Tessier’s career back on track with Wildcats
When Julien Tessier looked in the mirror, he saw a rail-thin frame fatigued from his brutal battle with Crohn’s disease. He had lost 40 pounds.
“I had a lot of support from friends and family, but I just love hockey so much,” said Tessier, an 18-year-old forward with the Moncton Wildcats. “It’s what I love to do and what I want to do. Once I was healthy again, I started working out and getting back on the ice. I just wanted to get back as fast as possible. For me, that was my only objective.”
Before Tessier took his first shift in the QMJHL, he already had been fighting Crohn’s disease, a chronic bowel disease that affects the gastrointestinal tract. But he persevered, tallying 21 points as a 15-year-old with his hometown Trois-Rivieres Estacades of the Quebec Midget AAA Hockey League.
The Saint John Sea Dogs proceeded to draft him in the first round (15th overall) at the 2014 QMJHL Entry Draft in Sherbrooke. Tessier seized the opportunity, earning considerable ice time early in his rookie season with the Sea Dogs.
He notched nine points in 41 games and appeared in three of Saint John’s five playoff games. Eventually, however, Crohn’s symptoms started slowing him down.
With the disease impeding his progress, Tessier played in only 14 contests in his second season with the Sea Dogs, setting the stage for a trade to the Chicoutimi Saguenéens.
Still struggling with his health, he appeared in just nine games with the Sags. His symptoms flared up and he dropped weight.
“I had a really good summer (in 2015), I was in really good shape and I was ready to have a good year,” Tessier said. “But then I lost all the muscle I put on during the summer. I lost everything, so it was frustrating. I’m just really happy that I’m healthy again.
“I had great doctors and I really trusted them. I knew I would get back in the league and I am this year, so I’m just really happy. I manage stress a little better now. I’ve matured a lot and a big factor with this disease is how you handle stress.”
When this season started, Tessier remained affiliated with Chicoutimi, but he played the bulk of the first half in Quebec’s junior AAA ranks with the Terrebonne Cobras. He racked up 39 points in 27 games, a productive stretch that caught the eye of the Wildcats.
“He’s playing a ton of minutes and he’s on our first line right now,” Moncton head coach Darren Rumble said. “We’re lucky to have been able to pick him up and hopefully he can keep getting better as a player. We’re really happy with the way he’s playing. He’s competitive, smart and protects the puck well.”
Having spent a lifetime in hockey, Rumble realizes adversity comes in many forms. And sometimes there are benefits.
“I think the sky is the limit because it looks like he has it all under control,” the former NHLer said about Tessier. “It seems like when you get kicked in the gut, those things tend to make you stronger.
“It just depends on how you look at that stuff and he’s got a good attitude, so there’s no question he’s looking at life through a new set of eyes since he’s overcome his illness, and it seems like he’s loving the game right now.”
Tessier had two goals and seven points in his first 10 games with the Wildcats, who underwent a major overhaul during this year’s QMJHL trade period.
“He was really happy to get a second chance,” Wildcats director of hockey operations Roger Shannon said about Tessier. “For us, it was an opportunity to get a bonafide top-six player.”
Although the Wildcats are taking their lumps this year, there’s excitement about entering a new downtown venue in 2018.
“I’m really happy to be part of the rebuilding process,” Tessier said. “We’ve got a young team here, but we’ve got a lot of talent. I’m just happy to be part of this team. It was rough last year, but this year I’m healthy and really happy to have a chance to play.
“I feel really good and I’m happy about that. It’s all I wanted, it’s all I asked for and I’m really thankful for that. I’m just really happy that I’m healthy. It feels awesome.”
After a recent game in Saint John, Tessier was greeted by his former Sea Dogs teammates. He’ll never forget the first time he donned their jersey on draft day in Sherbrooke.
And even though he’s now on the other side of a fierce provincial rivalry, hockey players appreciate courage among each other. In cases like this, they root for one another.
“Those friendships are going to last forever,” Tessier said. “I really loved my time in Saint John and I was excited to come back.”
All would agree it’s good to see Tessier back.
