Kessel, Phil

Club career

Boston Bruins

Phil Kessel at the Boston Bruins

Phil Kessel was selected at the 2006 NHL Draft in Round 1 under the overall 5th number by the Boston Bruins team. On August 17, 2006, he signed a three-year rookie contract with the club and immediately ended up in the Boston main squad, playing his first game in the NHL on October 6 of that year against the Florida Panthers ^[1] . In his second game for the Bruins, Phil scored the first point for an assist ^[2] . Kessel scored the first goal in the NHL on October 21 at the gate of Martin Biron from the Buffalo Sabers ^[3] . In the middle of the season, it became known that Kessel had testicular cancer and needed surgery. After an operation in December, during which his right testicle was removed, Kessel was able to return to the ice and, after two matches in the AHL for the Providence Bruins , again play for Boston ^[4] . After the season ended, Phil Masterton Trophy was awarded Phil - a prize for high sportsmanship and loyalty to hockey ^[5] .

In the next two seasons as part of Boston, Kessel would certainly improve his performance statistics, scoring a record 36 goals in the 2008/09 season , becoming the team’s best sniper ^[6] , and making two hat-tricks during that time - on October 12, 2007 Jonathan Bernier of the Los Angeles Kings ^{[7] [8]} and April 12, 2009 New York Islanders , whose gates were defended by Yann Dani and Joey MacDonald ^{[9] [10]} .

Toronto Maple Leafs

On September 19, 2009, Boston exchanged Kessel at the Toronto Maple Leafs for three picks in the draft - in the first and second round of 2010 ( Tyler Segin and Jared Knight) and in the first round of 2011 ( Dougie Hamilton ) ^[11] . At first, the Boston leadership wanted to give Kessel and Toronto 2009 draft pick in exchange for defender Tomasz Kaberle , but the deal did not take place ^{[12] [13]} . After that, Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli announced that he would like to leave Kessel, who became a limited free agent ^[14] , in the team and ready to exchange other players for this ^[15] , since the payroll was almost full, and Kessel was waiting for a substantial salary increases ^{[16] [17]} . But in the end, the parties could not agree, and Kessel went to Toronto.

This is a great striker. I am sure that he can still add. Many clubs wanted to get it. But in the team we need players who really want to play in Boston

- Peter Chiarelli, General Manager, Boston Bruins [1]

With Toronto, Kessel signed a five-year contract worth $ 27 million ^[11] .

At Maple Leafs, Phil Kessel could only make his debut in November, as he was recovering from shoulder surgery ^{[6] [18] [19]} at the end of May ^[20] . Already in his third maple-leaf game, he scored an abandoned goal in the match against the Detroit Red Wings , which was victorious ^[21] . In Toronto, Phil Kessel immediately became the leader in points and goals scored, taking first place in all of his seasons at Maple Leafs in 2010 , 2011 , 2012 and 2013 . During this time, he issued two more hat-tricks - on October 8, 2011 at the gates of the Ottawa Senators , Alex Old and Craig Anderson ^[22] , and October 22, 2013 at the gates of Jonas Hiller from Anaheim Ducks ^{[23] [24 ] ]} .

Kessel took part in the 2011 NHL All-Star Game ^[25] . During the draft of the match of the stars, he was selected to the Lidstrom team as the last of all players ^[26] and, as the last player selected, received a Honda CR-Z car and $ 20,000 for charity from the organizers ^[27] . At the next match of the stars, Kessel was selected to the Hara team ^[28] . He scored one goal and twice assisted Joffrey Lupula ^[29] .

October 1, 2013 Kessel signed a new contract with Toronto for 8 years. The amount of the contract amounted to 64 million dollars ^[30] .

Pittsburgh Penguins

On July 1, 2015, Toronto traded Kessel, striker Tyler Biggs and defender Tim Erickson to Pittsburgh Penguins for strikers Casperi Kapanen , Nick Spoling , defender Scott Harrington and pick in the third round of the 2016 draft , previously received from the New Jersey Devils ". The teams also exchanged conditional draft picks of the second and first rounds ^[31] .

In the first season, Kessel won the Stanley Cup as part of the “penguins”. The third link of Hagelin - Bonino- Kessel (HBC) became one of the fundamental reasons for the success of the “Pittsburgh” in the playoffs, and Phil himself scored 10 goals.

The following season, Kessel set a personal goal goal record (47) and won the Stanley Cup for the second time in a row with Pittsburgh. At the same time, Phil improved his performance in the playoffs, gaining 1 point more than last time.

In the 2017/18 season, Kessel scored 92 points, setting a personal record. At the same time, Phil did not miss a single match of the regular season for the 8th consecutive season. In the playoffs scored only 1 goal in 12 games.

Team

As part of the US junior team, Phil Kessel twice participated in the World Championships - in 2004 and 2005 . At the tournament in Minsk, he took fifth place in the list of tournament scorers with ³² points ^[32] , and the US team lost in the final to the Russian team . A year later, at a tournament in the Czech Republic, Kessel became the top scorer and the best sniper of the championship. The US team took first place, and Kessel in the final against Canada scored a double. Kessel entered the symbolic team and was selected as the best striker of the tournament.

Earlier, in December 2004 - January 2005, Phil Kessel played for the US youth team at the World Championships in North Dakota and Minnesota . He took part in all seven matches of the team, in which he scored six points. The Americans lost in the semifinals of the Russian national team , and in the match for third place - the Czech national team . At the next World Cup in Canada, the Americans repeated last year's result, only in the match for third place they lost to the Finns . Kessel, although he scored just one goal, became the top scorer of the tournament, gaining 11 points ^[33] .

At the World Championships in Latvia in 2006, Kessel made his debut for the US adult team . He took part in seven matches and scored two points, and the Americans dropped out at the quarter-finals, losing to future champions - Sweden 0-6. A year later, at the World Championships in Moscow, Kessel again played for the national team ^[34] . He has already scored seven points, but the US team again lost in the quarterfinals. This time, the Finnish national team , like a year later, at the World Championships in Canada . Kessel ^[35] played all seven matches of the team and scored 10 points.

Phil Kessel was on an extended list of candidates for a trip to the Vancouver Olympics ^[36] . Later, he got into the final application of the US team ^[37] . Kessel was considered one of the leaders of the team ^{[38] [39]} , he was supposed to play in the same troika with Ryan Malone and Joe Pavelsky ^[40] . But Phil for the entire tournament scored just two points, scoring the puck and giving an assist in a match against the Norwegian national team in the group stage.

After the Olympics, Kessel was twice called up for the World Championships in 2011 ^[41] and 2012. But both times he refused, citing the fact that he needed a rest ^{[42] [43]} .

• Stanley Cup Winner 2016, 2017
• Member of the NHL Young Stars 2007
• Winner Bill Masterton Trophy 2007
• Silver medalist at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics ( US Team )
• Member of the NHL All-Star Game 2011 , 2012

Club career

International Competitions

NHL All-Star Matches

• Phil Kessel - Profile on the NHL Website
• Phil Kessel - Stats at The Internet Hockey Database
• Phil Kessel - Eliteprospects.com statistics
• Phil Kessel on Twitter