Mathieu Olivier Bio
Mathieu Olivier is a Canadian–American professional ice hockey player who plays right wing for the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hockey League. Born on February 11, 1997, in Biloxi, Mississippi, he is the first Mississippi-born player in NHL history and the first player born in the Gulf Coast region to play for the Nashville Predators. Standing 6 feet 2 inches tall and weighing 209 pounds, Olivier has been a professional player since 2018 and has skated for both the Predators and Blue Jackets organizations.
A right-handed shot who has built his game on physicality and energy-line minutes, Olivier entered the NHL as an undrafted free agent after a productive major junior career in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. His unusual birthplace, combined with a junior background in Quebec and developmental years in the American Hockey League, has helped shape his reputation as a hard-working depth forward in the modern NHL.
Early Life and Background
Mathieu Olivier was born in Biloxi, Mississippi, on February 11, 1997, while his father, Simon, was playing in the ECHL. He lived in Mississippi for only about three months before his father’s professional career took the family to a series of different cities and countries, including stops in Canada, Germany, Oklahoma City, and Houston. Because of those early moves, Olivier attended kindergarten in Germany and learned to speak the language before his family eventually returned to their native Quebec.
Growing up in Quebec, Olivier was introduced to organized hockey at a young age and developed within the province’s competitive youth system. He played as a youth with the Lévis Commandeurs of the Quebec Junior AAA Hockey League, where his combination of size and toughness began to stand out. The influence of his father’s professional career gave him a clear understanding of the work required to reach the highest levels of the game.
Path to Hockey
Olivier was selected by the Moncton Wildcats in the 2013 Quebec Major Junior Hockey League Entry Draft, beginning his major junior career. His time with the Wildcats lasted only a season and a half, as he was traded to the Shawinigan Cataractes in December 2014 in exchange for a third-round pick. At the time of the trade, he had accumulated 21 points through 86 games, and the move to Shawinigan quickly became a turning point in his development.
Upon joining the Cataractes, Olivier played in the QMJHL’s first Winter Classic and scored a goal in a 4–2 win over the Victoriaville Tigres. Before the 2015–16 season he was named an assistant captain and helped lead the team to the President’s Cup Finals, where they were eliminated by the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies. On the opening night of 2017–18 training camps, he was traded to the Sherbrooke Phoenix for two picks in the 2020 draft, and he served as an alternate captain while posting 42 points by February 2018.
On February 19, 2018, Olivier signed his first professional contract with the Milwaukee Admirals of the American Hockey League, then returned to Sherbrooke and helped the Phoenix reach the second round of the postseason with six points in 10 games. His play that year earned him the team’s MVP and Fan Favourite Award, and his strong five-season major junior resume led to an invitation to the Nashville Predators Development Camp and Prospects Showcase ahead of the 2018–19 season.
Mathieu Olivier Career
Early Career (2018–2019)
In his first full professional season with the Milwaukee Admirals in 2018–19, Olivier tallied four goals and 12 points through 54 games while also leading the AHL with 9 fights. The combination of offensive contribution and a willingness to drop the gloves quickly made him a noticeable presence on the Admirals’ roster and earned him a reputation as one of the league’s more active physical forwards. Based on that production and physicality, he was re-signed by the Nashville Predators to a two-year, entry-level contract covering the 2019–20 and 2020–21 seasons.
Assigned to the Admirals to begin the 2019–20 season, Olivier posted 7 points in 17 games before earning his first recall to the parent Predators on November 18, 2019. The recall reflected the organization’s confidence in his development and gave him the opportunity to take the next step toward the NHL.
Nashville Predators Breakthrough (2019–2022)
Mathieu Olivier made his NHL debut on November 19, 2019, appearing on the fourth line for the Nashville Predators in a 2–1 defeat to the Winnipeg Jets. The debut marked the culmination of years of work in junior and the AHL and confirmed his status as a full-time NHL prospect within the Predators system. He spent the rest of that season splitting time between Nashville and Milwaukee as he adjusted to the pace and physicality of the top league.
During his time in the Predators organization, Olivier was also noted as the first player born in the Gulf Coast region to play for Nashville, an extension of the unusual birthplace story that began in Biloxi. He continued to play a complementary, physical role, providing energy, penalty killing, and fighting when needed. After four seasons within the organization, his time in Nashville came to a close in the summer of 2022.
Columbus Blue Jackets Era (2022–Present)
On July 1, 2022, Olivier was traded from the Nashville Predators to the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for a fourth-round pick in 2022. The trade gave him a fresh opportunity with a young Blue Jackets team looking to add physical forwards to its bottom six. He quickly settled into a regular role with Columbus, contributing energy minutes and remaining a difficult player to play against.
