"It could be better -- it could always be better -- but I feel good," he said. "I think you have to (skate more). I think you have to play good defensively. You have to backcheck all the way down. You have to be mobile around the ice, you're skating more, you get more pucks and can make more plays. I like it, yeah."
But while high-level centers are the among the most prized commodities in the sport, Texier demurred when asked if the middle is where he sees himself long term.
"It doesn't matter," he said. "I just want to play. I just want to be better. A good player can play center and wing, too, so I feel good. I'm starting to play my game, keep working and be better every game.
"Right now, I try to do it day-by-day and try to be better every day at center. We'll see what happens in the future."
If he had one wish at the moment, he'd also likely want to be chipping in more offensively, though it's pretty clear that will come. So far this season, he has four goals and three assists for seven points in 26 games while missing four others to injury.
Those numbers aren't bad for a 20-year-old -- just 32 players who will be 20 or younger as of Feb. 1 have seen NHL ice this season, a list that includes teammate Emil Bemstrom -- and Texier is in his first full season in the world's best league. He's shown in the past he has the ability to quickly assimilate as he moves up, including his experience in Finland.
After being a second-round pick of the Blue Jackets in 2017, Texier moved from his native France to Finland, where he had 13 goals and 22 points his first season in the Liiga. The next season, he led his KalPa team in scoring with 14 goals and 41 points, then immediately came to North America before making an impact with the Blue Jackets late last season.
That was a sprint, though, while his current navigation through the 82-game schedule is a grind. It's a new experience but one he's enjoying, whether he's playing center or wing - as long as he's playing.
"I would say it's the same (process), but it's a different league," Texier said of settling in in Finland vs. doing the same in the NHL. "The guys are way better, but it was kind of the same. First year, look at everything, try to play your game. The hockey was different back home in France so for sure you settled in and the second year, you know what to do.
"Right now, there are no off games. You have to be 100 percent every night, even if you are injured or not playing good or you're tired. There's no excuse. I want to play a full season here, still want to be in the lineup every night, so you have to work for that. You have to deserve it and just play hard, do your best every night."
