Matthew Kessel Explained

Matt Kessel
Birth Date:23 June 2000
Birth Place:Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.
Height Ft:6
Height In:2
Weight Lbs:205
Position:Defense
Shoots:Right
League:NHL
Team:St. Louis Blues
Prospect Team:Springfield Thunderbirds
Prospect League:AHL
Ntl Team:USA
Draft:150th overall
Draft Year:2020
Draft Team:St. Louis Blues
Career Start:2022

Matthew James Kessel[1] (born June 23, 2000) is an American professional ice hockey defenseman for the Springfield Thunderbirds in the American Hockey League (AHL) as a prospect to the St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League (NHL).

Early life

Kessel was born on June 23, 2000 in Arizona, USA[2] to parents Tom and Leila Kessel.[1] Although he was born in Arizona, Kessel grew up in Detroit, Michigan[3] alongside his three older brothers.[1] His eldest brother played college football at the University of Cincinnati[1] while his other two brothers played college hockey. His second oldest brother played college hockey at Western Michigan University before transitioning to the ECHL.[4] His third oldest brother played college hockey at the College of the Holy Cross from 2017 to 2021.[5]

Playing career

Amateur

Kessel first played junior ice hockey for the Fargo Force of the United States Hockey League (USHL) in 2017–18, moving to the Chicago Steel later that season. In 2018, he moved to the Sioux Falls Stampede.[2]

Collegiate career

Kessel originally committed to play NCAA Division I college hockey at Miami of Ohio but changed to the University of Massachusetts Amherst following the firing of Miami's head coach.[6] Due to a close connection with one of the assistant coaches, Kessel was offered a spot at UMass Amherst without seeing the campus or being recruited through the normal means.[6] [7] Kessel began the 2019–20 season playing on the UMass Minutemen's third defensive pairing alongside fellow freshman Gianfranco Cassaro.[8] He made his collegiate debut on October 11[1] and scored his first collegiate goal on October 15 against Northeastern.[9] Kessel impressed the UMass coaching staff through the first seven games of the season enough that he was dubbed the "most impressive freshman" by head coach Greg Carvel.[8] Mid-way through November, as the Minutemen maintained a 7–3 record, Kessel was promoted to their top defensive pair with Jake McLaughlin.[10] He then played the majority of the season as one of the team's top defenseman alongside Marc Del Gaizo and finished with seven goals to lead all freshmen defensemen in the nation.[6]

Professional career

Kessel was selected by the St. Louis Blues in the fifth round, 150th overall, in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. After completing his junior season with the Minutemen, Kessel concluded his collegiate career in signing a two-year, entry-level contract with the Blues on March 28, 2022.[11] He was assigned to complete the 2021–22 season with the team's American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds.[2]

During the tail end of the 2022–23 season, Kessel was recalled and made his NHL debut with the Blues on April 2, 2023, against the Boston Bruins.[12] He played just one more game, two days later, before being sent down to the AHL.[2]

For the 2023–24 season, Kessel was again assigned to begin the year with the Thunderbirds. On December 30, 2023, he was recalled to the Blues.[13] On February 13, 2024, he recorded his first NHL point, an assist on a goal by Alexey Toropchenko.[14] On March 13, Kessel signed a two-year, one-way contract extension with the Blues.[15] In his 37th game, he scored his first NHL goal on April 7, against Lukáš Dostál of the Anaheim Ducks.[16]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular seasonPlayoffs
SeasonTeamLeagueGP PIMGP G A Pts PIM
2017–18Fargo ForceUSHL32 0 3 3 18
2017–18Chicago SteelUSHL20 0 0 0 43 0 0 0 2
2018–19Sioux Falls StampedeUSHL62 2 17 19 3812 1 3 4 14
2019–20UMass-AmherstHE34 7 4 11 48
2020–21UMass-AmherstHE29 10 13 23 16
2021–22UMass-AmherstHE37 6 11 17 22
2021–22Springfield ThunderbirdsAHL15 0 3 3 818 1 1 2 6
2022–23Springfield ThunderbirdsAHL71 5 28 33 662 0 0 0 0
2022–23St. Louis BluesNHL2 0 0 0 0
2023–24Springfield ThunderbirdsAHL36 3 5 8 16
2023–24St. Louis BluesNHL39 1 6 7 12
NHL totals41 1 6 7 12

International

Notes and References

  1. Web site: #4 Matthew Kessel . umassathletics.com . April 7, 2024.
  2. Web site: Matt Kessel . Elite Prospects . April 7, 2024.
  3. News: Korac . Lou . Kessel's path to NHL has story of its own; defenseman showing great promise for Blues in early stages of NHL career . The Hockey News . April 7, 2024 . January 25, 2024.
  4. Web site: Will Kessel . Elite Prospects . April 7, 2024.
  5. Web site: Peter Kessel . Elite Prospects . April 7, 2024.
  6. News: Marinofsky . Evan . 'Matt Kessel is the best NHL prospect on our team right now': How Matthew Kessel went from late addition to do-it-all defenseman for UMass . April 7, 2024 . . April 6, 2021.
  7. News: McCarthy . Colin . 'Nobody really had many expectations for any of them except us,' how Greg Carvel shapes undrafted Minutemen into NHL prospects . April 7, 2024 . The Massachusetts Daily Collegian. April 4, 2022.
  8. News: Marinofsky . Evan . Kessel and Cassaro adjusting well to college hockey and solidifying UMass hockey's back-end . April 7, 2024 . The Massachusetts Daily Collegian . November 7, 2019.
  9. Web site: No. 15/14 Northeastern Nips #4 Massachusetts Hockey, 3-1 . umassathletics.com . University of Massachusetts . April 7, 2024 . October 15, 2019.
  10. News: Bortle . Noah . Put on the first d-pairing, Matt Kessel helps UMass to 4-1 win . April 7, 2024 . The Massachusetts Daily Collegian . November 17, 2019.
  11. Web site: Blues sign Kessel to entry-level contract . . March 28, 2022 . January 31, 2024 .
  12. Web site: Coyles SO goal helps Bruins defeat Blues . . April 2, 2023 . April 2, 2023.
  13. News: Projected lineup: December 30 at Pittsburgh . . December 30, 2023 . December 31, 2023.
  14. News: McCarthy . Dave . McMann sparks short-handed Maple Leafs past Blues . NHL.com . Toronto . March 14, 2024 . February 13, 2024.
  15. News: Kessel signs two-year contract extension . NHL.com . March 14, 2024 . March 13, 2024.
  16. News: Arritt . Dan . Thomas has 4 points, Blues recover to defeat Ducks in shootout . NHL.com . Anaheim . April 8, 2024 . April 7, 2024.