Early career Born in Iowa, Poolman grew up in
East Grand Forks, Minnesota where he played for the local high school hockey team. After going undrafted in the
NHL entry draft, Poolman tried out for three teams in the
North American Hockey League (NAHL) and
United States Hockey League (USHL) before being accepted onto the NAHL's
Wichita Falls Wildcats. In 2012, he committed to play
NCAA Division I hockey for the
University of North Dakota, his father's
alma mater. After playing with the Wildcats for one year, he was drafted by the
Omaha Lancers in the USHL. In his first season on the team, Poolman was named to the
2013–14 USHL First All-Star Team, and was presented with the
Dave Tyler Junior Player of the Year Award, as the most outstanding American-born player in junior hockey.
Collegiate Poolman played for the
University of North Dakota Fighting Hawks in the
National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for three seasons, leaving with a degree in economics by taking summer school classes. In his
freshman season with the Fighting Hawks, Poolman was selected for the 2014–15 Academic All-Conference Team after earning a
GPA of 3.0 or higher. He recorded his first collegiate
goal on October 18, 2014 in a 3–1 win over the
Colorado College Tigers. He ended the 2014–15 season one
power play goal away from tying North Dakota's single-season record for a freshman defenseman. In his
sophomore season, Poolman recorded a career-high 24
points and 19
assists, which ranked fifth among NCHC defensemen. As a result, he was named to the NCAA Midwest Region All-Tournament Team. During the week of March 6, he was named National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) Defenseman of the Week after recording a conference-leading five points. After the season, Poolman was the recipient of multiple awards including AHCA/CCM All-America West First Team, All-NCHC First Team, and the inaugural NCHC Defensive Defenseman of the Year Award.
Professional Poolman was selected by the
Winnipeg Jets of the
National Hockey League (NHL) in the fifth round, 127th overall, of the
2013 NHL entry draft. Poolman drew comparisons with former Jets defenseman
Dustin Byfuglien for his physical play, and ability to play both as a
forward and as a defenseman. Having completed his
junior season with the Fighting Hawks, Poolman ended his collegiate career in agreeing to a one-year, entry-level contract on March 31, 2017. However, he underwent reconstructive surgery on both of his shoulders and missed the rest of the rest of the season. He began the
2017–18 season with Winnipeg and made his NHL debut on October 9, 2017, in a 5–2 win against the
Edmonton Oilers. He recorded his first career NHL goal on December 23, against the
New York Islanders. He was reassigned to the Jets'
American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the
Manitoba Moose, until January 24, 2018, when he was recalled to replace an injured
Shawn Matthias. He finished the season playing in 24 games with Winnipeg, registering one goal and two points and 17 games with Manitoba, scoring one goal and ten points. He made his NHL playoff debut during the
2018 Stanley Cup playoffs when he replaced the injured
Tyler Myers on April 17, 2018 in Game 4 of the first round series versus the
Minnesota Wild. He played in one more playoff game that year, going scoreless. In a November 23 game against the
Iowa Wild, Poolman suffered a
concussion in a collision and missed 17 games. He suffered a leg injury in January 2020, missing some time before returning in February. However, the NHL suspended the season due to the
COVID-19 pandemic on March 12, 2020. In the pandemic-delayed
2020 Stanley Cup playoffs, the Jets faced the
Calgary Flames in the qualifying round and Poolman took a puck to the face in Game 3. He missed no time, In four playoff games, he went scoreless. However, later that month, he suffered a lower body injury on February 21. He appeared in 39 games, registering just one assist. In eight playoff games, he registered one goal and two points as the Jets were eliminated by the
Montreal Canadiens in the second round. As an
unrestricted free agent following four seasons within the Jets organization, Poolman was signed to a four-year contract with the Vancouver Canucks on July 28, 2021. He made his Canucks debut on opening night for the
2021–22 season on October 13, he was paired with
Quinn Hughes in a 3–2 loss to the Edmonton Oilers. He registered his first point with Vancouver on October 21 assisting on
Conor Garland's third period goal in a 4–1 victory over the
Chicago Blackhawks. He scored his first goal with Vancouver on November 17, adding an assist as well, in a 4–2 loss to the
Colorado Avalanche. On January 27, 2022, he left a game feeling unwell and missed 26 games with
headaches and
migraines. He returned in April playing with
Travis Dermott and did not finish his first game back in the lineup, leaving the game in the first period, suffering from the same symptoms. He finished the season appearing in 40 games, scoring one goal and three points. and played in three games, notching one point, in the
2022–23 season. He played one final game on October 18 and was placed on injured reserve, due to what were described as migraine and concussion-related complications. Though not made public until January 30, 2026, Poolman was diagnosed with
autoimmune autonomic ganglionopathy (AAG) on March 9, 2023. Poolman was traded to the
Colorado Avalanche on October 6, 2024 along with a
2025 fourth-round draft pick for defenseman
Erik Brännström. Despite being confirmed to miss the entirety of the season, Poolman was acquired by the Avalanche due to salary cap compliance implications, remaining on the club's long-term injury list. Poolman retired following the end of his final contract due to recurrent AAG flare-ups. ==Personal life==