Mathieu Joseph Bio
Mathieu Joseph is a Canadian professional ice hockey winger currently playing for the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League (NHL). Drafted by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the fourth round, 120th overall, at the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, he has built a reputation as a reliable depth forward with championship experience. He won back-to-back Stanley Cups with the Lightning in 2020 and 2021, adding his name to one of the most successful dynasties of the modern era. Across his career, Joseph has also represented the Ottawa Senators and St. Louis Blues, and he has skated internationally for Team Canada.
Early Life and Background
Mathieu Joseph was born on February 9, 1997, in Laval, Quebec, Canada. He was raised by his father, Frantzi Joseph, and his mother, France Taillon. His father played and coached ice hockey for many years, while his mother was a competitive athlete in her youth. Frantzi Joseph is of Haitian descent, giving Mathieu a multicultural background rooted in both Quebec and Caribbean heritage. Growing up in a hockey household, Joseph was introduced to the sport at a young age, and the game quickly became a central part of his life.
Joseph has a younger brother, Pierre-Olivier Joseph, who is a defenceman for the Vancouver Canucks, making the Joseph family one of several notable sibling pairs in professional hockey. The brothers have laced up together in NHL games on multiple occasions, a milestone the family has celebrated publicly. Standing 6 feet 1 inch tall and weighing around 190 pounds, Mathieu developed the physical frame needed for the modern NHL winger role as he moved through the youth ranks in Quebec.
Path to Hockey
Joseph’s path to the NHL began in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), one of Canada’s three major junior circuits. The Saint John Sea Dogs selected him in the third round, 51st overall, at the 2013 QMJHL Entry Draft. He joined the Sea Dogs at the midway point of the 2013–14 season and quickly established himself as an offensive contributor, netting his first goal in a 2–0 win over the Val-d’Or Foreurs.
In his second season with Saint John, Joseph became the sixth player in team history to record five points in a single regular-season game, finishing fourth in team scoring that year with 42 points. His performance in junior caught the attention of NHL scouts, and on June 27, 2015, the Tampa Bay Lightning selected him in the fourth round of the NHL Entry Draft. On December 24, 2016, the Lightning signed Joseph to a three-year, entry-level contract after he had tallied 80 goals and 171 points in 176 career games with the Sea Dogs.
Mathieu Joseph Career
Early Career (2017–2018)
Joseph began his professional career in the 2017–18 season with the Tampa Bay Lightning’s American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch. He was named CCM/AHL Rookie of the Month for March 2018, when he posted four goals and 10 assists across 12 games and recorded a seven-game scoring streak. He finished the regular season leading the Crunch in assists and points with 15 goals and 38 assists for 53 points, and he added three goals and seven points in seven Calder Cup playoff games.
During the 2016–17 QMJHL playoffs, Joseph had also been named the Canadian Hockey League Player of the Week after registering two goals and three assists in two games. He helped the Sea Dogs capture the President’s Cup as QMJHL champions, sweeping the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada in four games, and was named to the QMJHL Second All-Star Team in 2017. Though the Sea Dogs fell in the semifinals of the 2017 Memorial Cup to the Erie Otters, Joseph’s resume was strong enough to earn a full-time look at the NHL level.
Tampa Bay Lightning Breakthrough (2018–2022)
Joseph made the Tampa Bay Lightning’s opening night roster for the 2018–19 season after being informed by general manager Julien BriseBois at the team charter following a 3–2 win over the Florida Panthers. He debuted in the NHL on October 6, 2018, in a 2–1 victory against the Panthers, recorded his first NHL point with an assist on October 16, and scored his first NHL goal on November 4 in a 4–3 overtime win over the Ottawa Senators.
Joseph was one of eight players called up to the Lightning for their 2020 Stanley Cup playoff run, though he did not appear in postseason games that year. He worked alongside goaltender Curtis McElhinney to design a social justice-themed goalie mask featuring Black athletic trailblazers, a raised fist, the phrase Black Lives Matter, and a quote from Martin Luther King Jr. Tampa Bay won the Stanley Cup that summer, defeating the Dallas Stars in six games, and Joseph’s name was engraved on the trophy.
The following season, Joseph played a larger role with Tampa Bay and helped the Lightning capture a second consecutive Stanley Cup in 2021, this time defeating the Montreal Canadiens in the Final. On March 20, 2022, he was traded, along with a 2024 fourth-round pick, to the Ottawa Senators in exchange for forward Nick Paul.
Ottawa Senators Era (2022–2024)
Joseph debuted for the Senators on March 22, 2022, in a 3–0 loss to the New York Islanders, and quickly found the scoresheet. On April 1, 2022, he registered his first NHL hat trick in a 5–2 win over the Detroit Red Wings, finishing his brief 11-game Ottawa stint with four goals and 12 points. As a restricted free agent that summer, he was re-signed by the Senators to a four-year, $11.8 million contract extension on July 29.
During the 2022–23 season, Joseph played primarily on Ottawa’s third line. He was fined $5,000 by the NHL on November 15 for a high-sticking incident involving Sebastian Aho of the New York Islanders, and he missed time after suffering an injury against the Dallas Stars on December 8 before returning on January 19, 2023. A second significant injury later in the season, sustained on March 12 against the Calgary Flames, also kept him out of the lineup, though he returned before the regular season ended. In 2023–24, Joseph moved up and down the Ottawa lineup in all situations, recording a three-point night on November 8, 2023, in a 6–3 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs and scoring twice against his former Lightning team in a 4–2 win on February 20, 2024. He finished the campaign with 11 goals and 35 points in 72 games.
