Phil Kessel

Infobox Ice Hockey Player
position = Center/Winger
shoots = Right
height_ft = 6
height_in = 0
weight_lb = 180
team = Boston Bruins
league = NHL
nickname =Phil The Thrill,cite web|title = Phil The Thrill|url = http://www.cbc.ca/sports/indepth/feature-kessel.html|publisher = CBC]
Special Kcite web|title = Cocky Kessel brings big game and mouth to NHL/Special K|url = http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/writers/allan_muir/08/18/kessel.impact/index.html|publisher = SI.com - Writers - Allan Muir|date = 2006-08-18]
nationality = USA
birth_date = birth date and age|1987|10|2
birth_place = Madison, WI, US
career_start = 2006
draft = 5^th overall
draft_year = 2006
draft_team = Boston Bruins

---

image_size = 220px

Philip Joseph Kessel Jr. (born October 2 1987, Madison, Wisconsin) is an American professional ice hockey forward for the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League.Phil is a product of USA Hockey's National Development Team and became that program's All-Time leader for goals and points in his final 2004-05 year. Kessel finished his junior career by playing collegiate hockey for the University of Minnesota in the WCHA. He was the 5^th pick of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, taken by The Bruins. In his rookie 2006-07 NHL season he was awarded by the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy.

Playing career

Kessel had a fantastic 2004-05 season, one in which many NHL scouts ranked him as a prospect comparable to Sidney CrosbyFuture Greats and Heartbreaks, Gare Joyce, 2007, pg. 34-35 (footnote)] (and one of The Next Onescite web
title = The Next One
url = http://www.insidecollegehockey.com/7Archives/Features/kessel_0245.htm
publisher = INCH
date = 2004-07-06] ). Born in October, Kessel missed the 2005 NHL Entry Draft cutoff by only one month. However, in 2005-06, Kessel experienced several setbacks that hurt his ranking as a prospect. Considered the most talented player on the favoured United States team in the 2006 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, he scored only one goal and the team finished in fourth. His college performance was less spectacular than expected; by season's end he was playing third-line minutes for a loaded Minnesota Golden Gophers squad, though he did score 18 goals and finish with 51 total points, a solid season for a freshman forward. Future Boston Bruin forward Blake Wheeler was a teammate of Kessel at the University of Minnesota, during the 2005-06 collegiate ice hockey season.

Kessel was still viewed highly enough that he was drafted 5^th overall in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft by the Boston Bruins. Prior to the draft he dropped in ranking from first to second place among the North American skaters and in the final ranking he was ranked fifth among the North American skaters.

On August 17 2006, The Bruins announced that Phil signed a multi-year entry-level contract, reportedly worth the rookie maximum of $850,000.

On December 11, 2006, his family announced that Kessel was hospitalized for a reason unrelated to hockey. Later during the day, Bob Lobel, a sportscaster in the region of Boston, confirmed that Phil was diagnosed with a form of testicular cancer.cite web
title = Bruins' Kessel Diagnosed With Cancer
url = http://wbztv.com/local/local_story_345230707.html
publisher = CBC
date = 2006-12-11
accessdate = 2007-07-03]

On December 16, 2006, Phil was announced cancer-free. On January 5 2007, he was assigned to Providence for conditioning purposescite web
title = Boston Bruins Assign Phil Kessel to Providence Bruins
url = http://bruins.nhl.com/team/app?articleid=305287&page=NewsPage&service=page
publisher = Boston Bruins
date = 2007-01-05] and then recalled on January 7. Kessel returned to the Bruins line-up on January 9, against the Ottawa Senators, after missing only 11 regular season games following cancer surgery.

Phil was named to the 2007 NHL YoungStars game which took place in Dallas, Texas on January 23, 2007. He recorded a hat trick (including a unique powerplay with a game winning goal) and an assist during this game in a 9-8 Eastern Conference victory.cite web
title = East triumphs in YoungStars shootout
url = http://www.nhl.com/nhl/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=287864
publisher = NHL
date = 2007-01-23]

While Phil was not among top rookies in goals or assists, he became second among rookies with four shootout goals (4 of 7). Each goal was a game-deciding one that brought his team a win.

