The Indy Fuel have turned to a coach with experience developing players and building winning teams to lead the franchise into the 2026-27 ECHL season.
The Fuel announced Friday that Jesse Messier has been named the fifth head coach in franchise history. He succeeds Duncan Dalmao, who departed after the 2025-26 season.
Messier brings more than two decades of hockey experience as both a player and coach, with stops in the ECHL, Ontario Hockey League, university hockey and junior hockey. His background includes player development, special teams, recruiting and roster management.
“We are excited to welcome Jesse as the next Head Coach of the Indy Fuel,” owner Jim Hallett said. “Jesse has spent his career developing players and building winning hockey teams. He knows this league, understands what it takes to win and shares our expectations for what the Indy Fuel should be.”
Most recently, Messier served as an assistant coach with the ECHL’s Bloomington Bison, where he worked with the team’s defense, penalty kill, player development, special teams and pre-scouting while also assisting with player recruitment and roster administration.
Before joining Bloomington, he spent four seasons as an assistant coach with the OHL’s Saginaw Spirit. During that stretch, Saginaw captured the 2019 OHL West Division championship, and 11 Spirit players advanced to professional hockey.
Messier also spent four seasons as an assistant coach at York University, helping guide the program to the 2017 Queen’s Cup championship. York posted a 63-37-12 regular-season record during his tenure and became a consistent playoff contender.
His coaching résumé also includes a successful season as head coach of the Kam River Fighting Walleye in 2023-24. Under Messier, the team compiled a 39-9-1 record, won the regular-season championship and reached the league finals while leading the league in offense and power-play efficiency.
“I am incredibly grateful to Jim and Sean Hallett for the opportunity to lead the Indy Fuel,” Messier said. “This is an organization with high expectations and a passionate fan base. I’m excited to get to Indianapolis, get to work with our players and staff, and build a team that competes every night with the goal of bringing a championship to our fans.”
As a player, Messier won a Kelly Cup championship with the Allen Americans in 2015 after playing in the ECHL with Allen and the Toledo Walleye. Prior to turning professional, he starred at York University, where he was a three-time team MVP, served as team captain and finished among the program’s top 10 all-time scorers.
According to the Fuel, 19 players coached by Messier have gone on to play professionally.
“Jesse has experienced winning from several different perspectives—as a player, assistant coach and head coach,” Hallett said. “We believe his combination of leadership, player development and attention to detail makes him an excellent fit for where we want to take this organization. Our objective is clear: we want to compete for a Kelly Cup championship.”
The Fuel play their home games at the Fishers Event Center, making the coaching hire one of the organization’s most significant moves as it prepares for the upcoming ECHL season. Messier will begin work immediately in assembling the roster and coaching staff for the 2026-27 campaign.