Olivier's early-season scoring barrage is no accident

When Blue Jackets fans think of Mathieu Olivier, the first thing that might come to mind is him handling some of the toughest customers in the NHL the past few seasons.

It’s how the broad-shouldered wing has made a name for himself around the league, but it’s not all that Olivier brings to the table. He’s proved it the first nine games of the Blue Jackets season, in which he’s scored four goals to help the team to a 5-3-1 start.

While those numbers might catch some CBJ fans by surprise considering Olivier’s career high is the five goals he’s tallied each of the past two seasons, those in the locker room have long known about his ability to put the puck in the net.

“He’s got a sneaky skill set,” Zach Werenski said. “We see it in practice every day. I feel like fans don’t really know that. He scores a lot in shooting drills. In 2-on-1s, he’s always shooting the puck and scoring. We see it pretty frequently in practice. I’m not surprised by it, but the average fan might be a little bit. But he does it every day in this building and he works really hard at it, so I’m happy for him.”

In other words, it’s no coincidence that Olivier is off to a strong start on the score sheet, adding two assists for six points on the campaign. This summer, the 27-year-old got to work to improve his offensive game and also made a few equipment tweaks, all in an effort to round out his game.

Standing 6-1 with broad shoulders and plenty of muscle, he already knew he had the physical stature to handle the best in the game from that standpoint. After spending last summer continuing to rehab after suffering a broken tibia late in the 2022-23 season, he was also fully healthy this offseason when he returned home to train in Quebec City.

So this offseason afforded him the opportunity to add to his toolbox, and having scored 27 goals his final year of junior hockey in the QMJHL, he knows there’s some ability to put the puck in the net in his repertoire. While many of his goals are of the greasy variety, including a tap-in at the side of the net during Monday’s 6-1 win over Edmonton, he’s also shown a shot that can beat goalies, such as the 86.5-mph wrister on a 2-on-1 that got by Toronto goalie Dennis Hildeby.

“I think I just spent a lot more time on the ice this summer compared to usual,” Olivier said. “There’s a few reasons why, but this summer it lined up pretty well, and I think I’m at a point in my career and my development that in the gym I got it pretty locked down. I don’t have to necessarily go crazy and try to outwork myself summer in and summer out. Now I know my work ethic, so I can focus a little more on the ice time.

“That goes back to a while back when I was developing and I was working on my weaknesses, but now it’s like, OK, weaknesses are strengths now, so I can build on the other stuff, which is where my head’s at right now.”

He also reported to Columbus with a clean slate, as all the Blue Jackets players had under head coach Dean Evason. While Olivier totaled 10 goals and 27 points in 120 games the past two seasons after being acquired by Columbus in a trade in the summer of 2002, he was more known to the previous staff as a guy who can drop the mitts, including 17 fights the past two campaigns against some of the toughest players in the NHL.

Evason did have a little familiarity, though, as Olivier signed in Milwaukee – the AHL affiliate of Nashville – to begin his pro career in 2018-19, the year after Evason left the Admirals’ staff to join the Minnestoa Wild as an assistant coach.

Evason’s trusted lieutenant Scott Ford, now an assistant coach with the Blue Jackets, remained in Milwaukee and coached the Admirals during Olivier’s tenure there, so he did come to Columbus with a bit of a scouting report.

“All accounts were he wasn’t just that guy, a guy that goes out and fights and hits,” Evason said. “He’s got hands. He’s got speed to get in on the forecheck and be physical. I know I keep harping on it, but he earned the opportunity to play, kill penalties. He’s earned the opportunity to play more and in an elevated role, and he’s excelling at it.

“Is it a surprise? Not really. He’s just continually gotten better, and he’s been a real good player for us.”

For Olivier, the production is the reward, but he also wants to make sure it continues as long as possible.

“It’s fun to see the stuff that you think about and you want to work on get rewarded,” Olivier said. “The first thing that comes to mind is, ‘OK, it’s working, but how can we make this a consistent thing?’ I don’t want this to be a fluke or just like a good spot in the season. I want this to be a consistent thing whether the points are coming or not. Just the way we generate or the way we play, we have to make that a staple night in and night out.”

The line with Olivier, Justin Danforth and Zach Aston-Reese might be one of the fastest in the league. Olivier’s top speed of 22.73 mph this year per NHL Edge stats is in the 92nd percentile among league forwards, while Aston-Reese has also topped 22 mph and Danforth is just behind.

That trio has caused plenty of strife for opponents so far, in part because of Olivier’s contributions. And again, they’re no surprise to those who know him best.

“He works hard on his game every day,” Danforth said. “He’s one of those guys who is out there early working on his game. He scored a bunch in preseason. He’s scored a bunch this year, so I don’t see any reason why he’d slow down.”