Wikipedia

Mathieu Olivier

Mathieu Olivier (born February 11, 1997) is an American-born Canadian professional ice hockey right winger for the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hockey League (NHL).

Mathieu Olivier
Born (1997-02-11) February 11, 1997 (age 27)
Biloxi, Mississippi, U.S.
Height 6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Weight 209 lb (95 kg; 14 st 13 lb)
Position Right wing
Shoots Right
NHL team
Former teams		 Columbus Blue Jackets
Nashville Predators
NHL draft Undrafted
Playing career 2018–present

Olivier is the first Mississippi-born player in NHL history, as well as the first player born in the Gulf Coast region to play for the Predators.[1]

Early life

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Olivier was born on February 11, 1997, in Biloxi, Mississippi[2] while his father Simon was playing in the ECHL.[3] He lived in Mississippi for three months before moving to various cities and countries including Canada, Germany, Oklahoma City, and Houston while his father played hockey.[4] He attended kindergarten in Germany and picked up the language before moving back to his family's native Quebec.[5]

Playing career

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Major Junior

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Growing up in Quebec, Olivier as a youth played with the Lévis Commandeurs in the Quebec Junior AAA Hockey League (QMAAA) before he was selected by the Moncton Wildcats in the 2013 Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) Entry Draft.[6] His tenure with the Wildcats only lasted one and a half seasons, however, as he was traded to the Shawinigan Cataractes for a 3rd round pick in December 2014.[7] At the time of the trade, Olivier had accumulated 21 points through 86 games.[2] Upon joining the Cataractes, Olivier player in the QMJHL's first Winter Classic and scored a goal in the 4–2 win over the Victoriaville Tigres.[8]

Prior to the start of the 2015–16 season, Olivier was named an assistant captain alongside Alex Pawelczyk, Zachary Taylor, Alexis D'Aoust, and Giovanni Fiore.[9] In this role, he helped lead the team to the President's Cup Finals before they were eliminated by the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies.[10]

On the opening night of 2017–18 QMJHL training camps, Olivier was traded to the Sherbrooke Phoenix in exchange for two picks in the 2020 draft.[11] By February 2018, Olivier has tallied 42 points with the Phoenix while also serving as an alternate captain. As a result of his play over his five seasons in the QMJHL, Olivier signed his first professional contract with the Milwaukee Admirals of the American Hockey League (AHL) on February 19, 2018.[12] Following the signing, he remained with the Phoenix and helped them reach the second round of the post-season by recording six points through 10 games.[2] As a result of his play during the regular and post-season, Olivier received the teams' MVP and Fan Favourite Award.[13]

Professional

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Upon concluding his major junior career, Olivier attended the Nashville Predators Development Camp and Prospects Showcase ahead of the 2018–19 season.[14][15] In his first professional season, Olivier tallied four goals and 12 points through 54 games while also leading the AHL with 9 fights. As such, he was re-signed by the Predators to a two-year, entry-level contract for the 2019–20 and 2020–21 seasons.[16]

Reassigned to continue his tenure with the Admirals to start the 2019–20 season, Olivier had 7 points in 17 games before earning his first recall to the Predators on November 18, 2019.[17] He made his NHL debut, appearing on the fourth-line with the Predators in a 2–1 defeat to the Winnipeg Jets on November 19, 2019.[18]

Following his fourth season within the Predators organization, Olivier was traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for a fourth-round pick in 2022 on July 1, 2022.[19]

