the Canadian WJC roster before embarking on his professional career.
Professional
Pittsburgh Penguins
On October 21, 2014, Pouliot was assigned to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the AHL by the Pittsburgh Penguins. On December 20, 2014, during a rash of injuries to the Penguins defencemen, Pouliot was recalled for the first time in his career and subsequently made his NHL debut, also scoring his first NHL goal on his first shot against
Roberto Luongo of the
Florida Panthers
The Florida Panthers are a professional ice hockey team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern ...
.
Vancouver Canucks
On October 3, 2017, Pouliot was traded to the
Vancouver Canucks in exchange for
Andrey Pedan and a
2018
File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...
fourth-round pick. He scored his first goal with the Canucks on November 22, scoring the game-winner in a 5–2 road win over his former team, the Pittsburgh Penguins. On March 29, 2018, after scoring his fifth career goal in a 2–1 Canucks victory over the
Edmonton Oilers, Pouliot set an NHL record for most goals scored from the start of a career, with all of them being game-winning goals. Pouliot further extended this with a sixth game-winning goal against the
Colorado Avalanche on November 2, 2018. On June 26, the Canucks re-signed Pouliot to a one-year, $1.1 million contract.
On May 8, 2019, it was announced the Canucks would not offer impending restricted free agent Pouliot a qualifying offer which was formalised on June 25, 2019. He was released as a free agent, ending his two-season tenure in Vancouver.
St. Louis Blues
On July 1, 2019, Pouliot was signed to a one-year, two-way contract with the
St. Louis Blues. Giving the Blues added organizational depth on the blueline, Pouliot was assigned to the
San Antonio Rampage of the AHL for the majority of the
2019–20 season. He added 7 goals and 32 assists to finish sixth among all AHL defenseman with 39 points. He was briefly recalled by the Blue and added two games to his NHL resume. With the Rampage season ended due to the
COVID-19 pandemic, Pouliot as an impending restricted free agent was not tendered a qualifying offer by the Blues, making him a free agent for the second consecutive year.
Philadelphia Flyers
On October 9, 2020, Pouliot joined his fourth NHL outfit in agreeing to a one-year, two-way contract with the
Philadelphia Flyers. In the shortened season, Pouliot never made an appearance with the Flyers, and was assigned for the duration of the season to AHL affiliate, the
Lehigh Valley Phantoms
The Lehigh Valley Phantoms are a professional ice hockey team based in Allentown, Pennsylvania. The team competes in the American Hockey League (AHL) and serves as the primary development team for the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey Lea ...
, tallying 3 goals and 14 points through 25 regular season games.
Vegas Golden Knights
As a free agent from the Flyers, Pouliot was initially signed to a one-year, AHL contract with the
Henderson Silver Knights, affiliate to the Vegas Golden Knights on July 31, 2021. In the season, Pouliot posted 2 goals and 19 points in 42 games with the Silver Knights, before he was signed to a one-year, two-way contract with the
Vegas Golden Knights on March 17, 2022. Pouliot registered 1 assist in 2 appearances with the Golden Knights.
Seattle Kraken
On March 21, 2022, Pouliot's brief tenure with the Golden Knights ended after he was claimed off waivers by fellow expansion club, the
Seattle Kraken. He played out the remainder of the season on the Kraken roster, registering 3 assists through 9 regular season games.
San Jose Sharks
As a free agent from the Kraken, Pouliot returned to the AHL in signing a one-year contract with the San Jose Barracuda, the primary affiliate of the
San Jose Sharks, on August 10, 2022. As an alternate captain with the Barracuda for the
2022–23
The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen b ...
season, Pouliot adding a veteran presence posted 18 points through 26 games before on March 2, 2022, he signed a one-year, two-way NHL deal with the
San Jose Sharks for the remainder of the season.
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
International
Awards and honours
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pouliot, Derrick
1994 births
Living people
Canadian ice hockey defencemen
Henderson Silver Knights players
Ice hockey people from Saskatchewan
Lehigh Valley Phantoms players
National Hockey League first-round draft picks
People from Estevan
Pittsburgh Penguins draft picks
Pittsburgh Penguins players
Portland Winterhawks players
St. Louis Blues players
San Antonio Rampage players
San Jose Barracuda players
San Jose Sharks players
Seattle Kraken players
Sportspeople from Weyburn
Vancouver Canucks players
Vegas Golden Knights players
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins players