Pierre-Olivier Joseph facts for kids
Pierre-Olivier "P.O" Joseph, born on July 1, 1999, is a Canadian professional ice hockey player. He plays as a defenceman for the Vancouver Canucks in the National Hockey League (NHL). He was chosen 23rd overall by the Arizona Coyotes in the 2017 NHL draft.
Quick facts for kids Pierre-Olivier Joseph |
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Joseph with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2023
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| Born | July 1, 1999 Laval, Quebec, Canada |
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| Height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) | ||
| Weight | 185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb) | ||
| Position | Defence | ||
| Shoots | Left | ||
| NHL team Former teams |
Vancouver Canucks Pittsburgh Penguins St. Louis Blues |
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| National team | .svg){kind=small} Canada |
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| NHL Draft | 23rd overall, 2017 Arizona Coyotes |
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| Playing career | 2019–present | ||
Contents
Early Life and Family
Pierre-Olivier Joseph was born on July 1, 1999, in Laval, Quebec, Canada. His parents are Frantzi Joseph and France Taillon. His dad played and coached hockey for many years. His mom was also a great athlete when she was younger.
Pierre-Olivier's older brother, Mathieu Joseph, is also a professional hockey player. He plays for the St. Louis Blues. Growing up, Pierre-Olivier sometimes faced mean comments on the ice because of his background.
Playing Hockey
Starting Out in Junior Hockey
Joseph was picked by the Charlottetown Islanders in the 2015 Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) draft. This is a league for young, talented players. He started playing full-time with the Islanders in November 2015. In his first season, he scored 8 points in 48 games.
For his second season, Joseph became an assistant captain for the Islanders. He played even better, scoring 39 points in 33 games. His strong play helped him get noticed by NHL teams. He was a finalist for two important awards in the QMJHL.
In 2017, Joseph helped the Islanders reach the playoffs. After this great season, the Arizona Coyotes chose him 23rd overall in the 2017 NHL entry draft. This was a big step towards playing in the NHL! After being drafted, Joseph worked hard to get stronger and gain more muscle.
Later, in December 2018, Joseph was traded to the Drummondville Voltigeurs in the QMJHL. He was also named captain of Team QMJHL for a special series of games.
Becoming a Professional Player
On June 29, 2019, Joseph was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins. He kept working on his strength and gained 10 pounds before starting his first professional season. He played for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in the American Hockey League (AHL).
Early in his first season, he got sick with mononucleosis and missed over a month of games. When he returned, he had lost some of the weight he had gained. Despite this, he continued to improve. His coaches gave him more responsibilities as the season went on. He played on the top defensive pairing and averaged over 20 minutes per game.
Joseph made his NHL debut with the Pittsburgh Penguins on January 22, 2021. This happened because some other players were injured. His coach, Mike Sullivan, said that Joseph was a "good two-way defenseman" who was stronger and faster. In his first seven NHL games, he scored five points, including his first NHL goal against the New York Islanders.
After playing five seasons with the Penguins, Joseph became a free agent. On July 2, 2024, he signed a one-year contract with the St. Louis Blues. This meant he got to play on the same team as his brother, Mathieu! However, he was traded back to Pittsburgh on December 18, 2024.
As a free agent again, Joseph signed a one-year contract with the Vancouver Canucks on July 2, 2025.
Playing for Canada
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Representing Canada |
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| Ice hockey | ||
| World Championships | ||
| Gold | 2023 Finland/Latvia | |
On May 5, 2023, Pierre-Olivier Joseph was chosen to play for the Canada men's national ice hockey team. He played in the 2023 IIHF World Championship. He scored one goal in ten games and helped Team Canada win a gold medal!
Career Statistics
Here's a quick look at Pierre-Olivier Joseph's career stats:
Regular Season and Playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2014–15 | Collège Antoine-Girouard Gaulois | QMAAA | 42 | 3 | 8 | 11 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015–16 | Collège Antoine-Girouard Gaulois | QMAAA | 19 | 1 | 9 | 10 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015–16 | Charlottetown Islanders | QMJHL | 48 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 30 | 12 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | ||
| 2016–17 | Charlottetown Islanders | QMJHL | 62 | 6 | 33 | 39 | 54 | 13 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 12 | ||
| 2017–18 | Charlottetown Islanders | QMJHL | 63 | 13 | 33 | 46 | 59 | 18 | 1 | 11 | 12 | 24 | ||
| 2018–19 | Charlottetown Islanders | QMJHL | 27 | 7 | 18 | 25 | 36 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018–19 | Drummondville Voltigeurs | QMJHL | 35 | 2 | 20 | 22 | 26 | 16 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 8 | ||
| 2019–20 | Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins | AHL | 52 | 3 | 14 | 17 | 32 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 16 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins | AHL | 23 | 1 | 12 | 13 | 28 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2021–22 | Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins | AHL | 61 | 10 | 23 | 33 | 44 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 6 | ||
| 2021–22 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2022–23 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 75 | 5 | 16 | 21 | 44 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2023–24 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 52 | 2 | 9 | 11 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2023–24 | Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins | AHL | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2024–25 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 23 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 23 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2024–25 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 24 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 194 | 8 | 32 | 40 | 111 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
International Play
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Canada | WC |  |
10 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | |
| Senior totals | 10 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||||
