CBJ prospect Texier talks about strong season in Finland

When Columbus general manager Jarmo Kekalainen discussed trades with the team ahead of the Feb. 25 deadline, it was going to take more than a trip to Home Depot to find something to pry prospects Emil Bemstrom, Liam Foudy or Alexandre Texier away.
In the end, despite what Kekalainen said was a boatload of inquiries, the three forward prospects stayed Blue Jackets, as the team traded a number of draft picks as well as prospects Vitaly Abramov and Jonathan Davidsson to load up for the stretch run.
Texier's play hasn't received the publicity of the goal-scoring exploits of Foudy or Bemstrom, but the French forward is having a notable season with KalPa of Finland's top level. The 19-year-old recently sat down with KalPa for a video interview to discuss his season, which you can view below.
Watch: Youtube Video

In the video, Texier discusses how he got into hockey despite being from a place (Grenoble, France) where it's not the most popular sport, how he can get better defensively as his game continues to grow, and discusses his thoughts on whether he's ready to move to North America after this season, which ends Thursday for KalPa.
"I want to play in the NHL, so we will see after (the season)," he said. "The season is not done yet, so we will see when the season ends. I'm not going to put some pressure on me about going to North America. It's just a good experience, and we will see after."
Texier, who was chosen 45th overall in the 2017 draft, signed a three-year entry-level contract with Columbus last May. He's taken a big step forward in his second season with KalPa, improving from a 13-9-22 line last year to 12 goals and 25 assists for 37 points in 53 games this season. He is the team's leading scorer.
He also played on France's World Championships team last year and was on the KalPa team that won the Spengler Cup club competition this summer that featured some of the top clubs in Europe as well as a Canadian team filled with professional talent that featured CBJ signee Zac Dalpe.
Here you can see him scoring a goal in a recent game with KalPa.
Tweet from @JokkeNevalainen: #CBJ prospect Alexandre Texier with a power play goal. He makes it look so easy. #Liiga #KalPa pic.twitter.com/kkSl4Zisgu