BLOOMINGTON - The Bloomington Bison announced today that they have named Jesse Messier as the assistant coach for the upcoming 2024-25 season.
Jesse had a long and successful playing career as a forward, which included four seasons in the OHL with the Sudbury Wolves and the Mississauga St. Michael's Majors. He served as a captain for two of those season. He then went on to play five years in USports, four as a captain, at York University.
Messier turned pro in 2013 where he joined the Toledo Walleye of the ECHL after college and then played one full season for the Allen Americans where he won a Kelly Cup in 2015.
After retiring, he began his coaching career in 2015 where he was an assistant coach with the York University Lions for four seasons, winning a Queen's Cup as OUA champions in 2017. He then went on to be an assistant coach with the Saginaw Spirit of the OHL from 2019 to 2023, winning a West division title during the 2019-20 campaign while also moving many players on to pro hockey.
After his stop in Saginaw, Jesse took the head coaching position with the Kam River Fighting Walleye of the SIJHL. In his one and only season, the Fighting Walleye compiled a 39-9-1-0 record, winning the regular season championship.
Head Coach Phillip Barski on joining the Bloomington Bison:
“Jesse Messier is a highly accomplished coach with a successful track record at the Tier 2 Level, USports and in the OHL. His keen hockey intellect and attention to detail made his hiring an obvious choice. Our previous relationship and the trust and familiarity we share further solidified this decision. I feel incredibly fortunate to have someone of his caliber and character by my side on this journey. We would like to welcome Jesse and his girlfriend Cristina to the Bloomington Family."
The Bison will begin play on their inaugural season on Saturday, October 19, 2024 against the Toledo Walleye.
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