Alexandre Texier

Alexandre Texier (; born 13 September 1999) is a French professional ice hockey player who is a forward for the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League (NHL). Texier started his career with the Brûleurs de Loups in the French Ligue Magnus, winning the Coupe de France and earned the Jean-Pierre Graff Trophy as the league's best young player in 2017.

He was selected by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the second round, 45th overall, of the 2017 NHL entry draft, the first player drafted directly out of the French league. After spending two seasons with KalPa of the Finnish Liiga, with whom he won the Spengler Cup in 2018, Texier moved to North America and made his NHL debut with the Blue Jackets in April 2019. He has also previously played in the NHL for the St. Louis Blues. Internationally, Texier has represented France at the junior and senior levels.

Playing career Europe Texier 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 French Ligue Magnus in 2016–17, he was awarded the Jean-Pierre Graff Trophy as the best first-year player. Ranked as the 16th-best European skater prior to the 2017 NHL entry draft by the National Hockey League (NHL) Central Scouting Bureau, he was ultimately selected in the second round (45th overall) by the Columbus Blue Jackets, becoming the first player drafted directly out of France. Thereafter, Texier, who was also selected in the CHL Import Draft by the Baie-Comeau Drakkar of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), Slotting into the lineup as the team's youngest player, he produced 13 goals and 22 points in 53 games. On 22 May 2018, Texier was signed to a three-year, entry-level contract by the Blue Jackets, who then allowed him to spend an additional season abroad in Finland.

North America Following his second season with Kalpa, in which he led the team with 41 points in 55 games and captured the 2018 Spengler Cup, Texier was assigned to the Blue Jackets' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Cleveland Monsters. He appeared in seven games for the Monsters, scoring seven points, before being recalled by the Blue Jackets. On 5 April 2019, Texier made his NHL debut against the New York Rangers, and scored his first NHL goal the following night against the Ottawa Senators. He then registered his first career playoff goal against the Tampa Bay Lightning in game four of the Blue Jackets' ensuing first-round playoff series on 16 April.

During his first full campaign in the NHL, Texier suffered a lumbar stress fracture that limited him to only 36 games played during the 2019–20 season. Collecting six goals and seven assists over the course of the regular season, he likewise contributed four assists in 10 postseason games.

With the 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. Due to personal reasons however, he opted to cancel his loan and return to hometown club Brûleurs de Loups until the resumption of league play on 5 October 2020. On 28 January 2021, Texier used a rare offensive poke check to score the game winning shootout goal in a 3–2 win over the Florida Panthers. The move, which he has used on other occasions, has been nicknamed "The French Poke".

Citing personal issues and needing to be closer to family, Texier stepped away from the Blue Jackets in August 2022. He instead signed a one-year deal to join the ZSC Lions of the Swiss National League (NL) for the 2022–23 season. On 28 June 2024, Texier was traded to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for a 4th-round pick in the 2025 NHL entry draft; he subsequently agreed to a two-year, $4.2 million extension with the Blues.

After being placed on unconditional waivers by St. Louis on 22 November 2025 for the purpose of terminating his contract, Texier was signed to a one-year contract by the Montreal Canadiens for the remainder of the 2025–26 season.

Shortly into his newfound tenure with the Canadiens, he was moved onto the team's top line alongside Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield, seeing an increase in offensive production as a result. Recording his first career three-point outing on 7 January 2026 against the Calgary Flames, Texier joined fellow countrymen Pierre-Édouard Bellemare and Antoine Roussel as the only France nationals to reach 100 career NHL points in league history. The following night, he registered his first career NHL hat-trick against the Florida Panthers. Totaling 16 points through his first 25 games played with the team, Texier was signed to a two-year contract extension by the Canadiens on 14 January. Used primarily in a supporting capacity thereafter, he finished the regular season with eight goals and 12 assists in 43 games played with Montreal. During the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs, Texier scored his first playoff goal in seven years while also managing an assist in a 3–2 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning in game 3 of their first round matchup.

International play

As member of the French under-18 team, Texier led his country to victory at the 2017 U18 World Championship, earning promotion to the elite division for the first time in team history. For his part, he recorded five points in five games, and was named the tournament's top forward. Although expected to make his debut for the French senior national team at the ensuing World Championship, a shoulder injury kept him out of action. He played the following year for the senior team at the 2018 World Championship, becoming the third-youngest player in the tournament. Texier then joined the French national team for the 2019 World Championship in which his country was relegated after losing all of its games.

During the 2025–26 season, Texier was named to France's roster ahead of the 2026 Winter Olympics held in Milan.

Personal life Texier'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.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs Regular seasonPlayoffs 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 0442 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 — — — — — 2024–25 St. Louis Blues NHL 31 6 5 11 10 3 0 1 1 0 2025–26 St. Louis Blues NHL 8 0 1 1 2 — — — — — 2025–26 Montreal Canadiens NHL 43 8 12 20 24 19 4 4 8 4NHL totals 283 48 63 111 118 40 6 10 16 8

International

Awards and honours Award YearLigue Magnus Jean-Pierre Graff Trophy 2017 Coupe de France 2017