Kessell=American Kovalchuk?

That's who he reminds me of,Attack,attack,attack.....lot's of confidence with the puck and backs defensemen off with his speed and ability to handle the puck and he is always looking to get in scorers position on the left side and let his howitzer go for anyone smart enough to concentrate on getting him the puck in that position.He is not as powerful physically but he's only 17 and it does'nt matter much anyway with the skills he's got.I had to laugh at some of the people commenting during the game last night,they were going on about the weak goaltending on two of his goals,granted they looked like the goaltender did a bad job but it was'nt true........he made them look bad because they were scared ****less they had no clue what was coming next and at what velocity and thus they just ended up reacting bad........he reminds me of Ilya.

Phil Kessel is Phil Kessel. He'll make his own name thank you very much. If he's canadian then he's the next Lemieux, but since he's american he'll be a good player, but not a hall of famer like Crosby. As for the goalie giving up weak goals, on "the move" the Swedish goalie was in the right position, it's just Phil is a good hockey player and got the puck past him.

If you look at the goal, there is barely anyroom to score yet somehow it goes through. On his third goal, yeah it was a weak tap in, but he went to net, never gave up on the play and got a goal and a much deserving Hat Trick. Also, the Swedish goalie broke his arm on that one. ;)

Phil Kessel is Phil Kessel. He'll make his own name thank you very much. ;)
Excellant post!

Like Reilly said, Kessel's talents will stand on it's own. Besides, Kovalchuk is a poor comparison as he is much bigger than Kessel ever will be.

Phil Kessel is Phil Kessel. He'll make his own name thank you very much. If he's canadian then he's the next Lemieux, but since he's american he'll be a good player, but not a hall of famer like Crosby. As for the goalie giving up weak goals, on "the move" the Swedish goalie was in the right position, it's just Phil is a good hockey player and got the puck past him.

If you look at the goal, there is barely anyroom to score yet somehow it goes through. On his third goal, yeah it was a weak tap in, but he went to net, never gave up on the play and got a goal and a much deserving Hat Trick. Also, the Swedish goalie broke his arm on that one. ;)

Get over it buddy... I thought Kessel was incredible in two games this tournament but that doesn't mean he's Kovalchuk or even Crosby... he's had more ice than Crosby and a more important role in USA's offense...

He is playing awesome though... he reminds me of Modano the way he skates and releases his shots.. I think thats his upside (which is pretty damn good) only time will tell though like every player...

No one is saying Crosby is a hall of famer... he's just an exception young hockey player.. the best offensive junior player their is at such a young age, this is why he gets the attention... If he wasn't afraid to be benched by Sutter and he was playing his normal position and not only playing the PP he'd have even more points...

Not taking ANYTHING away from Kessel because as of this tournament I'd say he solidified his EARLY lead on the 2006 draft class... good for him.. he looks like he plays hard in big games.. and American hockey would love a start like that to come into their hands...

all just IMO

Kessel doesn't look to small.. in the summer people were saying he was 5"9.5-5"10 170

He looks 6"0 185 to me , which isn't bad at all.... it's like a clone size of Brad Richards and he still has a little bit to grow maybe?

Phil Kessel is Phil Kessel. He'll make his own name thank you very much. If he's canadian then he's the next Lemieux, but since he's american he'll be a good player, but not a hall of famer like Crosby. As for the goalie giving up weak goals, on "the move" the Swedish goalie was in the right position, it's just Phil is a good hockey player and got the puck past him.

If you look at the goal, there is barely anyroom to score yet somehow it goes through. On his third goal, yeah it was a weak tap in, but he went to net, never gave up on the play and got a goal and a much deserving Hat Trick. Also, the Swedish goalie broke his arm on that one. ;)
Riley i really think you should settle down here...i am comparing him to a player because he reminds me of that particular player...i never said he was the guys long lost twin brother or something.....this has nothing to do with crosby so why are you going off on that? I'm trying to say the kid is a great player and somehow you turn that into an anti-Canadian rant where you attribute me saying(because i'm Canadian) that he'll only be an "o.k" player but no god like Lemieux or Crosby....where the hell do you get this stuff from anyway? You amaze me sometimes......God almighty.If i told you i thought Modano was the greatest player ever would you still find something to go nuts about? i don't get it :dunno:

Get over it buddy... I thought Kessel was incredible in two games this tournament but that doesn't mean he's Kovalchuk or even Crosby... he's had more ice than Crosby and a more important role in USA's offense...



