Émile Chouinard’s journey from cancer diagnosis to Flyers camp: ‘You push for guys like that’

Émile Chouinard was planning on studying business and playing hockey at McGill University in Montreal after his junior hockey career ended this past spring. Instead, in July, the defenseman found himself skating in orange and black at the Flyers development camp. This past week, the 21-year-old Chouinard participated in the team’s NHL training camp.

But the road to a professional hockey career wasn’t easy or certain for Chouinard. The Lehigh Valley Phantoms officially announced he was signed to an AHL deal on Aug. 20. But the ink had been dry for a while. In this case, the waiting was indeed the hardest part. They needed to make sure Chouinard was clear of cancer.

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In October, Chouinard had found a swollen lymph node under an armpit. It wasn’t too swollen at the time, but he brought it up to the doctor for his Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League team in Baie-Comeau, Quebec.

Chouinard didn’t feel completely himself, and, as the months wore on, he underwent a series of tests. On Jan. 25, he was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

“Back in October, it wasn’t too bad,” Chouinard told The Inquirer last week. “But as we went on, like Christmastime, I felt a little more tired, less appetite, too. So I knew something was wrong.

“We were going through [eliminating possible] options ... and January, I got the diagnosis. Also the uncertainty, too, you don’t know what’s going to happen to you.”

Chouinard’s cancer was caught early and isolated to the lymph node. Chouinard avoided chemotherapy but had to return home to Québec City and undergo 20 radiation treatments targeting the area under his arm.

Being more than a five-hour drive away from his junior team was difficult, but the team and coaching staff did their best to keep Chouinard involved. He Zoomed into team meetings and even stepped behind the bench.

“I coached a little bit,” Chouinard said with a smile. “I went behind the bench for two games during my treatment when the guys were on the road close by, so I went to the game and [got] behind the bench.”

Chouinard relished the opportunity of seeing the game from a different perspective. He may not have been telling his buddies what to do, but he gained invaluable experience watching the game through the eyes of a coach. Chouinard even got to sit inside the coach’s room.

“Just seeing Coach adjust between periods was great, too,” he said. “We don’t see it as much as a player, so it was great to see that part of the game.”

The 6-foot-5 blueliner got a chance to use all of his new coaching insight less than a week later after he rang the bell to signify the end of his cancer treatments. He finished treatments on March 25, hopped in his car, and, by April 2, he was back on the ice playing, not just in any game, but a playoff game.

Despite losing 18 pounds — which he gained back this summer — Chouinard was there suiting up and helping lead Baie-Comeau all the way to the QMJHL finals. He missed just two playoff games, skated in 15, notched an assist, and led the team’s defensemen with 40 shots on goal. That was after 20 treatments and skating about once a week with gym sessions intermixed when he had the energy.

“When I got the diagnosis, I thought my season was over, of course,” Chouinard said. “So, yeah, Game 3 to get back with the guys on the ice, it was so fun. It was my goal when I knew that I only had radiotherapy, so to get back on the ice, it was a good feeling.”

Although healthy, Chouinard still will have to undergo regular checks and physicals for the foreseeable future. His next appointment is in three months, and then, as long as everything is good, the appointments will be spaced further apart.

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“I think it’s amazing,” Phantoms coach Ian Laperrière said of Chouinard’s journey. “He looked good today, looked good yesterday, and he’s been through a lot of adversity, obviously. And I love stories like that. You push for guys like that. You hope that it works out. And I’m glad the Flyers signed him. I’m looking forward to working with him.”

Across his 45 regular-season games last season with Baie-Comeau, Chouinard notched 14 points (two goals, 12 assists), had a plus-minus of plus-38, and was tied for fourth on his team with 62 penalty minutes. He finished his junior career with 58 points (12 goals, 46 assists) and 183 penalty minutes in 200 games, improving his numbers each year.

That year-to-year progress hints at further untapped potential.

Despite it being an adjustment to a quicker pace and bigger opponents, the Flyers staff have noticed the tall defensive defenseman’s game and competitiveness. Chouinard is expected to begin the season in the AHL with Lehigh Valley, nevertheless, he used the training camp as a learning experience and an opportunity to ask questions.

“You see those guys playing on TV since you’re young, and now I’m on the ice with them. It’s a good feeling,” he said. He mentioned that he was most excited to meet and chat with Flyers captain — and fellow French Canadian — Sean Couturier.

There is no guarantee or timetable for Chouinard to reach the NHL, but the growth the Flyers saw in just a few short weeks with the organization certainly left an impression. There’s a reason why, when Flyers assistant general manager Alyn McCauley sent out a call this past spring to his amateur scouts for free agents who had size, competitiveness, defensive capabilities, and the potential to grow, they came back to him with Chouinard’s name.

“He’s a very intriguing guy for us,” McCauley said. “What you see today, I think will be a lot different to what we see in two months from now, and then three months, four months, a year from now, at development camp. ... For a bigger player, I think they’re all a little bit of a longer road to just feel comfortable in their own body or have everything in sync.

“I’ve been pleased with what I’ve seen from him and liked even in the short time that we’ve had him it’s just gotten a little bit better almost every day. I have no reason to believe that that won’t continue.”