Bloomington Bison head coach and general manager Phillip Barski made his first staffing hire, naming Jesse Messier an assistant coach ahead of the team's inaugural ECHL season. More about Messier.
As recently noted in a Q&A with Phillip Barski, we knew this season would include many "firsts" for the Bloomington Bison. The ECHL's 30th franchise, introduced in January, is starting to take shape. On Tuesday, Barski made his first staffing hire, adding Jesse Messier as an assistant coach for the Bison's inaugural 2024-25 season.
The 36-year-old, hailing from Keswick, Ontario, brings nine years of coaching experience to Bloomington. Most recently, Messier served as the head coach for the SIJHL's (Superior International Junior Hockey League) Kam River Fighting Walleye, where he guided the team to a league-leading 39-9-1-0 record and ended the regular season on a 15-game win streak.
Prior to the Fighting Walleye, Messier spent eight seasons as an assistant coach for both the Saginaw Spirit (Ontario Hockey League) and York University, where he captained the team in his final two seasons as a player.
“Jesse Messier is a highly accomplished coach with a successful track record at the Tier 2 Level, USports and in the OHL," Barski said of Messier in a statement. "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."
In addition to playing collegiate hockey at York University, Messier spent time with the Toledo Walley and Allen Americans. He amassed 17 points on six goals and 11 assists in 60 games in part of two ECHL campaigns before kick-starting his coaching career in the 2015-16 season.