PO Joseph hopes versatility and hockey sense give him a leg up on blueline competition at first Canucks camp

Pierre-Olivier Joseph has only been in Vancouver for a couple of weeks ahead of his first season with the Canucks, but the versatile defenceman already feels right at home in his new surroundings. A big part of that is all the familiar faces that have welcomed the 26-year-old Laval, Quebec native to town.

Joseph is a former teammate of Teddy Blueger, Marcus Pettersson and Drew O’Connor from their time together in Pittsburgh. He played with Tyler Myers on Team Canada at the World Hockey Championship a few years back. He knew Jim Rutherford and Patrik Allvin from his days in Pittsburgh. And Assistant General Manager Emilie Castonguay was his first agent.

That has made getting acclimated to the West Coast much easier and has put Joseph in a good headspace as he prepares for his first training camp with the Canucks. Participating in late summer skates over the past couple of weeks has him excited to head to Penticton next week to kick off the season.

“There’s a lot of good players in camp this year, and it’s just nice to be able to meet the guys and learn their personalities and for them to meet me too and feel comfortable being here,” Joseph told CanucksArmy on Friday at UBC. “The last two or three weeks have been great getting to know the guys and the staff, too. The guys have welcomed me in and I’m excited to be here.”

Joseph, who has 194 games of NHL experience under his belt, signed a one-year deal with the Canucks worth $775,000. He explained that he had other offers to consider, but liked what the Canucks had to say when they reached out early in free agency. And by July 2nd, the former first-round pick of the Arizona Coyotes (2017) was ready to sign on the dotted line.

“You want to make the best decision for yourself, and I just thought this was a good fit,” he explained. “When they offer you a contract like that, you can’t really argue with them. I just had to say yes. Now it’s time for camp, and I want to show them that they made a good choice.”

Long and lean, Joseph stands 6’2” and weighs 185 pounds. He split last season between St. Louis and Pittsburgh, logging 24 games with the Blues and 23 with the Penguins.

He arrives in Vancouver with a clear understanding that he’s in a battle for a depth role on the Canucks’ blueline. But he seems unfazed by the challenge in front of him. Joseph will compete with the likes of Derek Forbort, Elias Pettersson, Tom Willander and Victor Mancini, with two of those players likely to make up the team’s third defensive pairing on opening night.

“Training camp is always competitive and just knowing that it’s the NHL and the best league in the world, I have to come to camp and show the best I can,” he said. “I want to show them that I want to be here and that I deserve to be here. There’s a lot of good players here, so I’m just trying to keep my head down and focus on that for now.”

One of Joseph’s strengths is his versatility, and the natural left-hander understands that his best path to a spot in the lineup may very well be on the team’s right side. Joseph isn’t shying away from that challenge if that’s where he’s slotted and will lean on his experience to show the coaching staff that he’s comfortable playing on either side.

“When you’re at this level, you have to be prepared to play all positions,” he said. “I played on the right side last year a little bit and back in junior and in the American League, too. I just think it’s practice reps and anything uncomfortable you feel, you just have to find a way to do something else and practice it.”

While several of his new teammates are already familiar with Pierre-Olivier (he said to call him P-O) Joseph’s game, many Canucks fans may need some time to get the book on the newcomer. When asked what he does well when he’s at his best, Joseph was quick to point to his mind and his feet as his two biggest weapons that he hopes will earn him plenty of opportunities with the Canucks.

“I think I’m a two-way defenceman. I can move the puck well. I have a first pass mentality and then join the rush after,” he explained. “I think my hockey IQ is my biggest strength and my skating ability as well. I think moving the puck to the forwards, following them, joining them and creating breakouts easily to allow them to go and attack on the other side. And be as strong defensively as possible.”

Joseph has come as advertised during informal on-ice sessions over the past few weeks. He gets around the ice well and hasn’t looked hesitant to jump into the rush. But that can be said about just about every player taking part in the summer sessions at UBC. The real test for P-O Joseph starts on Thursday in Penticton.