Samuel Girard Bio
Samuel Girard is a Canadian professional ice hockey player who plays as a defenceman in the National Hockey League (NHL). Born on May 12, 1998, in Roberval, Quebec, he grew up playing youth hockey in the Lac-Saint-Jean region and built a reputation as a smooth-skating, puck-moving blue liner. Girard was drafted 47th overall by the Nashville Predators in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft and spent a brief stretch with the organization before joining the Colorado Avalanche later that same year. He went on to play a key role in the Avalanche’s Stanley Cup run, and in February 2026 he was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Early Life and Background
Samuel Girard was raised in Roberval, Quebec, by his mother Guylaine, a family day care educator, and his father Tony Girard, a forklift driver. He grew up alongside siblings Jérémy, Christopher, and Jessica in a tight-knit family that valued hockey. Girard is also the nephew of former Roberval mayor Guy Larouche, giving him roots in the local community. Both he and his brother Jérémy played minor hockey in the area, but the family could only afford to keep one boy in AAA competition, and Jérémy gave up his spot so that Samuel could continue.
Girard started skating and playing organized hockey at the age of four and trained early on with coach Mathieu Gravel to build stamina and muscle. He played in the 2011 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament representing a Lac-Saint-Jean minor hockey team, and later suited up for the Lac-St-Jean Espoirs in AA Bantam, where he was selected for the AllState Canadian All-Star Hockey Camp. After graduating to the Quebec Junior AAA Hockey League with the Jonquière Élites, Girard was widely regarded as one of the top prospects heading into the 2014 QMJHL Entry Draft, and he earned QMAAA First All-Star Team and Top Defenceman honours at the end of the 2013–14 season.
Path to Hockey
Girard’s junior breakthrough came when the Shawinigan Cataractes selected him third overall in the 2014 QMJHL Entry Draft, making him the first Jonquière Élites player drafted that high since Jean Imbeau in 1989. He moved in with power skating coach Julie Robitaille during his rookie season and trained with Mathieu Bellemare and Bruno-Carl Denis to add physical strength, growing from about 155 pounds at draft time to 164 pounds by 2015. In his first season he scored his first QMJHL goal on November 15, 2014, in overtime against Rouyn-Noranda, finishing with 43 points in 64 games to win the Raymond Lagacé Trophy as Defensive Rookie of the Year.
The following year Girard elevated his game with 74 points in 64 games, was selected for the CHL Canada/Russia Series, and won the Emile Bouchard Trophy as QMJHL Defenceman of the Year along with the Frank J. Selke Memorial Trophy and CHL Sportsman of the Year honours. He also represented Canada at the 2015 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, winning a gold medal. Heading into the 2016 NHL Entry Draft, NHL Central Scouting ranked him 38th among North American skaters, and the Nashville Predators selected him in the second round at 47th overall.
Samuel Girard Career
Early Career (2016–2017)
After being drafted by the Nashville Predators, Girard signed a three-year entry-level contract on September 29, 2016, and was returned to the Shawinigan Cataractes to finish his major junior career. In his final QMJHL season he led the Cataractes in assists and tied for the team lead in points across 59 regular-season games, was again selected to the Team QMJHL roster for the 2016 CIBC Canada Russia Series, and earned a place on the QMJHL First All-Star Team.
Once his junior career ended, Girard was assigned to the Predators’ American Hockey League affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals. On April 14, 2017, he scored his first career AHL goal in a 6–2 win over the Rockford IceHogs. That spring set the stage for his transition to the NHL, where he would soon earn a full-time opportunity.
Nashville Predators Breakthrough (2017–2018)
Girard made his NHL debut on October 10, 2017, in the Predators’ home opener against the Philadelphia Flyers, picking up an assist on a goal by Filip Forsberg. Two nights later he scored his first NHL goal against the Dallas Stars, snapping a slap shot over the shoulder of goaltender Ben Bishop off a pass from P. K. Subban while also adding another assist. He appeared in five of the Predators’ first 14 games of the season before being included in a three-team deal.
On November 5, 2017, Girard was sent alongside Vladislav Kamenev and a 2018 second-round pick to the Colorado Avalanche in a three-team trade that brought Kyle Turris from the Ottawa Senators to Nashville. The move gave the young defenceman a fresh opportunity with a rebuilding team that was ready to give him top-four responsibility.
