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Photo by Jason Payne / PNG

You need a trained eye to see how all this is unfolding at camp, but even a novice can see that Pouliot is getting to pucks that he couldn’t corral a year ago. And the manner in which he is easily transitioning was clearly evident in camp scrimmages.

“On Saturday, he went into the wall and did a 270 (degree) turn, picked up the puck and exploded off,” said Aidelbaum. “That’s what Travis wants.”

Run all this by the soft-spoken Pouliot and you get brief summations and a few nods of the head about his improvements. There’s more in his game than the 22 points (3-19) he put up last season and he’ll also retain arbitration rights next summer to get closer to more lucrative unrestricted free agency. That’s incentive.

In the interim, he has something to prove.

“I’ve noticed in my first couple of steps that I’m more stable throughout my turns and pivots,” said Pouliot. “It was tweaking how everything is connected for me. It’s good to have the lower-body strength — which I’ve always had — but it’s learning to translate it and be as efficient as possible.

“What we worked on was getting back, getting the puck and getting out of the corner right away. It’s not taking your time and looking to make a pass, it’s getting going. And with how Travis wants us to play, you have to be up in the rush and you have to be able to get back and defend. I’ve noticed that for sure.”

“It’s just being more connected and stable. I was leaning too far forward or when I was turning, I wasn’t level and you have to straighten things out.”

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