Courtesy of umassathletics.com

Fantasy Summary

Hard-working defenseman who is reliable in his own zone. Found offence in his game recently.


Observations

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April 2024 – After playing his first two NHL games last season, Kessel split this season between the NHL and the AHL. In the 36 games he played with the Blues, he wasn’t much of a contributor offensively, but his defense was impressive. Kessel posted the lowest expected goals against rate of any Blues defenseman (2.56) and the third-lowest scoring chance against per 60 (28.03). If he can achieve an average level of offense next season, as he demonstrated last season in the AHL, Kessel could become an intriguing defenseman for the Blues and fantasy GMs. Cedrick Blais-Turcotte

 

June 2023 – Kessel found an offensive part of his game last season, that few knew he had. In addition to finishing first in points for a defenseman with the Thunderbirds, Kessel managed to generate offense in the two NHL games he played. Kessel finishes his second NHL game with a dominant 85% xGF. The spotlight will be on him this season, considering he was probably the Blues’ prospect with the most significant improvement last year. Cedrick Blais-Turcotte 

 

October 2020 – Kessel was drafted 150th overall by the St. Louis Blues. He will most likely spend the next two-three years in college before turning pro. Lou Farah

 

March 2022 – Kessel signed his ELC with the Blues. It is a two-year contract beginning in the 2022-23 season. Kessel will make his pro debut in the AHL with Springfield on a tryout. Kessel is a big 6-3 defensive defenseman. He plays a physical game throwing a lot of hits and blocking a lot of shots for banger leaguers. His offensive game is limited but he does own a bomb of a shot. Peter Harling

Attributes
Fantasy Upside 4.0
NHL Certainty 7.5
Country USA
Position D
Roster Type Minors
Shoot/Glove Right
Date of Birth June 23, 2000
Height 6‘3”
Weight 203 lbs
Drafted 2020 Round 5; Overall: 150

Stats

 Season Team League GP G A TP PIM      Playoffs GP G A TP PIM 
 2012-2013 Detroit Honeybaked QC Int PW2 0 00 2|        
 2013-2014 Little Caesars 13U AAAHPHL 13U20 0 44 14|        
 2014-2015 Little Caesars 14U AAAHPHL 14U17 3 47 8|        
 2015-2016 Team Royal USA-S155 0 44 -|        
  Little Caesars 16U AAAHPHL 16U8 0 00 0|        
 2016-2017 Compuware 16U AAAHPHL 16U20 1 34 32|        
  Team Orange USA-S165 0 66 -|        
 2017-2018 Fargo ForceUSHL32 0 33 18|        
  Team Royal USA-S175 2 02 -|        
  Chicago SteelUSHL20 0 00 4|Playoffs3 0 00
 2018-2019 Sioux Falls StampedeUSHL62 2 1719 38|Playoffs12 1 34 14 
 2019-2020 Univ. of MassachusettsNCAA34 7 411 48|        
 2020-2021 Univ. of MassachusettsNCAA29 10 1323 16|        
 2021-2022 Univ. of MassachusettsNCAA37 6 1117 22|        
  Springfield ThunderbirdsAHL15 0 33 8|Playoffs18 1 12
 2022-2023 St. Louis BluesNHL2 0 00 0|        
  Springfield ThunderbirdsAHL71 5 2833 66|Playoffs2 0 00
 2023-2024 St. Louis BluesNHL39 1 67 12|        
  Springfield ThunderbirdsAHL36 3 58 16|        
  USAWC2 0 11 0|        
  Team USAInternational1 0 11 0|        
 2024-2025 St. Louis BluesNHL26 0 33 10|        
  Springfield ThunderbirdsAHL2 1 01 4|        

Highlights