Columbus Blue Jackets Prospect Alexandre Texier’s Hot Start
The Columbus Blue Jackets top 2017 NHL Draft pick Alexander Texier is off to a hot start in Liiga, Finland’s top league.
The Columbus Blue Jackets drafted a 17-year-old center from France named Alexander Texier this year in Chicago. The young centerman was, and still is, relatively unknown to hockey folks in North America.
But more and more folks in Europe are taking notice of Texier. He played at 17 in France’s top hockey league and performed exceptionally well for a teenager. Texier led France in three international tournaments where he shined.
Now he is off to a hot start in the top level of Finnish hockey; Liiga. Regarded as the third best European league behind the KHL and Swedish SHL, Liiga is a great training ground. And at 18, Alexander Texier will be tested and forged.
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Texier is a fourth liner for KalPa team based out of Kuopio, in central Finland. Through 10 games the kid has already scored three times. Including twice in the last three games. For a kid getting acclimated to a legitimate league and an entirely different country, those numbers are impressive.
He currently leads the team in goals as well. Sword has played ten games and he has played in all of them.
The league will run until April of 2018. It’s likely that Alexander Texier will stay in Finland for one more season and continue to grow. The center has seemingly already acclimated to the bigger, faster league.
Related Story: Alexander Texier Draft Profile
Second round picks for the Columbus Blue Jackets have turned into good NHLers and have some more in the pipeline. It’s early, but Texier is looking to continue that trend. Liiga coverage in english is non existent but the Union and Blue staff will do our best to learn some Finnish and keep you up to date on Texier’s development.