Maxime Fortunus (born July 28, 1983 in La Prairie,

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

) is a retired

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

defenceman Defence or defense (in American English) in ice hockey is a player position that is primarily responsible for preventing the opposing team from Goal (ice hockey), scoring. They are often referred to as defencemen, D, D-men or blueliners (the l ...

who most recently played for the Fischtown Pinguins of the

Deutsche Eishockey Liga The Deutsche Eishockey Liga (for sponsorship reasons called Penny (supermarket), PENNY Deutsche Eishockey Liga) (; English: ''German Ice Hockey League'') or DEL, is a professional ice hockey league in Germany and the highest division in German i ...

(DEL). Fortunus is of

Haiti Haiti, officially the Republic of Haiti, is a country on the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and south of the Bahamas. It occupies the western three-eighths of the island, which it shares with the Dominican ...

an descent, his parents being born in Haiti, then immigrating to Canada in the 1970s.Cooper, Mitch (2010)
"Texas Stars raise money for earthquake victims"
. ''Pro Hockey News''. February 7, 2010.

Playing career

Prior to playing in the QMJHL, Fortunus played Midget AAA hockey for the Charles Lemoyne Riverains and was a 2nd round choice of the Baie-Comeau Drakkar in the 1999 QMJHL Midget Draft. Fortunus played

junior ice hockey Junior ice hockey is amateur-level ice hockey for 16 to 20 year-old players. National Junior teams compete annually for the IIHF World Junior Championship. The United States men's national junior ice hockey team are the defending champions from ...

for the

Baie-Comeau Drakkar The Baie-Comeau Drakkar is a Canadian junior ice hockey team in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League that plays at Centre Henry-Leonard in Baie-Comeau, Quebec. The name "Drakkar" refers to a type of longship. History The Drakkar first pl ...

of the

Quebec Major Junior Hockey League The Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL; , LHJMQ), formerly the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues that constitute the Canadian Hockey League (CHL). The league includes teams in Quebec ...

from

1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...

2003 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...

before turning professional with the Louisiana IceGators of the

ECHL The ECHL (formerly the East Coast Hockey League) is a minor professional ice hockey league based in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, with teams across the United States and Canada. Competitively, it is a tier below the American Hockey League (AHL). The ...

. Fortunus has played over 700 games in the

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America that serves as the primary developmental league of the National Hockey League (NHL). The league comprises 32 teams, with 26 in the United States and 6 in Cana ...

for the Houston Aeros, the

Manitoba Moose The Manitoba Moose are a professional ice hockey team based in Winnipeg. They are the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the Winnipeg Jets of the National Hockey League (NHL). The team plays its home games at Canada Life Centre. The fran ...

, and the

Texas Stars The Texas Stars are a professional ice hockey team based in Cedar Park, Texas. They are the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the National Hockey League's (NHL) Dallas Stars. They play their homes games at the H-E-B Center. History In ...

.Texas Stars (2010)
"Dallas Recalls Maxime Fortunus"
. January 9, 2010. Fortunus was signed as a free agent by the Dallas Stars of the NHL on July 3, 2008. In the 2009–10 season, he has played for both Dallas and the Stars' top affiliate team in the AHL, the Texas Stars, where he is a regular.Texas Stars (2010)
Texas Stars Roster
Retrieved Feb. 1, 2010. Fortunus signed a one-year two-way deal with the

Dallas Stars The Dallas Stars are a professional ice hockey team based in Dallas. The Stars compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. The Stars ...

on July 13, 2012. After six seasons within the Stars organization, serving as a mainstay veteran presence to their AHL affiliates, Fortunus signed as a free agent to a two-year AHL contract with the

Iowa Wild The Iowa Wild are a professional ice hockey team based in Des Moines, Iowa. They are the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the Minnesota Wild of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Wild play their home games at Wells Fargo Arena. The ...

, affiliate to the

Minnesota Wild The Minnesota Wild are a professional ice hockey team based in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The Wild compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Confer ...

on July 1, 2015. At the conclusion of his contract with the Iowa, he went un-signed over the summer as a free agent. With the 2017–18 season underway, he belatedly signed a professional tryout contract with the

Springfield Thunderbirds The Springfield Thunderbirds are a professional ice hockey team based in Springfield, Massachusetts. They are the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the National Hockey League's St. Louis Blues. The Thunderbirds play their home games at th ...

on November 14, 2017. As a staple on the blueline for the Thunderbirds, Fortunus appeared in 54 games for 2 goals and 12 points. Having completed his 15th consecutive year in the AHL, Fortunus left as a free agent and signed his first contract abroad at the age of 34 on a one-year deal with German outfit, Fischtown Pinguins of the DEL, on May 7, 2018. In May 2021, Fortunus announced his retirement from professional hockey and rejoined the Dallas Stars organization as an assistant coach of the

in the

Career statistics

Awards and honours

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fortunus, Maxime 1983 births Living people Baie-Comeau Drakkar players Black Canadian ice hockey players Black Canadian sportsmen Canadian ice hockey defencemen Canadian sportspeople of Haitian descent Dallas Stars players Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Fischtown Pinguins players Haitian Quebecers Houston Aeros (1994–2013) players Ice hockey people from Montérégie Iowa Wild players Louisiana IceGators (ECHL) players Manitoba Moose players People from La Prairie, Quebec Springfield Thunderbirds players Texas Stars players Undrafted National Hockey League players 21st-century Canadian sportsmen