Thank you for proving my point. Also, Kessel earned his ice time and has become the US's best player unlike a certian oilers draft pick. :innocent:

Get over it buddy... I thought Kessel was incredible in two games this tournament but that doesn't mean he's Kovalchuk or even Crosby... he's had more ice than Crosby and a more important role in USA's offense...

He is playing awesome though... he reminds me of Modano the way he skates and releases his shots.. I think thats his upside (which is pretty damn good) only time will tell though like every player...

No one is saying Crosby is a hall of famer... he's just an exception young hockey player.. the best offensive junior player their is at such a young age, this is why he gets the attention... If he wasn't afraid to be benched by Sutter and he was playing his normal position and not only playing the PP he'd have even more points...

Not taking ANYTHING away from Kessel because as of this tournament I'd say he solidified his EARLY lead on the 2006 draft class... good for him.. he looks like he plays hard in big games.. and American hockey would love a start like that to come into their hands...

all just IMO

I agree with every word, except that there are some (very) vocal posters who not only are saying Crosby is a hall of famer, but that he will be the best player (or maybe second best) ever. I think that is what draws the response from fans of others prospects.

Thank you for proving my point. Also, Kessel earned his ice time and has become the US's best player unlike a certian oilers draft pick. :innocent:
Wow, you follow that post with this? Tell me why the coach shouldn't give that certain oilers pick more time. Borques gone, they lost two in a row. Who was going to play? He rolled 4 lines pretty well last night I thought.

Phil Kessel is Phil Kessel. He'll make his own name thank you very much. If he's canadian then he's the next Lemieux, but since he's american he'll be a good player, but not a hall of famer like Crosby. As for the goalie giving up weak goals, on "the move" the Swedish goalie was in the right position, it's just Phil is a good hockey player and got the puck past him.

If you look at the goal, there is barely anyroom to score yet somehow it goes through. On his third goal, yeah it was a weak tap in, but he went to net, never gave up on the play and got a goal and a much deserving Hat Trick. Also, the Swedish goalie broke his arm on that one. ;)


The idea is Phil Kessel made all three of the plays by himself, wonderful individual effort. However, and this is a big however, I think he lacks finishing ability. Sure he scored three goals, but it was the moves, not the goals that impressed you guys. First goal, a weak little shovel that the goalie had he been down properly, should've stopped. Second goal, the goalie didn't move!!! He should be able to kick out his pads on that. Third goal, had a wide open net and couldn't finish the job, got very lucky the goalie couldn't stop it.


Kessel is having a hard time getting a good shot off after making the play. We'll see if he can get that part of the game going.

I think kessel needs to play against a stronger "D" to get a real sense of his skills,
because most of his moves hes been doing are against weak defensive players. That being said he would never get away with some of those moves at a higher level as he would be knocked on his ass every time. But I still think he is a very good player, a crowd pleaser per say thats very exciting to watch, something the NHL doesn't have enough of, so I wish him the best.

Phil Kessel is Phil Kessel. He'll make his own name thank you very much. If he's canadian then he's the next Lemieux, but since he's american he'll be a good player, but not a hall of famer like Crosby. As for the goalie giving up weak goals, on "the move" the Swedish goalie was in the right position, it's just Phil is a good hockey player and got the puck past him.

If you look at the goal, there is barely anyroom to score yet somehow it goes through. On his third goal, yeah it was a weak tap in, but he went to net, never gave up on the play and got a goal and a much deserving Hat Trick. Also, the Swedish goalie broke his arm on that one. ;)

The goalie broke his arm? I didntknow that..guess thats why they pulled him after that 1 goal.

