Valentin Claireaux, 34, was chosen by CONAN Daily as the Mister Frontier International 2025 candidate of Saint Pierre et Miquelon. Launched on December 21, 2025, the contest is an exclusive digital search curated by the publication to spotlight the world’s most elusive and underrepresented nations in beauty pageants such as his home country.
Valentin Claireaux
Born in Saint-Pierre, Saint Pierre et Miquelon, Claireaux is a professional ice hockey forward and the most successful athlete in the history of the French overseas collectivity. He moved to mainland France as a teenager to pursue hockey, eventually becoming a staple of the French national team.
Claireaux has represented France in eight top-division International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Championships from 2015 to 2019 and from 2022 to 2024. His professional career spans elite European leagues, including the Liiga in Finland with Lukko and Sport and the Czech Extraliga with clubs such as Berani Zlín, HC Dynamo Pardubice and HC Vítkovice. Known for his defensive intelligence and his role as a versatile two-way forward, he remains the only player born in Saint Pierre et Miquelon to achieve a sustained, high-level professional career in the top divisions of European hockey.
In Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Claireaux is a source of immense regional pride. Despite the archipelago’s small population of approximately 6,000 people, he has proven that elite talent can emerge from remote territories.
Located in the North Atlantic near the coast of Newfoundland, Canada, Saint Pierre et Miquelon is the only remaining part of the former colonial empire of New France in North America. Economically, the islands have transitioned from a reliance on the cod fishing industry toward tourism and ocean-based services. Socially, the territory is a vibrant enclave of French culture, characterized by its traditional European architecture and French language. It is defined by its rugged, windswept landscapes, isolation from mainland France and resilient maritime identity.
Mister Arctic Edge Frontier 2025
Throughout 2025, Claireaux continued to represent the French national team in international play, including Olympic qualification matches. This move allows the veteran forward to balance high-level hockey with his commitment to his family. Following his retirement from professional European hockey in October 2024, he played for the St-Pierre-et-Miquelon Cougars before his transfer to the Deer Lake Red Wings in the Canadian senior circuit was officially confirmed on October 26, 2025.
At Mister Frontier International 2025, Claireaux is awarded by CONAN Daily the Mister Arctic Edge Frontier 2025 title for his sustained excellence in professional ice hockey and his role as a sporting ambassador for Saint Pierre and Miquelon. On December 26, 2025, he was selected as one of the 15 finalists.
Including Valentin, a total of 35 men were selected by CONAN Daily as candidates of the inaugural edition of Mister Frontier International. The winner will be crowned on December 30, 2025.
CONAN Daily 