| Birth date | June 23, 2000 (age 26) |
|---|---|
| Birth place | Phoenix, Arizona, U.S. |
| Height | 6 ft |
| Height in | 2 |
| Weight lb | 205 |
| Position | Defense |
| Shoots | Right |
| League | NHL |
| Team | St. Louis Blues |
| Prospect league | AHL |
| Ntl team | USA |
| Draft (2020) | 150th overall |
| Draft team | St. Louis Blues |
| Career start | 2022 |
Matthew James Kessel[1] (born June 23, 2000) is an American professional ice hockey player who is a defenseman for 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 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 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2024–25 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 29 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2024–25 | Springfield Thunderbirds | AHL | 29 | 5 | 12 | 17 | 25 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2025–26 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 29 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 99 | 3 | 10 | 13 | 32 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
International
| 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
- ^ "#4 Matthew Kessel". umassathletics.com. Retrieved April 7, 2024.
- ^ "Matt Kessel". Elite Prospects. Retrieved April 7, 2024.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Will Kessel". Elite Prospects. Retrieved April 7, 2024.
- ^ "Peter Kessel". Elite Prospects. Retrieved April 7, 2024.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "No. 15/14 Northeastern Nips #4 Massachusetts Hockey, 3-1". umassathletics.com. University of Massachusetts. October 15, 2019. Retrieved April 7, 2024.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Blues sign Kessel to entry-level contract". St. Louis Blues. March 28, 2022. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
- ^ "Coyles SO goal helps Bruins defeat Blues". ESPN. April 2, 2023. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
- ^ "Projected lineup: December 30 at Pittsburgh". St. Louis Blues. December 30, 2023. Retrieved December 31, 2023.
- ^ McCarthy, Dave (February 13, 2024). "McMann sparks short-handed Maple Leafs past Blues". NHL.com. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
- ^ "Kessel signs two-year contract extension". NHL.com. March 13, 2024. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
- ^ Arritt, Dan (April 7, 2024). "Thomas has 4 points, Blues recover to defeat Ducks in shootout". NHL.com. Retrieved April 8, 2024.