Émile Poirier

Émile Poirier (born December 14, 1994) is a Canadian professional ice hockey forward. He is currently playing with the HC Košice of the Slovak Extraliga. He was selected by the Calgary Flames in the first round, 22nd overall, at the 2013 NHL Entry Draft.

Émile Poirier
Born	December 14, 1994 Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Height	6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Weight	200 lb (91 kg; 14 st 4 lb)
Position	Right wing
Shoots	Left
Slovak team Former teams	HC Košice Calgary Flames Manitoba Moose
NHL Draft	22nd overall, 2013 Calgary Flames
Playing career	2014–present

Playing career

A native of Montreal, Poirier began his junior hockey career with the Gatineau Olympiques of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) in 2011–12. He appeared in 67 games, scoring 15 goals and 40 points.[1] Previously unheralded, Poirier improved to 70 points in 65 games in 2012–13; he was the team's scoring leader, 16 points ahead of his nearest teammate.[2] He established himself as a top-40 prospect for the 2013 NHL Entry Draft. The NHL Central Scouting Bureau placed him 39th in their final pre-draft list, and Poirier moved higher in the projections with a standout performance in the playoffs; he had ten points in ten playoff games, including six "highlight reel" goals.[3]

Capable of playing at either the wing or at centre, Poirier is a fast skater, though he says his style is "not pretty".[4] Describing his playing style, Poirier stated: "I love to play hard. I compete, got to the net hard and fight a little bit, too. I want to bring energy."[5] He was invited to attend summer camp for the Canadian national junior team ahead of the 2014 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.[5] At the draft, Poirier was selected in the first round by the Calgary Flames, 22nd overall.[6]

Returning to Gatineau, Poirier had his best season as a junior in 2013–14.[7] He set career highs and led his team with 43 goals, 44 assists and 87 points to go along with a plus-minus rating of +30.[8] He also signed an entry-level contract with the Flames,[7] and joined Calgary's American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Abbotsford Heat on an amateur try-out agreement after Gatineau was eliminated from the QMJHL playoffs.[9] Poirier scored a goal in his first professional game,[10] then added another to go with two assists in his second as the Heat prepared for the AHL playoffs.[11] Following the season, the Flames announced that Poirier had played the year with a bad shoulder that required surgery.[12]

Poirier missed the first month of the 2014–15 season while recovering. He was assigned to the AHL's Adirondack Flames when healthy and scored twice in his first game.[13] The 20-year-old forward scored 30 points in his first 42 games with Adirondack and was the youngest player in the AHL All-Star Game.[14] He was recalled to Calgary on February 23, 2015,[14] and made his NHL debut the following night in a 1–0 loss to the New York Rangers.[15] Poirier recorded his first NHL point with an assist on a goal by Mikael Backlund on March 3, 2015, against the Philadelphia Flyers.[16]

After his fourth full season within the Flames organization, Poirier was released as a free agent when he was not tendered a qualifying offer as a restricted free agent. Un-signed over the summer, Poirier without an NHL deal, accepted a professional try-out contract to begin the 2018–19 season, with the Manitoba Moose, affiliate to the Winnipeg Jets, on October 4, 2018.[17] Poirier was limited to just 24 games through injury, registering 8 points.

As a free agent following a full season with the Moose, Poirier was unable to secure a contract over the summer. Returning to attend the Manitoba Moose training camp, Piorier was signed to a professional tryout contract to begin the 2019–20 season on October 4, 2019.[18]

Career statistics

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2011–12	Gatineau Olympiques	QMJHL		67	15	25	40	53		4	1	0	1	8
2012–13	Gatineau Olympiques	QMJHL		65	32	38	70	101		10	6	4	10	14
2013–14	Gatineau Olympiques	QMJHL		63	43	44	87	129		9	7	3	10	26
2013–14	Abbotsford Heat	AHL		2	2	2	4	0		3	1	0	1	2
2014–15	Adirondack Flames	AHL		55	19	23	42	50		—	—	—	—	—
2014–15	Calgary Flames	NHL		6	0	1	1	0		—	—	—	—	—
2015–16	Stockton Heat	AHL		60	12	17	29	51		—	—	—	—	—
2015–16	Calgary Flames	NHL		2	0	0	0	2		—	—	—	—	—
2016–17	Stockton Heat	AHL		43	6	11	17	64		—	—	—	—	—
2017–18	Stockton Heat	AHL		65	7	24	31	35		—	—	—	—	—
2018–19	Manitoba Moose	AHL		24	3	5	8	17		—	—	—	—	—
2019–20	Manitoba Moose	AHL		50	6	8	14	48		—	—	—	—	—
NHL totals				8	0	1	1	2		—	—	—	—	—

References

1. "Emile Poirier statistics". Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. Retrieved July 1, 2013.
2. Peterson, Torie (July 1, 2013). "Numerology: Emile Poirier". Calgary Flames Hockey Club. Retrieved July 1, 2013.
3. Campbell, Don (June 26, 2013). "Olympiques star Poirier could be a surprise first-round pick". Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved July 1, 2013.
4. Mellas, Connor (July 1, 2013). "Rebuilding Flames use first-rounders on forwards". National Hockey League. Retrieved July 1, 2013.
5. Sportak, Randy (July 1, 2013). "Pressure on Poirier, Klimchuk". Calgary Sun. p. S5.
6. Cruickshank, Scott (July 1, 2013). "Picks boiled down to best players available". Calgary Herald. p. C1.
7. Vickers, Aaron (February 25, 2014). "Poirier has future in mind during QMJHL playoffs". National Hockey League. Retrieved April 20, 2014.
8. "Skaters, 2013–14, Gatineau Olympiques". Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. Retrieved April 20, 2014.
9. Sportak, Randy (April 18, 2014). "Heat welcome Flames picks". Calgary Sun. p. S11.
10. "Youngsters Poirier and Carr star as Heat blank Rampage 3-0". Abbotsford News. April 19, 2014. Retrieved April 20, 2014.
11. "Poirier's three points sees Heat finish AHL season with 4-3 win against Stars". Vancouver Sun. April 19, 2014. Retrieved April 20, 2014.
12. Cruickshank, Scott (June 6, 2014). "Flames kicking tires but won't pay a high price to move up in NHL draft: Burke". Calgary Herald. Retrieved November 3, 2014.
13. Nearhos, Diana C. (November 1, 2014). "Emile Poirier shines in first game". Glens Falls Post-Star. Retrieved November 3, 2014.
14. Gilbertson, Wes (February 24, 2015). "Poirier gets the call". Calgary Sun. p. S4.
15. Sportak, Randy (February 25, 2015). "Poirier solid in NHL debut". Calgary Sun. p. S2.
16. Cruickshank, Scott (March 4, 2015). "Flames survive lapses, top Flyers on Ramo's back". Calgary Herald. p. C1.
17. "Moose reveal opening day roster". Manitoba Moose. October 4, 2018. Retrieved October 4, 2018.
18. "Moose announce opening night roster". Manitoba Moose. October 4, 2019. Retrieved October 4, 2019.

External links

• Biographical information and career statistics from Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database