Benoit Pouliot

Benoit Pouliot was drafted 4th overall in the 2005 NHL entry draft by the Minnesota Wild. He was selected just one spot ahead of Montreal Canadiens teammate Carey Price. His high selection in the draft was based on his 2004-2005 season in the OHL where he won the top rookie award with the Sudbury Wolves. In 2005-2006 Pouliot posted an outstanding 65 points in 51 games including 35 goals. In 2006 Pouliot contributed to Canada's World Junior Championship. Benoit Pouliot played in the AHL for the Houston Aeros for several years before finding a roster spot with the Minnesota Wild.

Benoit Pouliot came over to the Canadiens organization last November from the Minnesota Wild. In exchange for Benoit Pouliot the Minnesota Wild acquired Guillaume Latendresse. Supposedly the Canadiens management had had enough of waiting for Guillaume Latendresse to mature as a player and didn't like the close friendship between him and teammate Maxime Lapierre. It turned out all Latendresse needed was a trade to spark his play and he finished the 2009-2010 season with 27 goals, only 2 of those 27 goals were scored with the Canadiens.

When Benoit Pouliot first came over to the Canadiens he had a wrist injury preventing him from hopping right into the Habs lineup. Instead he nursed his wrist for a while and got back into shape playing in Hamilton with the Canadiens affiliate AHL team, the Hamilton Bulldogs. After several games under his belt Pouliot was called up and played his first game in a Canadiens jersey. He got hot right out of the gate and seemed to score a goal a game mid winter during the 2010 season but eventually cooled off and got as cold as ice as the season rolled on. Because of this Pouliot found himself playing limited minutes with the club in a diminished role.

Confidence seemed to be one of the key factors in Pouliot's inconsistent 2009-2010 season, as it is with many young players in the NHL. Determined in the 2010 off-season Benoit Pouliot added an extra 12 pounds of muscle to his frame. To put this into perspective that's about a 5% increase in his body weight in less than 4 months. Let me tell you, that's no easy feat.

Pouliot is in his mid twenties and has much to learn to succeed in the harsh NHL.  He possesses great hands, size, hockey smarts, vision and potential to make it as one of the league's elite power forwards.

He is a fast skater, with all the make up of a good top 6 forward but seems to be missing some urgency and competitiveness in his game, this is sometimes apparent in his own end and especially when he disappears from time to time. He is not afraid to throw his body around and surprisingly enough produces some of the most thunderous body checks. Benoit Pouliot has an excellent pair of hands especially for a big guy.

Some areas Pouliot needs to work on include his confidence. He needs to work hard in front of the net to score those dirty goals to get his confidence back. He needs to improve his positioning to get on the score sheet, he is often seen out of place offensively. Lastly, Benoit Pouliot turns the puck over in awkward situations and needs to work harder on the defensive side of his game.

Pouliot is bilingual and comes from the francophone town of Alfred, Ontario. Benoit Pouliot is often called Benny as a nickname.