At 26 years old, winger Alexandre Texier is carving out a unique path in the NHL-and for Team France. He's not just the only active NHL player suiting up for the French national team, he’s also only the third French-born player to ever wear a Canadiens sweater, joining the ranks of Xavier Ouellet and goaltender Cristobal Huet. That’s rare company, and Texier is making the most of it.
Barring any setbacks from a lower-body injury that sidelined him for the Canadiens’ final three games before the Olympic break, Texier is poised to become the first active NHL player to represent France at the Olympics in over two decades. The last time that happened?
Not in 1998. Not in 2002.
France has waited a long time for this.
Texier isn’t the only one on Team France with NHL ties-Pierre-Édouard Bellemare, Yohann Auvitu and Stéphane Da Costa bring their own experience to the table-but he’s the only one currently playing in the league. And he’s been heating up at the right time.
At the final Olympic qualifying tournament in 2024, Texier led France in scoring with six points (3 goals, 3 assists) in just three games. He followed that up with a solid showing at the 2025 IIHF World Championship, notching three assists over five games.
That kind of consistency on the international stage matters, especially for a country still trying to establish its presence in the hockey world. All told, Texier has now suited up for France at five world championships and two Olympic qualifiers-a resume that speaks for itself.
This season was supposed to be a reset for Texier, and so far, he’s made the most of it. After two underwhelming seasons in St.
Louis-where he managed just 12 points in 39 games-the Blues placed him on unconditional waivers. The Canadiens took a chance on him, signing the forward to a one-year, $1 million deal on November 23.
That move has paid off in a big way.
Just a few weeks later, on January 8, Texier made history. In a 6-2 win over the Florida Panthers at the Bell Centre, he became only the second French player in NHL history to record a hat trick.
The first? Antoine Roussel, who did it back in 2017 with the Dallas Stars.
That kind of milestone doesn’t just put Texier in the record books-it puts him on the radar.
Through his first 25 games with Montreal, Texier put up 16 points (7 goals, 9 assists) and carried a plus-7 rating. That kind of production earned him a two-year, $5 million contract extension from Canadiens GM Kent Hughes. Before the Olympic break, he had 17 points in 30 games and had worked his way onto the Canadiens' top line alongside Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield.
That’s no small feat. Earning a spot on the first line in Montreal-especially with the kind of chemistry Suzuki and Caufield bring-is a testament to Texier’s two-way game, his skating, and his ability to read the ice.
He’s not just filling a spot. He’s making an impact.
Now, as the Olympic spotlight approaches, all eyes are on whether Texier can suit up for France and continue his resurgence on the international stage. Injury permitting, he’s set to be a cornerstone for a national team that’s looking to make a statement-and he's already proven he can rise to the occasion.