Alexandre Texier (born 13 September 1999) is a French professional ice hockey forward for the St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League (NHL). Texier started his career with Brûleurs de Loups in the French Ligue Magnus, winning the Coupe de France in 2017 and earning the Jean-Pierre Graff Trophy as best young player in the French League.
| Alexandre Texier | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born |
13 September 1999 Grenoble, France | ||
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) | ||
| Weight | 192 lb (87 kg; 13 st 10 lb) | ||
| Position | Forward | ||
| Shoots | Left | ||
| NHL team Former teams |
St. Louis Blues Brûleurs de Loups KalPa Columbus Blue Jackets ZSC Lions | ||
| National team |
 France | ||
| NHL draft |
45th overall, 2017 Columbus Blue Jackets | ||
| Playing career | 2016–present | ||
He was selected by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the second round, 45th overall in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, the first player drafted directly out of the French league. He then spent two seasons with Finnish Liiga side KalPa, with whom he won the Spengler Cup in 2018. He moved to North America and made his NHL debut in 2019. Internationally Texier has represented France at the junior and senior level.
Playing career
editTexier grew up playing for Brûleurs de Loups in Grenoble, France, the same club his father Fabrice played for from 1989 until 1992. A rookie in the Ligue Magnus in 2016–17, he was awarded the Jean-Pierre Graff Trophy as the best first-year player.[1]
The National Hockey League (NHL) Central Scouting, which ranks players eligible for the annual NHL Entry Draft, had Texier as the 16th-best European skater prior to the 2017 NHL Entry Draft.[2] He was ultimately selected in the second round, 45th overall by the Columbus Blue Jackets, becoming the first player drafted directly out of France.[3] After the draft Texier, who was also selected 17th in the CHL Import Draft by the Baie-Comeau Drakkar of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), moved to KalPa of the Finnish Liiga for the 2017–18 season.[3] The team's youngest player, he scored 13 goals and 22 points in 53 games. On 23 May 2018, after the conclusion of the season, Texier was signed to a three-year, entry-level contract by the Blue Jackets, who then let him spend a second season in Finland.[4]
After his second season with Kalpa, in which he led the team with 41 points in 55 games, Texier was assigned to the Blue Jackets' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Cleveland Monsters. He played seven games for the Monsters, scoring seven points, before the Blue Jackets recalled him.[5] Texier made his NHL debut on 5 April 2019 against the New York Rangers.[6] He scored his first NHL goal the following night against the Ottawa Senators in the team's final regular season game on 6 April.[7] He scored his first playoff goal against the Tampa Bay Lightning in game four of the Blue Jackets' first-round playoff series on 16 April.[8]
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During his first full season in the NHL, Texier suffered a lumbar stress fracture that limited him to playing in only 36 games played during the 2019–20 season.[9] Texier finished with six goals and seven assists in the regular season. Returning to the Blue Jackets for the NHL's return-to-play and playoffs, Texier registered four assists in 10 postseason games.
With the following 2020–21 season delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Texier was originally loaned to join his former Finnish club, KalPa, on 8 September 2020.[10] Due to personal reasons, he opted to cancel his loan and return on loan to hometown club Brûleurs de Loups of the Ligue Magnus until the resumption of the NHL on 5 October 2020.[11]
For the 2022–23 season, the Blue Jackets loaned Texier to ZSC Lions of the Swiss National League.[12]
On 28 June 2024, the Blue Jackets traded Texier to the St. Louis Blues for a 4th-round pick in the 2025 NHL entry draft; Texier subsequently signed a two-year, $4.2 million exteison with the Blues.[13]
International play
editTexier has played internationally for France at the junior and senior level. At the 2017 U18 World Championship he helped the French under-18 team win the tournament, earning promotion to the elite division for the first time in their history.[14] Texier recorded five points in five games, and was named the tournament's top forward.[15][16]
He was expected to make his debut for the French senior team at the 2017 World Championship, which was co-hosted in Paris and Cologne, but a shoulder injury kept him out.[17] He played the following year for the senior team at the 2018 World Championship, becoming the third-youngest player in the tournament.[18] He joined the French national team for the 2019 World Championship in which the France got relegated to Division I A after losing all of its seven games.