I think you are wrong...size is only one aspect....i think he plays like him a lot....how the hell is that dissing him? You should be so lucky as to be compared to Kovalchuk...and i stand by what i see.....he plays a lot like him. I think you and Reilly are losing your mind here a bit.......how on earth did you take that post as offensive? F#$%ing unbelieveable.

Kessel will never by as spectacular as Kovalchuk. Kovalchuk is the best drafted player in the last 10 years.

I think kessel needs to play against a stronger "D" to get a real sense of his skills,
because most of his moves hes been doing are against weak defensive players. That being said he would never get away with some of those moves at a higher level as he would be knocked on his ass every time. But I still think he is a very good player, a crowd pleaser per say thats very exciting to watch, something the NHL doesn't have enough of, so I wish him the best.

Kessel has already been making those kinds of plays and putting up points against D-1 college teams that have guys who are two to seven years older than he is. His opponents may not have NHL caliber strength but they are certainly guys who are stronger and more physical than what he is seeing in this tournament.

Kessel will never by as spectacular as Kovalchuk. Kovalchuk is the best drafted player in the last 10 years.
Maybe not but that was'nt my point at all,my point was that his playing style is very similar imo........similar skill set and way of playing.Why this has turned into a "he's not as big and he's his own man Goddammit!!" stuff is beyond me.Some people are losing their mind.

I didn't see all of the American's game last night, but I saw Kessel's first goal where he went end to end, and deked out the defenseman to score.

And there is no way he is going to get away with that in a higher league. Players get smarter, faster, and meaner. Any defensemen would have thrown him down in the NHL, except maybe Aki Berg.

[QUOTE=saillias]I didn't see all of the American's game last night, but I saw Kessel's first goal where he went end to end, and deked out the defenseman to score. [QUOTE]


You should check out his 2nd goal...It was even sweeter...True, it is unlikely players in the NHL would get away with his moves, but his other 2 goals in the tournament (wrist shot & rebound) were without the flare...Also, remember, there are a handful of players who may be able to pull off some crazy moves in the NHL (i.e. Pavel Bure). I think Kessel is awesome, and I hope he continues to develop.

This goes back to my general point about this site: some of you are loony tunes.

Any chance after this turney Kessel will play in the OHL(i think Saginaw? has his rights)? No offense, but I don't think there i anything left for him to prove at the NTDP. I would really like to see how he would handle the tougher competition because I'm getting sick of all the naysayers saying he's too small. :cry: I love the way a guy like Phaneuf plays, but if you can't catch Kessel(i'm just generalizing) how can you hit him? I've coached alot of hockey an trust me what he can do at top speed you can't teach. I do agree a little with an above post about the finishing not quite there, but it doesn't bother much especially after that goal vs. Belarus where he settled a bouncing puck and fired it over the goalies shoulder.
Can we all stop being scouts and GMs for a second and just admire the kid for his talents. Heck if he were my kid I would be one proud dad-6'0 or not.

If he's smart he'll play Div 1 College Hockey. At least if he doesn't pan out or gets a bad injury he'll have that to show for it.

Any chance after this turney Kessel will play in the OHL(i think Saginaw? has his rights)? No offense, but I don't think there i anything left for him to prove at the NTDP. I would really like to see how he would handle the tougher competition because I'm getting sick of all the naysayers saying he's too small. :cry: I love the way a guy like Phaneuf plays, but if you can't catch Kessel(i'm just generalizing) how can you hit him? I've coached alot of hockey an trust me what he can do at top speed you can't teach. I do agree a little with an above post about the finishing not quite there, but it doesn't bother much especially after that goal vs. Belarus where he settled a bouncing puck and fired it over the goalies shoulder.
Can we all stop being scouts and GMs for a second and just admire the kid for his talents. Heck if he were my kid I would be one proud dad-6'0 or not.
I'm trying to admire the kids talents but some people won't let you do it i guess......pretty incredible i think.