Since arriving in Columbus, Olivier has continued to build on the identity he developed in Nashville, pairing right-handed shot depth scoring with a willingness to engage physically. His fit on the Blue Jackets’ lower lines has given the club a dependable presence on the forecheck and penalty kill. He remains under contract with Columbus and is part of the team’s current core group of bottom-six forwards.
Driving Style and Strengths
Olivier’s game is built around physicality, forechecking, and energy-line reliability rather than top-line scoring. He uses his 6-foot-2, 209-pound frame to win board battles, finish checks, and protect teammates, while his right-handed shot gives coaches a useful option on the penalty kill and in defensive-zone draws. Coaches have leaned on him to set the physical tone of a game, and his history of leading the AHL in fights as a rookie shows that willingness to defend teammates has been part of his identity since his first professional season.
Notable Events and Milestones
Among the most notable milestones of Mathieu Olivier’s career are his debut in the QMJHL’s first Winter Classic, where he scored a goal for the Shawinigan Cataractes, and his MVP and Fan Favourite Award with the Sherbrooke Phoenix in 2017–18. He also made history as the first Mississippi-born player in the NHL and the first player born in the Gulf Coast region to suit up for the Nashville Predators. His NHL debut on November 19, 2019, against the Winnipeg Jets remains the defining moment of his top-level arrival.
Mathieu Olivier Career Wins
Mathieu Olivier’s professional resume is defined more by team and individual contributions than by headline-grabbing trophy counts, and his win totals are shaped largely by his bottom-six role. The information available supports detailed highlights in junior and at the AHL level, but verified NHL win totals are not clearly established, so a series-by-series summary is presented below without speculative numbers.
QMJHL Highlights
Across his five seasons in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League with the Moncton Wildcats, Shawinigan Cataractes, and Sherbrooke Phoenix, Olivier established himself as a reliable, hard-playing forward. With Sherbrooke in 2017–18, he posted 42 points in the regular season and added 6 points in 10 playoff games while serving as an alternate captain, helping the Phoenix reach the second round of the postseason. His leadership and production that year were recognized with both the team’s MVP and Fan Favourite Award.
Other Wins & Performances
In his rookie AHL season of 2018–19 with the Milwaukee Admirals, Olivier finished with 4 goals and 12 points in 54 games while leading the entire league in fights, a performance that earned him a two-year entry-level contract from Nashville. His NHL debut with the Predators on November 19, 2019, against the Winnipeg Jets marked his first regular-season game at the top level. Since joining the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2022, he has continued to contribute in an energy and depth role.
Mathieu Olivier Family
Family Background and Hockey Lineage
Hockey runs deep in Mathieu Olivier’s family. His father, Simon Olivier, was a professional hockey player who was active in the ECHL at the time of Mathieu’s birth in Biloxi, Mississippi. Simon’s career took the family through Canada, Germany, Oklahoma City, and Houston before they returned to Quebec, giving Mathieu an early exposure to the demands and travel of a professional hockey life.
Personal Life
Public information about Mathieu Olivier’s personal life is limited beyond his family background and his hockey career. Born in Mississippi and raised in Quebec, he holds Canadian–American nationality and has built his professional life in the United States, first with the Nashville Predators organization and now with the Columbus Blue Jackets. Further details about a spouse, children, or current residence are not clearly supported by available sources.
2025 Season Performance
Mathieu Olivier is expected to enter the 2025 season as a member of the Columbus Blue Jackets, where he remains part of the team’s bottom-six forward group. His role is projected to stay consistent with past seasons: a physical, right-handed forward who can play on the penalty kill, win board battles, and provide energy on the forecheck. Coaches have continued to trust him in tight games and against opposing top lines because of his size and willingness to engage physically.
For 2025, the Blue Jackets are expected to lean on Olivier’s steadiness as the team continues to develop its younger core, with his experience in both the Predators and Blue Jackets organizations making him a bridge between prospects and veterans. His reputation for setting the physical tone of games is likely to keep him in the regular lineup, even in a fourth-line or energy-line capacity. Continued contribution in special teams, fighting, and defensive-zone play will likely be the benchmarks by which his 2025 season is measured.
Looking ahead through the rest of 2025, Olivier’s outlook is tied to Columbus’s overall trajectory: if the Blue Jackets push for a playoff spot, his physical, defense-first game becomes even more valuable in matchup situations. If the club is in a development phase, he is still expected to serve as a mentor figure for younger players and a standard-bearer for the team’s identity. Either way, Mathieu Olivier’s 2025 story is one of a depth forward continuing to carve out a long NHL career through toughness, reliability, and team-first play.