Daniel Poulin was born September 19, 1957 in Robertsville, Quebec. The 18th choice, 167th overall selection of the Montreal Canadiens in the 1977 NHL Entry Draft, Poulin is a graduate of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League's Chicoutimi Sagueneens.
In three years with the Sagueneens the defenseman from Robertsville, Quebec was a QMJHL East First Team All-Star in 1976 before joining the International Hockey League's Kalamazoo Wings in 1977-78.
Even though he spent the majority of the 1977-78 season with Kalamazoo, Poulin suited up for two games with the IHL's Muskegon Mohawks before joining the Eastern Hockey League's Erie Blades in 1978-79. Poulin went on to play two seasons in Erie earning EHL First Team All-Star honors both seasons after scoring 71 goals and adding 131 assists for 202 points in 142 games.
Following two strong seasons in the EHL, the Minnesota North Stars signed Poulin as a free agent in the summer of 1980 before he became a member of the Central Hockey League's Oklahoma City Blazers in 1980-81. Poulin spent only one season with Oklahoma City before making his NHL debut with the North Stars the following year.
Poulin made his NHL debut with the North Stars in 1981-82, playing in three games and scoring his first and only NHL goal before spending remainder of the season with the CHL's Nashville South Stars. The 1981-82 season was Poulin's last in North America, playing in Switzerland for the next eight years with stops in EHC Biel-Bienne and HC Davos.