Who says I took offense? I just think Kovalchuk isn't an accurate comparison, but that's me. He reminds me of Pat Lafontaine a bit more.
You did'nt sound to happy..."Kessells talents will stand on there own" I'm sure they will and would'nt debate that.It's fine you don't think it's a good comparison but i don't see why size is the issue here...take size out and what style of play does he have that he reminds you of?I guess it's Lafontaine with you....fair enough....to me he looks similar in "style" to kovalchuk.Regardless of opinion no-one is saying he's a rip-off of this or that player.....thats what gets me.Thats what these boards do......we make comparisons and give opinions,if we can't do it then what are we going to talk about? Last nights episode of desperate housewives? I 'm not interested in that frankly.

i honestly don't think any of these plays in the WJC will be able to pull the moves they can now when (if) they're in the NHL. even crosby...even ovechkin.

really talented players make those moves work sometimes in the NHL, but most of the time the players wont' even try them unless they practically *know* they can get it to work, and even then they don't always work

i wouldn't single out kessel to make this point like some people are doing...the moves work for him now, good deal. as long as his game continues to progress and get better as he gets older, he'll always be able to pull them off *sometimes* but not as often and not as successfully (cuz you know, in the NHL even if you deke a guy out of his jock, he's likely to just haul you down with a hook or slash after you burn past him, and you'll be lucky if you get a call :shakehead ) but the same applies to every single other "uber prospect" out there

I'm not saying this to insult Kessell, but he reminds me of Alexandre Daigle. He’s got a sick amount of speed and some solid one on one plays without great finishing skills. Daigle had no heart so I don't think this comparison will hold past junior. He's going to be a good NHLer; just not as good as some people are hyping him to be.

Kessel has great moves but I would love to see him try it on Dion Phaneuf or anybody in the NHL. He would end up looking like Olesz last year, face down and out for a verryyyyyyyyy long time.

Kessel has great moves but I would love to see him try it on Dion Phaneuf or anybody in the NHL. He would end up looking like Olesz last year, face down and out for a verryyyyyyyyy long time.
He's some shifty though and he tends to skate head-up.He's murder to defend one on one but if anyone can shut him down it'd be Phaneuf.

Kessel can go as far as he himself wants to. He's got all the talent, is an excellent skater, and he can finish. His 2nd goal was not the goaltender's fault. For one thing, a guy should never go around a defenseman like that. Kessel put that shot exactly where he had to. The goaltender had to hold the post in case Kessel took the puck wide and threw one towards the net.

It all depends on how hard Kessel wants to work. He's not done growing yet, that's for sure. He's got the given talents, it's up to his work ethic and mentality.

Kessel can go as far as he himself wants to. He's got all the talent, is an excellent skater, and he can finish. His 2nd goal was not the goaltender's fault. For one thing, a guy should never go around a defenseman like that. Kessel put that shot exactly where he had to. The goaltender had to hold the post in case Kessel took the puck wide and threw one towards the net.

It all depends on how hard Kessel wants to work. He's not done growing yet, that's for sure. He's got the given talents, it's up to his work ethic and mentality.
I've mentioned earlier it was'nt the goalies fault really,i agree with you.Plain and simple to me Kessell was just doing what he does best at too high a rate of speed and the goalie got baboozled imo.At that point they knew what he was capable of and the goalie had too much scattershot going on his head and it caused him to react badly.That kid can do it to you.

Some of you guys are incredibly stuck on the " I won't give this kid credit until he turns Rob Blake or Cris Pronger inside out before I admit he is incredibly that good"

Guess what. He's 17, playing against the top Junior guys in the world, most who are almost 3yrs older than he and he is playing like he should be talked about as one of the top Jr players in this same world. Not too shabby and I'm sure his progress @ almost 20yrs old will show him turning 23 yrs old D-men of any league level inside out as well.
The kid is a phenom well worthy of Crosby accolades.
Let's back up one year. Did Crosby show the stuff Kessler's showing thus far in this WJC and at what, almost 2yrs younger to boot? Crosby played well indeed last year, but PK is above that level in this WJC IMO.

Let's appreciate him as the player he is and is going to be down the road....phenomenal.

