Forward Mark Olver brings NHL experience and a winning resume as he suits up for the Steelheads this season.
Forward Mark Olver brings NHL experience and a winning resume as he suits up for the Steelheads this season.
There’s something to be said for experience, not to mention winning family bloodlines.
Mark Olver has both, and is bringing those qualities to the Idaho Steelheads. The club announced the forward has signed an ECHL contract for the 2024-25 season.
Olver, 36, enters his 15th professional season, first with Idaho, with a very extensive and successful track record.
Originally drafted by the Colorado Avalanche in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, 5th round, 140th overall, Olver played 74 NHL games from 2010-13 collecting 22 points (10-12-22).
The 5-foot-10, 183-pound left-handed shooter appeared in 180 AHL games with Colorado’s affiliate, the Lake Erie Monsters from 2010-14, recording 122 points (48-74-122) and was named to the AHL All-Star Game during the 2010-11 season.
After the 2013-14 campaign, the Burnaby, British Columbia native played two years overseas before returning to the AHL for the 2016-17 season. He split time with the Tucson Roadrunners and Bakersfield Condors during that span.
Most recently, Olver has spent the last seven seasons playing in Germany’s top league, DEL, where he helped lead Eisbären Berlin to a league championship in 2021. He spent his first four years playing with Eisbären Berlin (2017-21) and then three seasons with Kölner Haie (2021-24), collectively skating in 246 games where he registered 132 points (47-85-132).
Prior to turning pro, Olver played three seasons at Northern Michigan University from 2007-10 amassing 122 career points (56-66-122) in 119 games as he led the Wildcats each year in scoring. He was named to the CCHA All-Rookie Team in 2007-08 and was a CCHA First All-Star Team, NCAA (West) First All-American Team, and a Hobey Baker Finalist.
Olver played two seasons of junior hockey in the USHL with the Omaha Lancers from 2005-07, collecting 89 points (34G, 55A) in 116 games.
While never having played in a Steelheads uniform, Olver has a connection to the club in another way. He is the son of former Steelheads head coach, John Olver, who led Idaho to their first ECHL Kelly Cup Championship in 2004. John spent five seasons in Boise from 2000-05 and is the winningest coach in franchise history with a regular season record of 228-100-2-18.
Now, it’s his son’s turn to shine, as the Steelheads look to him for experience and a veteran presence in the locker room.