Recently anointed as the new General Manager of the Northern Hockey Academy, Andrew Tessier is very much looking forward to sharing his knowledge.

Given the nature of the NHA clientele, however, it might well be fair to say that simply gleaning the takeaways of the hockey journey of the now 31 year-old long-time resident of Blind River will be every bit as helpful to young hockey prospects on hand – and their families – as would many of the hockey-specific skill sessions in which they will partake.

Tessier is both insightful and wonderfully self-aware, more than willing to poke fun at his missteps and exceptionally grateful for the good fortune that accompanied him and his journey, most notably at critical forks in the road.

The hockey meanderings of the smooth-skating defenceman who would play major junior hockey, university hockey and one season in the pros are filled with the stories that parents of those who are now in the exact same place as 12 year old “AAA” neophyte Andrew Tessier was need to hear.

Though not a product of a hockey-crazed family – his father, an OPP officer, was a fan of the game but never really played it much in his youth – Tessier did find himself supported to the ends of the earth. The family moved from Blind River to Sudbury in part to allow their son better access to a more competitive level of play.

A growth spurt from 5’7” to 6’1” following his OHL draft year (he was not drafted) may have come one year too late, but it paved the way for the hockey talent that was to come. The town of Blind River might top the list of junior hockey destinations of choice in Ontario, but for Andrew Tessier, at that time, it was near perfect.

“For me, the NOJHL (Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League) was monumental to my development,” he said. “To be able to compete in a good league and get good coaching and an opportunity to play, with physicality and speed – that’s the reason that when I went to Toronto (Toronto Prospects Tournament the next summer), I was able to be noticed.”

Where he now speaks of players having to prioritize the support they will receive in any given hockey setting as they seek to further their careers, Tessier does so with the benefit of looking back fondly on the guidance provided by Blind River Beavers assistant coach Don Gagnon in that most formative year.

“It was a safe landing zone to make mistakes and find my pace, build my confidence,” said Tessier. “And just being back in my hometown meant a lot of support in place for me away from the rink.”

But as we know, progression in this sport is seldom linear.

The breakthrough of cracking the roster of the Kingston Frontenacs in 2011-2012 was followed by a most challenging season with a rebuilding team. A year later, Tessier found himself in Quebec with the Drummondville Voltigeurs, rapidly approaching another key crossroad.

“In Drummondville, I played against (Nathan) McKinnon and I played against (Jonathan) Drouin and I played against (Nikita) Kucherov,” he said. “I was self-aware enough to recognize that I was not that guy – and my parents were strong advocates for education.”

In that sense, a little luck along the way never hurts.

“Out of nowhere, I get a phone call from the new coach at Lakehead (University),” recalled Tessier. “Turns out that a second cousin that I had never met was living in Thunder Bay and was friends with the new coach. It just seemed like the right thing to do, so I went away for two years.”

Those years in the OUA (Ontario University Athletics) would give way to another three seasons with the Laurentian Voyageurs, allowing Tessier to graduate with a Bachelor of Arts, with a major in English Literature and a minor in Psychology.

The introspective nature of the mind of Andrew Tessier is legit – and quite fascinating to engage. This is a young man, after all, who wrote his LSAT testing as he contemplated a possible career in law.

That said, the lure of hockey is strong – even more so when you are not quite ready to hang up the skates, just yet.

"At that point in time, I felt like I still had something to prove,” said Tessier. “I was determined to make it to pro hockey.”

And so he would, spending the 2018-2019 season with the Adirondack Thunder of the ECHL (East Coast Hockey League) – learning a great deal and finding peace with his hockey voyage.

“By the time I got to pro, I had come to realize that there were some major gaps in my game and I just tried to listen and learn as much as possible,” said Tessier. He would learn as much about himself as about the game that he loved. And by the time the next summer arrived, the pathway to his current role had begun to take root.

“I no longer felt like I had to prove anything anymore.”

Back home in Blind River, Tessier pondered his next step – in life, more than hockey.

“While I was waiting for my (LSAT) results, my old (high-school) principal heard I was back in town,” said Tessier. “He called and encouraged me to come in and do some supply teaching.”

Graduating from Teachers College (Nipissing University) a couple of years ago, Tessier was able to feed his interest in both teaching (filling a P/T position) and hockey (serving as a P/T instructor at NHA).

Ascending to assistant GM (NHA) roughly a year ago or so, Tessier would be tapped last month as Darryl Moxam opted to move on.

“There’s a bit of disbelief, that this could be my job, that I am here to help hockey grown in Sudbury,” said Tessier.

None better than someone who has travelled this path before.