St. Louis Blues Era (2024–2026)
On July 2, 2024, Joseph was traded to the St. Louis Blues along with a 2025 third-round pick in exchange for future considerations. He made his Blues debut on opening night of the 2024–25 season on October 8 against the Seattle Kraken, lining up on the third line alongside Brayden Schenn and Kasperi Kapanen. On October 11, he and his brother Pierre-Olivier became the seventh set of brothers to dress for the Blues, and Joseph scored his first St. Louis goal on October 15 in a 4–1 loss to the Minnesota Wild.
Joseph moved in and out of the Blues lineup throughout 2024–25, finishing with 14 points in 60 games. St. Louis qualified for the playoffs and faced the league-leading Winnipeg Jets in the first round. Joseph made his Blues playoff debut in Game 1, was a healthy scratch for Games 2 through 5, returned in Game 6, and scored his first playoff goal in Game 7 before the Blues were eliminated. He opened 2025–26 with 39 appearances and 11 points before being placed on waivers on February 26, 2026, to make room for Dylan Holloway’s return. After clearing waivers and a brief two-game stint with the AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds, Joseph was waived again on March 5 with the intent to terminate his contract, clearing waivers and becoming an unrestricted free agent the following day.
Driving Style and Strengths
Joseph is recognized as a versatile, two-way winger whose greatest strengths are his skating, forechecking, and reliability in all situations. He is comfortable moving up and down the lineup, killing penalties, and providing secondary scoring, and his speed makes him effective on the cycle and the penalty kill. Coaches have valued his willingness to play a physical brand of hockey and his ability to drive play through responsible defensive play.
Notable Events and Milestones
Among his career highlights, Joseph’s two Stanley Cup wins with Tampa Bay in 2020 and 2021 stand out, particularly his social justice mask collaboration with Curtis McElhinney during the 2020 playoff run. His first NHL hat trick came on April 1, 2022, with the Ottawa Senators, and he and his brother Pierre-Olivier became the seventh set of brothers to dress for the Blues on October 11, 2024.
Mathieu Joseph Career Wins
Mathieu Joseph’s career is decorated with two of hockey’s highest honors, both earned as a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning. His Stanley Cup rings from 2020 and 2021 reflect his role in one of the NHL’s most dominant stretches of playoff hockey, and his QMJHL President’s Cup with the Saint John Sea Dogs in 2017 marked him as a champion at the junior level as well.
NHL and Major Junior Highlights
With the Lightning, Joseph appeared in regular-season games during both championship seasons and earned his name on the Stanley Cup in 2020 despite not playing in that postseason. He was part of the roster that defeated the Dallas Stars in six games in the 2020 Final and helped the Lightning beat the Montreal Canadiens for the 2021 title. In 2017, he captained key stretches of the Sea Dogs’ run to the President’s Cup and was recognized with a QMJHL Second All-Star Team selection.
Other Wins and Performances
Internationally, Joseph helped Canada capture a silver medal at the 2017 World Junior Championships, scoring in the final against the United States, and added a second silver at the 2019 World Championship, posting one goal and one assist in 10 games as Canada fell to Finland in the final. He also earned the CCM/AHL Rookie of the Month award in March 2018 during his first professional season with the Syracuse Crunch.
Mathieu Joseph Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Hockey runs deep in the Joseph family. His father, Frantzi Joseph, played and coached the sport for many years, while his mother, France Taillon, was a competitive athlete in her youth. His father is of Haitian descent, and Mathieu grew up in a bilingual, sports-oriented household in Laval, Quebec, that placed a strong emphasis on discipline and competition.
Personal Life
Mathieu is the older brother of Pierre-Olivier Joseph, a defenceman currently with the Vancouver Canucks. The brothers have suited up for opposing NHL clubs in recent seasons and even shared the ice as teammates with the St. Louis Blues in 2024, a moment Mathieu has described as a meaningful family milestone. The Joseph family remains a tight-knit hockey family that takes pride in Mathieu and Pierre-Olivier’s parallel careers at the highest level.
2025 Season Performance
Mathieu Joseph began the 2025–26 season with the St. Louis Blues, where he worked to carve out a consistent role on the third line. Across 39 appearances, he tallied two goals and 11 points, mixing stretches of strong play with healthy scratches as the Blues battled for a playoff spot. He was placed on waivers on February 26, 2026, to make room for Dylan Holloway, clearing and briefly reporting to the AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds, where he scored once in two games. He was waived again on March 5 with the intent to terminate his contract, becoming an unrestricted free agent the next day.
Shortly after clearing waivers, Joseph signed a one-year contract with the Los Angeles Kings for the remainder of the 2025–26 season, giving him a fresh start in a competitive Pacific Division environment. The move to a contender offers him a chance to rediscover the form he showed during Tampa Bay’s back-to-back championship runs. With his speed, versatility, and championship pedigree, Joseph will look to play a steady depth role for the Kings down the stretch and contribute to a potential Stanley Cup push.
