Cloutier was born to Ivan and Susan Cloutier in Mont-Laurier, Quebec. He moved with his family at a young age to Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, as a result of his father's work as a logger. Having grown up in both French and English communities, Cloutier is bilingual. Cloutier's older brother, Sylvain is also a hockey player who once captained the OHL's Guelph Storm. After a professional career with the Coventry Blaze in England, Sylvain became a head coach for the minor professional Corpus Christi IceRays of the CHL in 2008. He is currently player-coach of the Hull Stingrays of the UK Elite League, having held this post since 2009.