Some of you guys are incredibly stuck on the " I won't give this kid credit until he turns Rob Blake or Cris Pronger inside out before I admit he is incredibly that good"

Guess what. He's 17, playing against the top Junior guys in the world, most who are almost 3yrs older than he and he is playing like he should be talked about as one of the top Jr players in this same world. Not too shabby and I'm sure his progress @ almost 20yrs old will show him turning 23 yrs old D-men of any league level inside out as well.
The kid is a phenom well worthy of Crosby accolades.
Let's back up one year. Did Crosby show the stuff Kessler's showing thus far in this WJC and at what, almost 2yrs younger to boot? Crosby played well indeed last year, but PK is above that level in this WJC IMO.

Let's appreciate him as the player he is and is going to be down the road....phenomenal.
i gotta agree with you here.......though i don't think he is two years younger then Crosby was last year......i think Crosby was younger last year at this tourney then Kessell is this year? Crosby ws 16 last year and Kessell is 17 this year right? Anyway,the kid is playing awesome against most of the best under 20 players in the world,that's good enough for me...that and what i can see with my own two eyes.

Any chance after this turney Kessel will play in the OHL(i think Saginaw? has his rights)? No offense, but I don't think there i anything left for him to prove at the NTDP. I would really like to see how he would handle the tougher competition because I'm getting sick of all the naysayers saying he's too small. :cry: I love the way a guy like Phaneuf plays, but if you can't catch Kessel(i'm just generalizing) how can you hit him? I've coached alot of hockey an trust me what he can do at top speed you can't teach. I do agree a little with an above post about the finishing not quite there, but it doesn't bother much especially after that goal vs. Belarus where he settled a bouncing puck and fired it over the goalies shoulder.
Can we all stop being scouts and GMs for a second and just admire the kid for his talents. Heck if he were my kid I would be one proud dad-6'0 or not.


He's going to college and yes, Saginaw own his rights.

http://www.insidecollegehockey.com/7Archives/Features/kessel_0245.htm

Some of you guys are incredibly stuck on the " I won't give this kid credit until he turns Rob Blake or Cris Pronger inside out before I admit he is incredibly that good"

Guess what. He's 17, playing against the top Junior guys in the world, most who are almost 3yrs older than he and he is playing like he should be talked about as one of the top Jr players in this same world. Not too shabby and I'm sure his progress @ almost 20yrs old will show him turning 23 yrs old D-men of any league level inside out as well.
The kid is a phenom well worthy of Crosby accolades.
Let's back up one year. Did Crosby show the stuff Kessler's showing thus far in this WJC and at what, almost 2yrs younger to boot? Crosby played well indeed last year, but PK is above that level in this WJC IMO.

Let's appreciate him as the player he is and is going to be down the road....phenomenal.


I think crosby's only 4 months older is he not?

I don't understand how people can jump to conclusions about Kessel's finishing ability from just a few games. All of the scouting reports I've read indicate that he is a deadly finisher. Just because his big goals in the last game didn't come on rocket shots doesn't mean he can't unload if he wants to. His first goal of the tournament was a rocket to the top shelf from a pretty poor angle.

For comparions sake, Patrick O'Sullivan is acknowledged as being a very accomplished goal scorer yet from the games in this tournament I've seen you wouldn't be able to tell it. Is anybody going to question his finishing ability because of this tournament?

Kessel has shown that he has a penchant for the spectacular. That's excited a lot of people obviously. Will he be able to pull off these moves in the NHL? Probably not. However, I think he's got the talent to learn how to be a force at the next level. It's really a question of him developing his talent and learning to do the things that work the best.

I think crosby's only 4 months older is he not?

Well, chronological age is one thing and biological age is another. I mean that sometimes people are late developers, and their age in years may not tell the whole truth about them. Then again, generally it is the only thing you have knowledge of.

I think crosby's only 4 months older is he not?
Pretty sure that's it.....4-5 months.

