Jeremie Poirier only got a fragmented season in 2023-24 due to a skate laceration injury that left him out of the lineup for two thirds of the year. With that injury riddled season behind him, he was ready to get back to his game in 2024-25 with the Wranglers. This season brought a healthy mix of veterans and new faces on the blue line for him to slot into. He had a successful season where he played most of the games and put up personal best numbers in his professional career.

Poirier was drafted by the Flames in the 2020 NHL Draft, going 72nd overall in the third round. He was a product of the QMJHL, coming from the Saint John Sea Dogs, where he served as Alternate Captain for his last two seasons. Two of his four seasons in the QMJHL, he exceeded 50 points as a defenceman. 

He made his professional debut in the 2022-23 season, where he scored the first goal in Wranglers team history. That season he went on to play in 69 games, picking up nine goals and 32 assists. The following year was shortened with his injury but in the 23 games he was able to play in, he earned 13 points, consisting of three points and 10 assists. 

2024-25 expectations

While the anticipation of Poirier returning to the Wranglers lineup full-time was high, the expectations were reasonable. He wasn’t expected to come back to gameplay after a devastating injury like a skate laceration and pick up exactly where he left off. Poirier was expected to ease back into his place and pace of the game and hopefully start catching up to his old pre-injury self.

While it would be cool to see this prospect get his chance with the Flames, others seemed above him in pre-season predictions due to his injury history. 

2024-25 results

Poirier understandably didn’t look exactly himself to start the year but you could see his game returning as time went on. He even acknowledged this in Wranglers exit meetings and said:

“I feel like I could have done a little bit better job this year in my game, especially at the start of my season. I didn’t start my season the way I wanted, especially with the way I was coming super confident in camp. But it’s life. It’s not going to always go your way or the way you imagine it. You have to react, adapt and challenge yourself.”

Poirier was typically paired up with Artem Grushnikov. While Poirier and Hunter Brzustewicz were considered pretty offensive defencemen, the system the Wranglers were playing didn’t seem to encourage them to take the shot. They were more focused on protecting the puck and setting up their forwards. That is a system the Flames carry all the way up, so it made sense to implement with their AHL blueliners.

Poirier’s historical success was found with his shot, but this season, it was attributed to his passing and playmaking. He finished the season with the highest amount of assists on the team with 37. His overall stat line looked like 42 points in 71 games with five goals and 37 assists. In the playoffs, he managed to play in both games but did not put up any points.