Born Leader | P.O. Joseph
When talking about the history of the Charlottetown Islanders, it would be a tall task to mention anything without mentioning Pierre-Olivier Joseph.
The tall, slender defenseman’s infectious attitude and trademark smile combined with his smart, skilled play on the ice made him an instant fan favourite, ingratiating himself to the masses every time he stepped on the ice. Joseph also made Islanders history when he was selected by the Arizona Coyotes 23rd overall in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, making him the highest-ever Islander selected in the draft; a record that remains standing today.
Growing up, however, making the NHL wasn’t an aspiration. He chose to look just one step ahead.
“My brother (Tampa Bay Lightning forward Mathieu Joseph) and I didn’t look too far ahead; we lived in the present,” explained Joseph. “In bantam, my dream was to play Midget AAA without really knowing there was even a QMJHL.”
It didn’t take long for the dream to shift as Joseph turned heads in Midget. The Islanders drafted the defenseman in the fifth round, 78th overall at the 2015 QMJHL Draft. Initially returned to Saint-Hyacinthe to round his game out, it didn’t take him long to find his way back to Charlottetown, called up at Christmas that season and staying for good.
“Honestly, if you asked me at the start of my draft year if I knew who the Charlottetown Islanders were, I wouldn’t be able to answer you,” Joseph said with a laugh. “I was just really excited to be drafted to the QMJHL, start a new chapter, and enjoy playing hockey. I didn’t mind being that far from home, and more than anything I was excited to start learning English.”
A natural leader, who at one point held an assistant captaincy at just 17 years old, Joseph learned from excellent leaders on the Islanders the minute he arrived in Charlottetown.
“In the first year, the older guys were so great,” Joseph explained. “Nobody really cared about how old you were, they were so open to you. Oliver Cooper was big for me; he was the one who started helping me with English because he was bilingual, and he helped my brother in Saint John too. When you meet people like him, you just want to stick around them and learn as much as you can. It was the same with playing with my D partner, Dexter Weber. I was still learning when I was 19 in Charlottetown from both the older guys and the younger guys.”
As Joseph’s major junior career ended and he transitioned to the professional game with the Pittsburgh Penguins organization, he found himself able to influence a future generation of hockey players. Joseph quickly began working with the Pens Foundation to give young athletes of colour the opportunity to learn the game of hockey.
“So many people growing up made me feel good about playing hockey and welcomed me to their team; they didn’t care about my skin colour. Seeing kids nowadays being scared a bit, I struggle with that,” said Joseph. “I think it’s so sad that we even have to talk about things like that. This should just be human beings playing hockey and sharing the same passion for competing, getting out and playing, and having fun. Whenever they ask me if I can get to Pittsburgh, it’s never even a question for me. I was probably happier than the kids on the ice. I just want to show them that it doesn’t matter what colour they are, they can do anything in life.”
Joseph says that he was able to use his experience as a Black athlete in a predominantly white sport to help welcome young athletes into the game. He added that he was fortunate to have a strong support system growing up.
“I can’t recall playing with many other black players growing up, especially since my group all moved along in hockey together.” He said. “It was fun to grow up with the same group of players. The people I met in Atom, through Peewee, Bantam, and Midget helped me mold into the hockey world; I’m still friends with many of them today.”
That support system was important in Joseph’s development in the game. He said that while he didn’t grow up with many other black hockey players, he never felt judged at first sight by his teammates. Things weren’t always perfect on the ice, but he always had great teammates behind him.
“Even though I was at an athletic school where there were other black athletes, I did encounter racism, but growing up with the same group of guys in hockey, they always had my back and reacted very well to those situations. I was really lucky to be surrounded by good people and see me as PO rather than a black person.”
Pierre-Olivier Joseph is just 22 years old, yet already serves as a beacon of light in the hockey world. His passion for helping his community stems from his love for the game of hockey. He wants to share that love with those who may not otherwise have the opportunity.
“Hockey has been so important in my life; if I can bring one person into hockey on the right path, then I’ve done my job. If I keep doing it, then I can bring more and more people. That’s why I’m so passionate about helping the young community in Pittsburgh and making them feel as welcome in hockey as I was.”
When asked about looking ahead as a role model, his response was similar to his approach to minor hockey: One step at a time.
“I just want to stay true to myself and bring more diversity into the sport and make people feel at home in a hockey rink. This is what I feel when I go to the rink, it feels like home; whatever is happening outside of the rink, you don’t have to think about it. You want to compete, you want to have fun, you want to hopefully win a championship. I just want to continue to work with the Pens Foundation as much as I can and bring more people into the sport and make them feel like they have the choice to play hockey and that nobody can take that away from them.”
