Maxime Fortunus was born on July 28, 1983 in La Prairie, Quebec. A product of the Baie-Comeau Drakkar of the Quebec Major Junior League, Fortunus was undrfated and made his professional debut in the ECHL with the Louisiana IceGators in 1999.
A veteran of over 300 American Hockey League games, Fortunus spent time with the Houston Aeros and Manitoba Moose before signing with the Dallas Stars in the summer of 2008. The defenseman spent the majority of time with the Stars' AHL affiliate in Texas, but got his first taste of NHL action during the 2009-10 season, appearing in 8 games for Dallas.