The days of two-sport superstars such as Bo Jackson and Deion Sanders may have passed, but one Queen’s Gael is pursuing a dual dream of his own.
On Oct. 29, Toronto Rock in the National Lacrosse League signed Queen’s men’s hockey player Alex Messier, ArtSci ’29, to a three-year deal. Messier will remain with the Gaels, but the agreement is the first step for his professional lacrosse career. The Rock drafted Messier at 36th overall in 2024, but acknowledged at the time that his other talent would keep him away from the team for the near future.
As it turns out, while Messier was drafted to a professional league in lacrosse, he was also playing hockey at the highest junior level in Ontario—the Ontario Hockey League. Messier’s Erie Otters went 34-28-6 in 2024-25, and were only knocked off in the playoffs by the eventual OHL and Memorial Cup champions in the London Knights.
His season didn’t end there, though. Messier suited up for the Orangeville Northmen of the Ontario Junior A Lacrosse League (OJLL)—the highest level of junior lacrosse in Ontario—just months later. The powerhouse Northmen reached the OJLL finals, where they defeated the Whitby Warriors in a tight series on Aug. 12.
Messier’s strong performances as a hockey player earned him a spot on Queen’s men’s hockey team. He’s the youngest player on the team and one of the youngest in all of U Sports, as he didn’t pursue an overage year of junior hockey.
He made his debut in a 4-2 win against Royal Military College on Oct. 22, but has been out of the lineup as Queen’s men’s hockey head coach Brett Gibson shuffles his lineup to give many of his recruits a chance to prove themselves.
The Journal reached out to Messier, who declined to comment on the signing, making it clear that his focus was on the ongoing Queen’s hockey season. The Rock felt similarly, also declining to comment when asked by The Journal.
In a statement to The Journal, though, Gibson made it clear that Messier has his back in pursuing his aspirations. “Alex is a great athlete, and when recruiting him, he was in the middle of the lacrosse championship series,” he said. “Lacrosse and hockey have a lot of similarities, and we fully support his pursuit of his lacrosse career.”
With the Rock, Messier will reunite with franchise legend Nick Rose, the fan-favourite goalie who recently made his return to the team after playing in Calgary. Rose also happens to be the president and general manager of the Northmen, and he was responsible for bringing Messier into the team last year.
While the two-sport stardom’s unique, the arrangement of signing with a professional team but staying at Queen’s is far from unprecedented. Just last summer, Queen’s rugby star Marcus D’Acre, ArtSci ’26, signed a groundbreaking developmental deal with the Newcastle Knights of the National Rugby League in Australia. Similarly, D’Acre’s arrangement had no impact on his Queen’s career, allowing him to finish his time donning the Tricolour this fall,
Training camp’s currently underway for the Rock in Oakville, ON. Their first game will take place on Nov. 28, when they’ll face the Oshawa Firewolves in Oshawa, ON.
Tags
Alex Messier, Lacrosse, Men's hockey, national lacrosse league, Toronto Rock
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