The 25-year-old, blueliner joins the club after spending the most part of this season in the ECHL with Wichita Thunder, where he played 41 games and contributed nine points.
Born in St-Isidore, Quebec, Pouliot is now playing his second campaign of professional hockey after turning pro in 2022 with Florida Everblades.
Standing at 6-feet-2-inches tall and weighing in at 225lbs, Xavier has played one and a half seasons in the ECHL with Florida and Wichita, where he has racked up a total of 10 points (3G, 7A) in 56 games and 101 penalty minutes.
The defender also spent four years at York University, icing in 59 USports matches and scoring 28 points (11G, 17A), whilst captaining the Lions in his senior year (2022-2023).
Pouliot also played 60 games in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League over three seasons, as well as 75 matches in the Quebec and Alberta Junior Hockey Leagues.
LEFEBVRE ON POULIOT
After adding defensive depth for the playoff stretch, Stars Director of Hockey Operations and Head Coach, Marc LeFebvre said: “Xavier will bring more depth and a strong defensive mindset to our team, he has a no-nonsense approach to his game and skates well.
“This time of year, you have to make things harder on the opposing teams in your end of the ice and Xavier definitely does that.
“We wanted to make sure we brought in someone who, is not only a good fit on the ice, but fits in with the dynamic of our room.
“He has played with some of our players already in the past so he should be able to adapt quickly.
“It is big to have depth especially down the stretch especially with the possibility of injuries or suspensions.
“It also gives us more options and adds to more a competitive atmosphere within the group as it will not allow players to become complacent and they will have to fight for their place in the lineup.”
You will be able to hear from Xavier very soon, in an exclusive interview on Dundee Stars TV.
POULIOT’S CAREER
Xavier’s career began back in 2012 with Beauce-Amiante Elites Bantam AA in the LHDAAQ and as he progressed through their midget teams, he featured in 30 games, posting seven points.
After captaining the Beauce-Amiante Midget Espoir team in the 2014-2015 campaign, he then made a mid-season switch to Levis Commandeurs in the Quebec Midget AAA League and across two years, he collected 13 points and 182 penalty minutes from 74 appearances.
Pouliot also made one appearance for Shawinigan Cataractes of the QMJHL in the 2015-2016 season and iced 11 more times the following year, after he began the campaign with Saint-Jerome Pantheres of the Quebec Junior League.
The big blueliner then moved to Chicoutimi Saguneens and played 53 times in the QMJHL that season before switching to Alberta Junior outfit, Grande Prairie Storm, where he bagged 27 points (5G, 22A) across 56 matches.
Ahead of the 2019-2020 season, the Canadian committed to York University and spent four years competing in the USports League with the Lions and during that time, he accumulated 61 appearances and 28 points.
At the end of the 2022-2023 campaign, Xavier then turned pro with Florida and played in three games for the Everblades before joining Wichita for the last 12 fixtures.
Last summer, Pouliot then re-signed with the Thunder and has put up nine points in 41 games this season before he decided to make his first move into European hockey with the Stars.
In his 12-year-career so far, Xavier has featured in 352 matches, recorded 21 goals, 73 assists and collected 951 penalty minutes, while also playing in 29 playoff games, where he tallied 6 points (3G, 3A) and 60 penalty minutes.
Pouliot has also been on the same team as a few ex-Stars over the years, including; James Phelan in Shawinigan and Chris McKay in Wichita.
Xavier will wear #49 for the Stars and you can sponsor his equipment for this season right now, click HERE.
To see Xavier’s career stats on Elite Prospects click HERE.
Banner image: Our Sports Central.
