He was drafted by the
Washington Capitals in the fourth round, 82nd overall, of the
1985 NHL entry draft. After playing three seasons with the
North Bay Centennials of the
Ontario Hockey League, Houlder joined the Capitals during the
1987–88 season. After going back and forth between Washington and their
AHL affiliate
Baltimore Skipjacks for three seasons, Houlder was traded to the
Buffalo Sabres before the
1990–91 season in exchange for
Shawn Anderson. Houlder remained with the Sabres until being selected by the
Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in the
1993 NHL Expansion Draft. Houlder's journeyman status continued for the remainder of his career, as he played just one season for Anaheim before moving on to play with the
St. Louis Blues,
Tampa Bay Lightning,
San Jose Sharks, the Lightning again, and the
Nashville Predators. Houlder retired after the
2002–03 season as a Predator. In his
NHL career, Houlder appeared in 846 games. He tallied 59 goals and added 191 assists. ==Career statistics==