Summer Spotlight: Olivier brings energy to the Jackets

In the leadup to training camp in September, BlueJackets.com is featuring CBJ players each weekday this summer.

How he got here: Olivier was acquired in a trade with Nashville during the summer of 2022 and has been an energy player for the squad the past two years. A strong physical presence, Olivier spent five seasons in the QMJHL – notching 27 tallies his final season – before four seasons in the Predators organization. After playing in 48 games over three campaigns with the Preds, he has skated in 120 contests the past two seasons for Columbus.

The 2023-24 season: Olivier cemented himself as one of the toughest customers in the NHL during the 2022-23 season, but his past campaign got off to a tough start. He had to miss the start of training camp as he rehabbed an injury, making it hard for him to gain traction early in the campaign. He eventually was a key fourth-liner for the squad, chipping in some offense at times at the netfront and dropping the gloves eight times on the campaign, three off the NHL lead.

Top moment: You’d certainly have go with one of the most memorable scraps of the NHL season this past year, when Olivier and massive New York Rangers forward Matt Rempe dropped the gloves minutes into a Feb. 25 game. Olivier's effort at the heart of Rempemania sent Nationwide Arena into a tizzy and set the tone for a CBJ victory over one of the top teams in the NHL. But Olivier was also an opportunistic goal scorer, notching this impressive second-effort goal to kick off the scoring in March 30 home victory over Pittsburgh, the second straight contest in which he had scored against the Pens.

Fun fact: Despits his French Canadian roots, Olivier is only NHL player in league history born in Mississippi, as his father played for the Mississippi Sea Wolves of the ECHL at the time. The apple hasn’t fallen far from the tree, as the elder Olivier racked up more than 1,000 penalty minutes in a six-year pro career, including a career-high 302 in 1997-98 with Oklahoma City of the CHL.

Stat to Know: Just call him Mathieu Opportunity -- of Olivier’s five goals, three of them were the first of the game, giving the Blue Jackets an early lead.

Expectations for 2024-25: The expectations for Olivier are to keep being Olivier – bring energy and a hard-forechecking physical presence in the bottom six. There’s no denying the energy he can bring to Nationwide Arena and the team when he does drop the gloves, but he’s also a responsible player who works at his craft to add some offense with both a hard shot and some skills at the netfront. Olivier is a character player who shows up each day and delivers an honest day’s work, which can be infectious on a young team.