Matthew Kessel

Matt Kessel
Born (2000-06-23) June 23, 2000 (age 24)
Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.
Height 6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Weight 205 lb (93 kg; 14 st 9 lb)
Position Defense
Shoots Right
NHL team St. Louis Blues
National team  United States
NHL draft 150th overall, 2020
St. Louis Blues
Playing career 2022–present

Matthew James Kessel[1] (born June 23, 2000) is an American professional ice hockey defenseman for the St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League (NHL).

Early life

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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

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Amateur

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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

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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

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Kessel (right) with the St. Louis Blues in 2024.

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

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Regular season and playoffs

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Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2017–18 Fargo Force USHL 32 0 3 3 18 — — — — —
2017–18 Chicago Steel USHL 20 0 0 0 4 3 0 0 0 2
2018–19 Sioux Falls Stampede USHL 62 2 17 19 38 12 1 3 4 14
2019–20 UMass-Amherst HE 34 7 4 11 48 — — — — —
2020–21 UMass-Amherst HE 29 10 13 23 16 — — — — —
2021–22 UMass-Amherst HE 37 6 11 17 22 — — — — —
2021–22 Springfield Thunderbirds AHL 15 0 3 3 8 18 1 1 2 6
2022–23 Springfield Thunderbirds AHL 71 5 28 33 66 2 0 0 0 0
2022–23 St. Louis Blues NHL 2 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
2023–24 Springfield Thunderbirds AHL 36 3 5 8 16 — — — — —
2023–24 St. Louis Blues NHL 39 1 6 7 12 — — — — —
NHL totals 41 1 6 7 12 — — — — —

International

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Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2024 United States WC 5th 2 0 1 1 0
Senior totals 2 0 1 1 0

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "#4 Matthew Kessel". umassathletics.com. Retrieved April 7, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d "Matt Kessel". Elite Prospects. Retrieved April 7, 2024.
  3. ^ Korac, Lou (January 25, 2024). "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. Retrieved April 7, 2024.
  4. ^ "Will Kessel". Elite Prospects. Retrieved April 7, 2024.
  5. ^ "Peter Kessel". Elite Prospects. Retrieved April 7, 2024.
  6. ^ a b c Marinofsky, Evan (April 6, 2021). "'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". The Massachusetts Daily Collegian. Retrieved April 7, 2024.
  7. ^ McCarthy, Colin (April 4, 2022). "'Nobody really had many expectations for any of them except us,' how Greg Carvel shapes undrafted Minutemen into NHL prospects". The Massachusetts Daily Collegian. Retrieved April 7, 2024.
  8. ^ a b Marinofsky, Evan (November 7, 2019). "Kessel and Cassaro adjusting well to college hockey and solidifying UMass hockey's back-end". The Massachusetts Daily Collegian. Retrieved April 7, 2024.
  9. ^ "No. 15/14 Northeastern Nips #4 Massachusetts Hockey, 3-1". umassathletics.com. University of Massachusetts. October 15, 2019. Retrieved April 7, 2024.
  10. ^ Bortle, Noah (November 17, 2019). "Put on the first d-pairing, Matt Kessel helps UMass to 4-1 win". The Massachusetts Daily Collegian. Retrieved April 7, 2024.
  11. ^ "Blues sign Kessel to entry-level contract". St. Louis Blues. March 28, 2022. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  12. ^ "Coyles SO goal helps Bruins defeat Blues". ESPN. April 2, 2023. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
  13. ^ "Projected lineup: December 30 at Pittsburgh". St. Louis Blues. December 30, 2023. Retrieved December 31, 2023.
  14. ^ McCarthy, Dave (February 13, 2024). "McMann sparks short-handed Maple Leafs past Blues". NHL.com. Toronto. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
  15. ^ "Kessel signs two-year contract extension". NHL.com. March 13, 2024. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
  16. ^ Arritt, Dan (April 7, 2024). "Thomas has 4 points, Blues recover to defeat Ducks in shootout". NHL.com. Anaheim. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
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