Some of you guys are incredibly stuck on the " I won't give this kid credit until he turns Rob Blake or Cris Pronger inside out before I admit he is incredibly that good"

Guess what. He's 17, playing against the top Junior guys in the world, most who are almost 3yrs older than he and he is playing like he should be talked about as one of the top Jr players in this same world. Not too shabby and I'm sure his progress @ almost 20yrs old will show him turning 23 yrs old D-men of any league level inside out as well.
The kid is a phenom well worthy of Crosby accolades.
Let's back up one year. Did Crosby show the stuff Kessler's showing thus far in this WJC and at what, almost 2yrs younger to boot? Crosby played well indeed last year, but PK is above that level in this WJC IMO.

Let's appreciate him as the player he is and is going to be down the road....phenomenal.

TSN.ca Staff with CP files



1/1/2005

The 17-year-olds are stealing the show at the World Junior Hockey Championship.



While Canada's Sidney Crosby was the star of the round robin, American Phil Kessel - a top prospect for the 2006 NHL Draft - took the spotlight in the quarterfinals with a hat trick in an 8-2 win over Sweden.

There only 2 months apart and that is why his draft year is next year not this year.

And he wasnt good enough to make th US last year dosnt say much for his history. Now he is on the first line doesnt say much for the US team.

There only 2 months apart and that is why his draft year is next year not this year.

Thanks for the clarification.

Still stick to my thoughts on his abilities shown thus far though.

His game last night showed just as much and perhaps more than SC has so far.
I'd like to add that Bergeron is Crosby's centre but not sure how much more of a difference that would actually make as Kessler's performances have been based more on his individuality than benefitting from his linemates. It sure wouldn't hurt to have Bergeron as a linemate that's for sure!!

One thing to point out is that Crosby has been exposed to a " higher" caliber of play over a extended period than PK, so for Kessel to perform like he has at this elite WJC level is amazing.

There only 2 months apart and that is why his draft year is next year not this year.

Thanks for the clarification.

Still stick to my thoughts on his abilities shown thus far though.

His game last night showed just as much and perhaps more than SC has so far.
I'd like to add that Bergeron is Crosby's centre but not sure how much more of a difference that would actually make as Kessler's performances have been based more on his individuality than benefitting from his linemates. It sure wouldn't hurt to have Bergeron as a linemate that's for sure!!

One thing to point out is that Crosby has been exposed to a " higher" caliber of play over a extended period than PK, so for Kessel to perform like he has at this elite WJC level is amazing.
Having seen all Canada's and US games to date .. I would say that Kessel is out performing Crosby .. He skates faster, Shoots harder and has been more an overall contributor to his team ..

IF Crosby and Kessel were in the same draft year I would say that either could go #1 in the draft, but Kessel has made the biggest impact to me in this tourney

Funny how a guy strings a couple good games together and hes automatically the next big thing. Guys get overhyped so fast on this board. Kessel obviously has talent, but relax fellas.

IF Crosby and Kessel were in the same draft year I would say that either could go #1 in the draft, but Kessel has made the biggest impact to me in this tourney

dibs next hit off of whatever you're smoking.

Funny how a guy strings a couple good games together and hes automatically the next big thing. Guys get overhyped so fast on this board. Kessel obviously has talent, but relax fellas.

He's just getting hype now? Where the heck have you been the last year or so? With your head buried in the sand or are you that uninformed about top up and coming American players?
:dunno:

The kid has been getting plenty of ink for well over the past year.

He's just getting hype now? Where the heck have you been the last year or so? With your head buried in the sand or are you that uninformed about top up and coming American players?
:dunno:

The kid has been getting plenty of ink for well over the past year.

I know who he is dude, relax will you. I just think its a little early to be calling him Kovalchuk.

I thought that the puck kind of disappeared into a black hole whenever he had it. That's ok if you happen to have a 22 on the back of your sweater and your last name is Bossy, but otherwise, it's not so good.

American fans are going to shoot me for this, but he reminds me most of Sergei Berezin.

Kessel = American Gretzky

I've never seen a player with the skillset this young man posseses, simply unreal!!!!!!!!!!!