Personal life
editTexier's father, Fabrice, was also an ice hockey player, and introduced his son to the sport. Fabrice played four games in the 1986–87 QMJHL season with the Laval Titan, spending the rest of his career in France, mainly with the Brûleurs de Loups.[19]
Career statistics
editRegular season and playoffs
edit| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2013–14 | Brûleurs de Loups | FRA U18 | 8 | 7 | 4 | 11 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | Brûleurs de Loups | FRA U18 | 17 | 16 | 18 | 34 | 32 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 12 | 6 | ||
| 2015–16 | Brûleurs de Loups | FRA U18 | 17 | 40 | 30 | 70 | 26 | 6 | 9 | 12 | 21 | 10 | ||
| 2015–16 | Brûleurs de Loups | FRA U22 | 11 | 9 | 8 | 17 | 14 | 6 | 7 | 4 | 11 | 8 | ||
| 2016–17 | Brûleurs de Loups | FRA | 40 | 10 | 9 | 19 | 69 | 12 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 12 | ||
| 2017–18 | KalPa | Liiga | 53 | 13 | 9 | 22 | 38 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 25 | ||
| 2018–19 | KalPa | Liiga | 55 | 14 | 27 | 41 | 36 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018–19 | Cleveland Monsters | AHL | 7 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2018–19 | Columbus Blue Jackets | NHL | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | ||
| 2019–20 | Columbus Blue Jackets | NHL | 36 | 6 | 7 | 13 | 10 | 10 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 2 | ||
| 2020–21 | Brûleurs de Loups | FRA | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | Columbus Blue Jackets | NHL | 49 | 4 | 11 | 15 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2021–22 | Columbus Blue Jackets | NHL | 36 | 11 | 9 | 20 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2022–23 | ZSC Lions | NL | 46 | 13 | 22 | 35 | 30 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2023–24 | Columbus Blue Jackets | NHL | 78 | 12 | 18 | 30 | 38 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 201 | 34 | 45 | 79 | 82 | 18 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 4 | ||||
International
edit| Year | Team | Event | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | France | WJC18 D1A | 5 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 12 | |
| 2016 | France | WJC18 D1A | 5 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 6 | |
| 2017 | France | WJC D1A | 5 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 4 | |
| 2017 | France | WJC18 D1A | 5 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 6 | |
| 2018 | France | WJC D1A | 5 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 8 | |
| 2018 | France | WC | 7 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 10 | |
| 2019 | France | WC | 7 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | |
| 2021 | France | OGQ | 3 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2022 | France | WC | 7 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 6 | |
| 2023 | France | WC | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 25 | |
| Junior totals | 25 | 7 | 18 | 25 | 36 | |||
| Senior totals | 30 | 6 | 10 | 16 | 47 | |||
Awards and honours
edit| Award | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Ligue Magnus | ||
| Jean-Pierre Graff Trophy | 2017 | |
| Coupe de France | 2017 | |
References
edit- ^ "Lauréats Trophées Saxoprint Ligue Magnus 2016–2017" [Trophy Winners of the Saxoprint Ligue Magnus 2016–2017]. LigueMagnus.com. 28 March 2017. Retrieved 6 April 2019.
- ^ "2017 Draft Prospect Rankings — European Skaters". NHL.com. 11 April 2017. Retrieved 6 April 2019.
- ^ a b Hedger, Brian (29 June 2017). "Alexandre Texier aims to make impact on Blue Jackets". NHL.com. Retrieved 24 September 2017.
- ^ "Columbus Blue Jackets sign Alexandre Texier to three-year ELC". NHL.com. 23 May 2018. Retrieved 23 May 2018.
- ^ BlueJackets.com Staff (4 April 2019). "Blue Jackets recall Clendening, Texier from Monsters". NHL.com. Retrieved 5 April 2019.
- ^ Rosen, Dan (5 April 2019). "Blue Jackets clinch playoff berth, recover against Rangers". NHL.com. Retrieved 6 April 2019.
- ^ Fraser, Callum (6 April 2019). "Blue Jackets remain second wild card, top Senators". NHL.com. Retrieved 7 April 2019.
- ^ "2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs: No. 1 seed Lightning swept by Blue Jackets in historic first-round upset". CBSSports.com. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
- ^ "Columbus forward Alexandre Texier out indefinitely, placed on IR". NHL.com. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
- ^ "CBJ loan Bemstrom, Texier and Vehvilainen to trio of Liiga clubs". Columbus Blue Jackets. 8 September 2020. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
- ^ "Alexandre Texier de Retour à la Maison!" [Alexandre Texier is back home!] (in French). Brûleurs de Loups. 5 October 2020. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
- ^ "Alexandre Texier zu den ZSC Lions" [Alexandre Texier to the ZSC Lions]. www.zsclions.ch (in Swiss High German). 25 August 2022. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
- ^ "Free agent buzz: Texier traded to Blues by Blue Jackets, signs 2-year contract". NHL.com. 28 June 2024.
- ^ Potts, Andy (18 April 2017). "Historic gold for France". IIHF. Retrieved 7 April 2019.
- ^ "2017 IIHF U18 World Championship Division IA — Scoring Leaders" (PDF). IIHF. 13 April 2017. Retrieved 7 April 2019.
- ^ "2017 IIHF U18 World Championship Division IA — Best Players Selected by the Directorate" (PDF). IIHF. 13 April 2017. Retrieved 7 April 2019.
- ^ Aykroyd, Lucas (1 May 2017). "France's big chance". IIHF.com. Retrieved 7 April 2019.
- ^ Vickers, Aaron (10 May 2018). "Texier using World Championship as next step toward goal of reaching NHL". NHL.com. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
- ^ Chaumont, Jean-François (27 June 2017). "Un grand pas pour la France" [A Big Step for France]. Le Journal de Montréal. Montreal. Retrieved 6 April 2019.
External links
edit- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Eurohockey.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database