Pierre-Olivier Joseph

Pierre-Olivier Joseph (born July 1, 1999) is a Haitian-Canadian professional ice hockey player who is a defenceman who is currently an unrestricted free agent. He most recently played for the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted 23rd overall by the Arizona Coyotes in the 2017 NHL entry draft.

Early life Joseph was born on July 1, 1999, in Laval, Quebec, Canada to parents Frantzi Joseph and France Taillon. His father played and coached hockey for many years and France was a competitive athlete in her youth. His father is of Haitian descent and his mother is white. Growing up, he was called racial slurs on the ice and told to go back to his "own country." His older brother Mathieu currently plays for the Los Angeles Kings, they were previously teammates in St. Louis. After attending their training camp, he was re-assigned to Collège Antoine-Girouard Gaulois in the Ligue de Hockey Midget AAA du Québec but was recalled full time by early November. Joseph concluded his rookie season with eight points in 48 games

Joseph returned to the Islanders for his sophomore season as an assistant captain and set new career highs in goals, assists, and points. He began the season with three goals and seven assists and improved offensively from there, ending with 39 points in 33 games. At the end of the season, he was named the Islanders' finalist for the Marcel Robert Trophy and was a finalist for the Michael Bossy Trophy. Joseph helped the Islanders qualify for the 2017 QMJHL playoffs and recorded six points in 13 games before they were eliminated. After being drafted by the Coyotes, Joseph spent the 2017–18 season bulking up to add weight and muscle to his 160-plus-pound frame. He lived with the teams' nutritionist for the year and weighed in at Coyotes 2018 development camp at 168 pounds.

After being returned to the QMJHL, Joseph was traded to the Drummondville Voltigeurs in December. At the time of the trade, he had recorded 18 assists for 25 points in 27 games and was named captain of Team QMJHL at the 2018 CIBC Canada-Russia Series.

Professional

On June 29, 2019, Joseph was traded by the Coyotes, along with Alex Galchenyuk, to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for Phil Kessel, Dane Birks, and a fourth-round pick in the 2021 NHL entry draft. He continued to work on his weight during the 2019 off-season and gained 10 pounds before entering his first professional season with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in the American Hockey League (AHL). As a result of his training, which included working with his brother and trainer in Tampa Bay, Joseph went from 165 pounds to 175 pounds before training camp. However, six games into his rookie season, he suffered a bought of mononucleosis and missed over a month to recover. Upon returning to the Penguins' lineup, he recorded two points in 11 games despite losing the 10 pounds he gained over the offseason. Prior to the pause of the season due to COVID-19, Joseph played on the Penguins' top defensive pairing with Jon Lizotte and averaged well over 20 minutes a game.

Joseph made his NHL debut on January 22, 2021, against the New York Rangers due to injuries across the Penguins lineup. Prior to his debut, Penguins coach Mike Sullivan spoke highly of him as a player, saying: "P-O's a good player....He's stronger. He's faster. He's a good two-way defenseman. He has good offensive instincts. He has the ability to join the rush, can make an outlet pass and sees the ice well. And because of his mobility and his reach, I think he has the ability to be a good defender. ... We know he can play at this level, and he deserves a lot of credit for how far his game has come." Within his first seven games with the Penguins, he recorded five points including his first career NHL goal against Semyon Varlamov of the New York Islanders.

Following five seasons within the Penguins organization, Joseph was not tendered a qualifying offer by the club and was released as a free agent. On July 2, 2024, Joseph was signed to a one-year, $950,000 contract with the St. Louis Blues, joining his brother Mathieu, who was also newly acquired by the Blues. However, he was traded back to Pittsburgh on December 18, 2024, for future considerations.

As a free agent for a second consecutive season, Joseph signed a one-year, $775,000 contract with the Vancouver Canucks on July 2, 2025.

International play

On May 5, 2023, he was named to Canada men's national ice hockey team at the 2023 IIHF World Championship where he recorded one goal in ten games and won a gold medal.

Career statistics Regular season and playoffs Regular season Playoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 2014–15 Collège Antoine-Girouard Gaulois QMAAA 42 3 8 11 18 — — — — — 2015–16 Collège Antoine-Girouard Gaulois QMAAA 19 1 9 10 12 — — — — — 2015–16 Charlottetown Islanders QMJHL 48 1 7 8 30 12 1 2 3 6 2016–17 Charlottetown Islanders QMJHL 62 6 33 39 54 13 1 5 6 12 2017–18 Charlottetown Islanders QMJHL 63 13 33 46 59 18 1 11 12 24 2018–19 Charlottetown Islanders QMJHL 27 7 18 25 36 — — — — — 2018–19 Drummondville Voltigeurs QMJHL 35 2 20 22 26 16 2 7 9 8 2019–20 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins AHL 52 3 14 17 32 — — — — — 2020–21 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 16 1 4 5 6 — — — — — 2020–21 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins AHL 23 1 12 13 28 — — — — — 2021–22 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins AHL 61 10 23 33 44 6 1 4 5 6 2021–22 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 4 0 0 0 2 — — — — — 2022–23 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 75 5 16 21 44 — — — — — 2023–24 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 52 2 9 11 14 — — — — — 2023–24 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins AHL 2 0 1 1 0 — — — — — 2024–25 St. Louis Blues NHL 23 0 2 2 23 — — — — — 2024–25 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 24 0 1 1 22 — — — — — 2025–26 Vancouver Canucks NHL 31 1 5 6 8 — — — — —NHL totals 225 9 37 46 119 — — — — —

International Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM 2023 Canada WC 10 1 0 1 2Senior totals 10 1 0 1 2