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Calgary Wranglers blueliner Jeremie Poirier had an all-star calibre rookie season

Originally posted on Flamesnation  |  By Paige Siewert  |  Last updated 6/15/23

In his first year with the Wranglers, rookie defenceman, Jeremie Poirier made quite the splash. His offensive production and playmaking abilities mixed with his defensive talents, made him the perfect combination of skills. This nicely complemented the play of his teammates. Poirier was an on-ice regular in key moments in the Wranglers’ toughest games and their clutch shootout performer. Here’s how his first professional season shaped up. 

By the numbers 

Regular season

Poirier wasted no time to make an impact, scoring the first goal in Wranglers’ history against the Coachella Valley Firebirds. This was in the season opener at home in October. He was among the best on his team and one of the best among rookies with his performance in the regular season. His stat line put him in second place in rookie defencemen scoring and sixth in team scoring. With the amount of depth Calgary had, you would almost mistake him for a forward with that type of production. 

Poirier only missed three games all season, playing in 69 match-ups over the course of the year. During that time, he put up a total of 41 points with nine goals and 32 assists. He was also a perfect four for four in shootout attempts in 2022-23 with one of those goals being the game-winner. 

While this young player was grabbing attention with his scoring and playmaking, another aspect of his game matured as the season went on. That was his physical game. Poirier got into his first pro fight in the back half of the season and turned into more of a menace on the ice. His tilt was on February 23rd against Henderson Silver Knights player, Sheldon Rempal. 

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His regular partner Colton Poolman brought him consistency and mentorship over the year and helped him keep pace with the team’s best blue-liners. The games he did miss were not due to injury but rather a mental reset from head Coach, Mitch Love. As previously mentioned with players like Emilio Pettersen, Love does not guarantee every game to young guys who are not playing to their potential. Not to draw huge speculation, but it seemed like something was going on off the ice that needed a few games to straighten out and get Poirier back to the standard of play he was expected to perform at. 

Just before the end of the regular season, Jeremie Poirier was named to the AHL All-Rookie team. The only other rookie defenceman to receive this award was Ryker Evans of the Coachella Valley Firebirds. This may be the first of many accolades for Poirier to collect over the course of his career. 

Post-season

Jeremie Poirier was also highly effective in the Calder Cup playoff run. He beat out Matthew Phillips in post-season scoring by one point, finishing up in second in points just under Jakob Pelletier. Poirier earned a total of eight points through their nine game run with two goals and six assists. 

His two goals came in two different series. One was in game three of their Abbotsford Canucks series where the Wranglers fell 3-2 and the other was in the last game of the Coachella Valley Firebirds series where they lost 6-5 in overtime. This rookie defenceman put up a point in every game of the playoffs except the first one and the second last one. A deeply impactful piece of the Wranglers lineup at the ripe age of 21.

Highlights

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Next season

Poirier is still on his entry-level contract and is signed with the Flames through the 2024-25 season. He is one of those fringe players that is going to want to make a good impression in camp and pre-season play. While I am not convinced Poirier will make the Flames roster out of camp, I project his first game in the NHL to be played in the upcoming season at some point. 

Poirier feels like one of the next best things coming out of the affiliation system and has already proved his skill in one professional league, what’s it going to take to prove it in another? 

Rating 

Poirier had an outstanding pro rookie season and he could very well be a glimpse of what the future holds for the Calgary Flames. For his first season, I give him an A rating. 

This article first appeared on Flamesnation and was syndicated with permission.

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