Career statistics

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Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2012–13 Lévis Commandeurs QMAAA 42 9 5 14 12 4 1 0 1 0
2013–14 Moncton Wildcats QMJHL 53 6 8 14 43 6 0 1 1 7
2014–15 Moncton Wildcats QMJHL 33 3 4 7 39 — — — — —
2014–15 Shawinigan Cataractes QMJHL 30 3 3 6 36 7 0 0 0 2
2015–16 Shawinigan Cataractes QMJHL 59 11 19 30 80 21 3 4 7 13
2016–17 Shawinigan Cataractes QMJHL 58 9 15 24 102 6 2 0 2 8
2017–18 Sherbrooke Phoenix QMJHL 67 27 22 49 90 10 2 4 6 14
2018–19 Milwaukee Admirals AHL 54 4 8 12 91 5 1 0 1 16
2019–20 Milwaukee Admirals AHL 56 10 9 19 95 — — — — —
2019–20 Nashville Predators NHL 8 0 1 1 4 — — — — —
2020–21 Nashville Predators NHL 30 3 2 5 70 2 0 0 0 2
2021–22 Milwaukee Admirals AHL 46 5 6 11 76 7 0 0 0 6
2021–22 Nashville Predators NHL 10 0 1 1 14 3 0 0 0 12
2022–23 Columbus Blue Jackets NHL 66 5 10 15 81 — — — — —
2023–24 Columbus Blue Jackets NHL 54 5 7 12 70 — — — — —
NHL totals 168 13 21 34 239 5 0 0 0 14

References

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  1. ^ Boysen, Greg (May 21, 2020). "Best NHL Player From Each U.S. State". thehockeywriters.com. Retrieved October 17, 2020.
  2. ^ a b c "Mathieu Olivier". Elite Prospects. Retrieved March 19, 2022.
  3. ^ Bratten, Brooks (January 6, 2021). "#PredsCamp Player Profile: Mathieu Olivier". National Hockey League. Retrieved March 19, 2022.
  4. ^ Bratten, Brooks (November 26, 2019). "Smashville Scope: November 26". National Hockey League. Retrieved March 19, 2022.
  5. ^ LeFrancois, Guillaume (December 2, 2019). "Mathieu Olivier: du Mississippi à la LNH". La Presse. Retrieved March 19, 2022.
  6. ^ "2013 Draft Recap". Moncton Wildcats. June 11, 2013. Retrieved March 19, 2022.
  7. ^ "Mathieu Olivier Traded to the Shawinigan Cataractes". December 19, 2014. Retrieved March 19, 2022.
  8. ^ "Les Cataractes l'emportent la toute première Classique hivernale de l'histoire de la LHJMQ!" (in French). Shawinigan Cataractes. January 23, 2015. Retrieved March 19, 2022.
  9. ^ "Anthony Beauvillier nommé capitaine des Cataractes!" (in French). Shawinigan Cataractes. August 5, 2015. Retrieved March 19, 2022.
  10. ^ "Le Hockey, c'est toute ma vie! – Interview avec Mathieu Olivier". Sherbrooke Phoenix. February 27, 2018. Retrieved March 19, 2022.
  11. ^ "Deux transactions chez les Cats: Mathieu Olivier quitte" (in French). L'Hebdo Journal. August 16, 2017. Retrieved March 19, 2022.
  12. ^ "Mathieu Olivier signe avec les Admirals de Milwaukee" (in French). Sherbrooke Phoenix. February 20, 2018. Retrieved March 19, 2022.
  13. ^ "Trophées Eggsquis 2017-2018 : les lauréats" (in French). Sherbrooke Phoenix. April 20, 2018. Retrieved March 19, 2022.
  14. ^ Bratten, Brooks (September 8, 2018). "Preds Rookies Come Back to Top Capitals as Prospect Showcase Begins". National Hockey League. Retrieved March 19, 2022.
  15. ^ Fitzner, Aaron (June 29, 2018). "Preds Development Camp Concludes with Thrilling Future Stars Game". National Hockey League. Retrieved March 19, 2022.
  16. ^ "Predators Sign Mathieu Olivier to Two-Year, Entry-Level Contract". National Hockey League. May 1, 2019. Retrieved March 20, 2022.
  17. ^ "Preds have recalled Olivier and Santini". Milwaukee Admirals. November 18, 2019. Retrieved November 18, 2019.
  18. ^ "Hellybuyck's 38 saves lead Jets past Predators 2-1". New York Times. November 19, 2019. Retrieved November 19, 2019.
  19. ^ "CBJ acquire RW Mathieu Olivier from Nashville in exchange for 2022 pick". Columbus Blue Jackets. July 1, 2022. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
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