THUNDER BAY — It's not often that an opportunity comes along to take the reins of a defending title winning team.
For Jesse Messier, he gets a chance to do that with the Kam River Fighting Walleye.
Messier, who most recently spent four seasons as an assistant coach with the Ontario Hockey League's Saginaw Spirit, was named on Friday as the Fighting Walleye's next coach.
The 35-year-old is the squad's third head coach in the past 12 months, after Matt Valley was dismissed early last season and Geoff Walker resigned earlier this month to take control of the Drayton Valley Thunder in the Alberta Junior Hockey League.
Messier comes into a team that has developed a taste for success, following a berth in the Superior International Junior Hockey League final two years ago before capturing the Bill Salonen Cup last season en route to a spot at the Centennial Cup.
"It's a big challenge coming in for a coach following up on a championship team," Messier said. "I've had conversations with pretty much all of the players so far — again it's been a quick turnaround trying to get those calls in."
"The guys that were here, they know what this program is about. They know what it can do for them, so again the program speaks for itself."
Messier said he saw the opening online and quickly got in contact with Fighting Walleye general manager Kevin McCallum. Both said they hit it off immediately during their first late night conversation, helping allow Messier to separate himself from the pack of candidates.
"Our ideas aligned. Everything we encompass as an organization, he fit right in there," McCallum said. "The big thing is winning. He's won as a player and he's won as a coach."
The new coach will be no stranger to finding himself in enemy territory at the Fort William Gardens — the home of the rival Thunder Bay North Stars. Messier spent five seasons from 2009-2014 with a York Lions program that regularly clashed with the Lakehead Thunderwolves, including multiple postseason meetings. Following his university days, Messier played professionally in the ECHL before embarking on his coaching career.
McCallum, who noted the organization's ability to move players and personnel on to the next opportunities in their careers, said he hopes to have Messier behind the bench for two years before moving to his next step.
Messier described himself as a "players' first coach" and repeatedly emphasized development as one of his key priorities, saying he plans to operate the team as a close to a major junior program as he can.
"We're putting in the extra work with skill development, we're putting in the video sessions daily," he said. "I think I can take a lot of what I learned in that program. It's what I know, and I'm expecting to bring the same work ethic and skill development plans we used there."
Messier said he wants to build his version of the Fighting Walleye based on aggressive defensive zone pressure, quick puck movement in the neutral zone, and unrelenting possession inside the other team's blueline.
McCallum acknowledged that Walker's departure so late in the offseason may have caused some panic for returning players and recruits, but expressed optimism with his new hire.
"I assured them we would be bringing in a top quality guy and I think we've hit one out of the park," he said.
The team will take to the ice for training camp next month, and is set to welcome the Hearst Lumberjacks for the three-game Teleco Cup exhibition series from Sept. 1-3.
