To think, this could be one of the Habs bright stars of the future, a friend of mine, grew up playing hockey with the guy.Just read the article ( im sure And-o will be drooling by the end.)

Yes, he has problems with stupid penalties, but that is 1 negative against tonnes of positives!! And a very fixable negative at that!

Pouliot needs more seasoning
By Russ Cohen | NHL.com correspondent
Mar. 16, 2006

When the Minnesota Wild drafted Benoit Pouliot fourth overall in the 2005 Entry Draft, some felt the Wild had gotten a steal since many projected Pouliot to go second overall.

In Pouliot, the Wild drafted a 6-foot-3 player who knows how to use his size and can skate like the wind. Pouliot's a talented winger with tremendous upside, but he still has facets of his game that need work in order for him to take the next step to coach Jacques Lemaire's demanding system in Minnesota.

At the 2006 World Junior Championships, Pouliot had an up-and-down tournament. At times, he played undisciplined hockey, forcing Team Canada coach Brent Sutter to bench him at various points. But Pouliot was a force on the power play and that's what ultimately kept him in the lineup. He was among the assist leaders in the tournament, and that's because he could make spectacular cross-ice passes. He was easily one of the most talented players on Team Canada, but he just didn't perform as well as was expected.

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"It doesn't matter how highly skilled you are, you can have all of the skills in the world, but you still have to play within the system," Sutter said. "You have one player who wavers from that and all of a sudden you might have two or three and everyone's on their own page. Everyone has to get on the same page and your skills can always flourish, but they still have to flourish from within the team."

Pouliot is handsome and has a presence. The Quebec media love to interview him and he isn't shy with his comments. Pouliot has all of the character and charisma to be one of the NHL's interesting personalities in the coming years.

The 190-pound prospect packed on 25 pounds of muscle last season and it's very noticeable. He can use his long stride to get down the ice and his reach keeps defenders at arm's length. The Hawkesbury, Ontario native can hip check with the best of them and this will make him a dangerous player in the NHL.

Playing for the Sudbury Wolves of the OHL this season, Pouliot has averaged more than a point-per-game. The dynamic forward has had the same kind of success in the playoffs as well, meaning he can play under pressure.

Pouliot, a point-per-game perfomer in the OHL, packed on 25 pounds of muscle last season.

Pouliot needs to harness his physical play because he has the propensity to take useless penalties that Lemaire won't tolerate once he gets to Minnesota. Lemaire's whole system is based on responsible play and that's the one hole in Pouliot's game right now. But he will change that, and when he does, he will be a dynamic offensive force. Playing under a disciplinarian like Sutter in the World Juniors will certainly give Pouliot a glimpse into the future when he will be expected to play the same way in Minnesota.

This 19-year-old scorer has a really bright future in Minnesota and he can certainly be a first or second line player and a first-liner on the power play. Future teammate Pierre-Marc Bouchard, the eighth-overall pick in 2002, also was a gifted scorer in juniors, but the NHL is different and when you play for the Wild you have to change your game. Bouchard has done that successfully and that can serve as a blueprint for Pouliot.

Mario Lemieux was Pouliot's favorite player growing up, and if he can be half as successful as Lemieux, then fans will certainly be in for a treat.

When you have a player who takes advantage of his size, as Pouliot does, and then combine that with speed and scoring ability, then you have a very special impact player. Pouliot has the ability to be among the League's top scorers and a perennial All-Star. He must commit himself a little further, and there is no reason to think that he won't do that. Pouliot should make his NHL debut sometime in the next two years.