William Carrier

William Carrier (born December 20, 1994) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player who is a forward for the Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League (NHL). Carrier was selected by the St. Louis Blues in the second round (57th pick overall) of the 2013 NHL entry draft. Carrier won the Stanley Cup with the Vegas Golden Knights in 2023 and the Hurricanes in 2026.

Early life Carrier was born in LaSalle, Quebec, but grew up in Pierrefonds, Quebec.

Playing career

Youth As a youth, Carrier played in the 2007 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with a minor ice hockey team from Deux-Rives. During the 2009–10 season, Carrier played in three games for the midget AAA team Lac Saint-Louis Lions. He recorded his first QMJHL goal on September 10, 2010, in a 3–2 win over the Halifax Mooseheads. Carrier was later selected to compete with Team Canada Quebec at the 2011 World U-17 Hockey Challenge, where he recorded five points in six games. During a game against the Baie-Comeau Drakkar, Hockey Canada’s head scout Kevin Prendergast attended to view Carrier's play. Passed over in the first round, he was selected by the St. Louis Blues in the second round, 57th overall. On August 19, 2013, Carrier was signed to a three-year entry-level contract with the Blues.

In the 2013–14 season, on January 7, 2014, the Eagles traded Carrier along with Matthew Donnelly to the Drummondville Voltigeurs in exchange for Guillaume Gauthier, a first round pick in 2015, and a fifth round pick in 2014. Over a month later, Carrier was involved in a second trade as on February 28, 2014, the Blues traded his NHL contract, along with Chris Stewart, Jaroslav Halák, and 1st and 3rd round draft picks for the 2014 NHL entry draft to the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for netminder Ryan Miller and captain Steve Ott.

Professional Carrier made his NHL debut on November 5, 2016, against the Ottawa Senators and recorded his first NHL goal against the Pittsburgh Penguins on November 19. During a game against the Boston Bruins in December 2016, Carrier was penalized for an illegal check to the head on David Backes, who suffered a concussion.

Having been left exposed by the Sabres for the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft, Carrier was selected by the Vegas Golden Knights on June 21, 2017. Carrier and the Golden Knights qualified for the 2018 Stanley Cup playoffs in their inaugural season. During the first round of the playoffs against the Los Angeles Kings, Carrier entered into concussion protocol as a result of an illegal check to the head by Drew Doughty. Carrier would be sat out another game during the Knights' third round against the Winnipeg Jets.

On February 27, 2020, Carrier signed a four-year, $5.6 million contract extension with the Golden Knights.

By the 2022–23 season, Carrier was one of six remaining original members of the Golden Knights, alongside Jonathan Marchessault, William Karlsson, Reilly Smith, Brayden McNabb and Shea Theodore. The team reached the Stanley Cup Final for the second time, winning the Stanley Cup over the Florida Panthers in five games.

Following seven seasons with the Golden Knights, Carrier left the organization as a free agent and was signed to a six-year, $12 million contract with the Carolina Hurricanes on July 3, 2024. . He would win his second Stanley Cup with the Hurricanes against his former team, four games to two on June 14, 2026.

International play Carrier was a member of the bronze medal winning Team Canada at 2012 IIHF World U18 Championships.

Personal life Carrier and his wife Caroline Vezina had their first child together in March 2020. After the birth of his daughter, he was told to stay home as a result of COVID-19 suspending play.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs Regular season Playoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 2009–10 Lac St-Louis Lions QMAAA 3 0 0 0 2 — — — — — 2010–11 Cape Breton Screaming Eagles QMJHL 61 8 4 12 54 4 0 0 0 2 2011–12 Cape Breton Screaming Eagles QMJHL 66 27 43 70 65 4 3 3 6 4 2012–13 Cape Breton Screaming Eagles QMJHL 34 16 26 42 41 — — — — — 2013–14 Cape Breton Screaming Eagles QMJHL 39 12 29 41 42 — — — — — 2013–14 Drummondville Voltigeurs QMJHL 27 10 14 24 45 4 1 3 4 6 2014–15 Rochester Americans AHL 63 7 14 21 38 — — — — — 2015–16 Rochester Americans AHL 56 13 17 30 48 — — — — — 2016–17 Rochester Americans AHL 8 3 2 5 6 — — — — — 2016–17 Buffalo Sabres NHL 41 5 3 8 21 — — — — — 2017–18 Vegas Golden Knights NHL 37 1 2 3 19 10 0 0 0 8 2018–19 Vegas Golden Knights NHL 54 8 1 9 29 7 0 0 0 6 2019–20 Vegas Golden Knights NHL 71 7 12 19 39 20 2 1 3 10 2020–21 Vegas Golden Knights NHL 52 6 9 15 16 19 1 2 3 8 2021–22 Vegas Golden Knights NHL 63 9 11 20 34 — — — — — 2022–23 Vegas Golden Knights NHL 56 16 9 25 30 18 2 4 6 26 2023–24 Vegas Golden Knights NHL 39 6 2 8 16 7 1 0 1 6 2024–25 Carolina Hurricanes NHL 43 4 7 11 16 15 0 0 0 8 2025–26 Carolina Hurricanes NHL 70 7 11 18 18 19 0 4 4 0 NHL totals 526 69 67 136 238 115 6 11 17 72

International Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM 2011 Canada Quebec U17 4th 6 2 3 5 10 2012 Canada U18 7 0 0 0 0 Junior totals 13 2 3 5 10

Awards and honours Award Year RefNHL Stanley Cup champion 2023, 2026 International IIHF World U18 Championship bronze medal 2012