CBJ activate center Alexandre Texier off Injured Reserve

The Columbus Blue Jackets have activated center Alexandre Texier off Injured Reserve, club General Manager Jarmo Kekalainen announced today.

Texier, 20, collected six goals and seven assists for 13 points with 10 penalty minutes and a +3 plus/minus rating in 36 games this season prior to suffering a back injury during the December 31 game vs. the Florida Panthers. The injury sidelined him for the final 30 games of the 2019-20 campaign.

Selected by Columbus in the second round, 45th overall, at the 2017 NHL Draft, Texier has tallied 7-7-14 with 10 penalty minutes and a +6 plus/minus rating in 38 career regular season NHL games. He made his NHL debut at the New York Rangers on April 5, 2019 and scored his first career goal at Ottawa the following night. The 6-1, 192-pound forward went on to appear in eight games in the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs, collecting 2-1-3 with two penalty minutes.

A native of St. Martin D'heres, France, Texier spent two seasons playing in Finland's Liiga from 2017-19 before coming to North America late in the 2018-19 season. He appeared in 108 games with KalPa, where he notched 27-36-63 and 74 penalty minutes and led the club in assists and points in 2018-19 with 14-27-41 in 55 outings. He has also represented France in several international competitions, including the 2018 and 2019 IIHF World Championships.