Colorado Avalanche Era (2017–2026)
Girard joined the Avalanche in Stockholm for their 2017 Global Series games and recorded an assist in his Colorado debut at the Ericsson Globe on November 10, 2017. He settled quickly into a top-pairing role and finished his first Avalanche season with 23 points while helping the club reach the 2018 Stanley Cup playoffs, though a post-season upper-body injury cut his first playoff run short. The following year he played all 82 games and tied for second among Avalanche defencemen with 27 points, and on July 31, 2019, he signed a seven-year, $35 million contract extension carrying an average annual value of $5 million.
The 2019–20 season cemented Girard as one of the Avalanche’s most reliable defencemen. He posted a career-high four assists in a 7–3 win over the St. Louis Blues on January 2, 2020, reached his 200th career NHL game later that month, and joined Cale Makar in the 30-point club, making the Avalanche the first team since 1993–94 to have multiple defencemen under 22 reach 30 points. During the shortened 2020–21 COVID-19 season he tied and then passed Karlis Skrastins for the second-longest iron man streak by a Colorado defenceman, recorded his 100th and 101st career NHL points on March 6, 2021, and finished with a career-high five goals and a team-leading five assists in 10 playoff games.
In the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs Girard was a steady contributor until Game 3 of the second round against the St. Louis Blues, when a hit from Ivan Barbashev broke his sternum and ended his post-season. The Avalanche went on to defeat the two-time defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning in six games to win the Stanley Cup, with Girard’s name engraved on the trophy. He enjoyed a career-best 2022–23 season with 37 points in 76 games, and on October 10, 2024, he recorded his 200th career NHL point. On December 3, 2024, he skated in his 500th NHL game, becoming the 58th Quebec-born defenceman to reach that milestone. After a brief injured-reserve stint to start 2025–26, Girard was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins on February 24, 2026, along with a 2028 second-round pick, in exchange for Brett Kulak.
Driving Style and Strengths
Girard is widely described as a smooth-skating, mobile defenceman who moves the puck quickly and excels at escaping pressure in his own zone. He has drawn stylistic comparisons to long-time Chicago Blackhawks defenceman Duncan Keith and to Brian Campbell for his strong edge work, balance, and offensive instincts from the blue line, and his coaches have long counted on him to log top-pairing minutes against opponents’ best players.
Notable Events and Milestones
Among Girard’s signature achievements are his 2015 Hlinka Gretzky Cup gold medal with Canada, his 2016 NHL Draft selection at 47th overall, his Stanley Cup championship with the Avalanche in 2022, his 200th and 500th career NHL milestones reached in the 2024–25 season, and his February 2026 trade to the Pittsburgh Penguins that marked a new chapter in his career.
Samuel Girard Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Girard’s family roots are firmly in Roberval, Quebec, where his parents Tony and Guylaine raised him and his siblings Jérémy, Christopher, and Jessica. The family connection to the area runs deep, as Girard is also the nephew of former Roberval mayor Guy Larouche. His brother Jérémy sacrificed his own AAA opportunity so that Samuel could keep developing, a decision that helped shape the defenceman’s path to professional hockey.
Personal Life
Off the ice, Girard has remained closely tied to his hometown and to the people who helped him grow as a player. He has raised funds for cystic fibrosis research in honour of his cousin who lives with the disease, hosting pocket game tournaments with his father and donating a portion of his QMJHL profits to Julie Robitaille’s School of Power Skating. In November 2023 he entered the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program to address anxiety, depression, and alcohol abuse, a step he has spoken about as part of his ongoing commitment to his health and wellbeing.
2025 Season Performance
Girard entered the 2025–26 campaign after participating in the Avalanche’s training camp and was expected to play a top-four role on the blue line. He skated in Colorado’s first two games of the season before an upper-body injury placed him on injured reserve in a week-to-week designation, and he missed 15 games before being activated on November 13. Once healthy he returned to a steady role on the Avalanche’s back end, continuing to log important minutes and contribute offensively from the point.
By the midway point of the season Girard remained a steady contributor and one of Colorado’s most experienced defencemen, even as the club evaluated its longer-term direction. On February 24, 2026, the Avalanche traded him and a 2028 second-round pick to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for Brett Kulak, giving Pittsburgh a mobile, puck-moving blue liner and giving Girard a new opportunity to compete in a different organization. He is expected to slot into the Penguins’ lineup as a top-four defenceman, bringing his playoff experience and Stanley Cup pedigree to a club looking to bolster its defence.