On March 31, 2007, Boston Herald's author Stephen Harris reported that Phil Kessel was voted by Boston writers as the team's candidate for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy (for perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey).cite web
title = Candidate for the Masterton
url = http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/bostonherald/access/1247691431.html?dids=1247691431:1247691431&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Mar+31%2C+2007&author=STEPHEN+HARRIS&pub=Boston+Herald&edition=&startpage=28&desc=B%27s+back+their+boss+
publisher = Boston Herald
date = 2007-03-31
accessdate = 2007-07-03] Later, on June 14, at the Elgin Theatre in Toronto, NHL announced that Phil had been officially selected as the recipient of the 2007 Masterton award.

His first shootout goal of the 2007-08 NHL season came on October 20, 2007, playing in Boston against the New York Rangers, and was the only goal scored in that game. He repeated that feat against the Rangers in Boston on January 19, 2008, as a game-winning shootout goal. Once again, on February 8, 2008 Kessel scored the only shootout goal in an "away" game against the Buffalo Sabres, winning the game with a 3-2 "come-from-behind" score for the Bruins.

To start the Bruins' '08-'09 season, Phil scored the very first Bruins goal of the season on October 9, 2008, playing against the Colorado Avalanche during the first period of the Colorado team's home opener, that resulted in a 5-4 defeat for the Avalanche. [http://www.nhl.com/ice/boxscore.htm?id=2008020006]

Personal life

His parents were both good athletes: father Phil Kessel Sr., a college quarterback, attended Northern Michigan University from 1976-81, he was drafted by the Washington Redskins of the NFL spending his first year on injured reserve and then released; mother Kathy ran track in college..

Phil has an older cousin that plays in the NHL, David Moss, of the Calgary Flames. His brother Blake, a defenseman, was drafted by the New York Islanders in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, in the 6^th round, 166^th overall, now playing for the University of New Hampshire Wildcats. ; their sister Amanda also plays hockey.

Awards and honors

*2005: Bob Johnson Award at the USA Hockey Annual Congress (for excellence in international hockey competition during a specific season of play)cite web
title = Phil Kessel captured the Bob Johnson Award
url = http://www.insidecollegehockey.com/7Archives/News/update_0334.htm
publisher = INCH
date = 2005-05-27
accessdate = 2007-07-03]
*2005-06: WCHA Rookie of the Year, WCHA All-Rookie Team
*2006-07: Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, Played in the NHL YoungStars game

Records

*USA Hockey’s National Development Team's franchise record for most career goals: 104
*USA Hockey’s National Development Team's franchise record for most career points: 180
*USA Hockey’s National Development Team's single-season record for goals: 52 (shared with Patrick Kane)
*United States National U18 Team's All-Time leader for points (26), goals (16) and assists (10) in 12 games during 2004-2005 World Junior Ice Hockey U18 Championships

*Boston Bruins' franchise record for most career deciding shootout goals: 9
*The first NHL rookie to be honored with the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy

Milestones

*Played his first NHL game October 6 2006, vs. Florida Panthers
*Recorded his first NHL point October 7, 2006, vs. Tampa Bay Lightning, assisting on a goal by Brad Boyes
*Scored his first NHL goal October 21, 2006, vs. Buffalo Sabres

*Scored his first NHL hat trick October 12 2007, vs. Los Angeles Kings
*100^th NHL game December 12, 2007, vs. Atlanta Thrashers

Career statistics

International play

Played for the United States in:
*2004 IIHF World U18 Championships (All-Star Team)
*2005 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships
*2005 IIHF World U18 Championships (Best Forward, All-Star Team, Leading Scorer)
*2006 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships (Leading Scorer)
*2006 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships
*2007 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships
*2008 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships

Also played for the United States in:
*Four Nations Cup U17 (November 7-9, 2003, Magnitogorsk, Russia), 1^st place, recorded 8 points (4 goals, 4 assists) in 3 games
*Five Nations Cup U18 (February 10-13, 2005, Tjorn, Sweden), 1^st place, recorded 6 points (5 goals, 1 assist) in 4 games

Participated in two U.S. National Junior Evaluation Camps (2005, 2006)

International statistics

References

*"Press releases":
**"In the Spotlight". John McGourty, NHL.com Staff Writer [http://www.nhl.com/nhl/app?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=279213 Kessel's the '06 draft's wild card] . Jul 17, 2006
**"Bruins News". [http://bruins.nhl.com/team/app?articleid=305156&page=NewsPage&service=page Bruins sign Phil Kessel to multi-year contract] . Aug 17, 2006
** [http://bruins.nhl.com/team/app?articleid=318375&page=NewsPage&service=page Phil Kessel Honored as 2007 Masterton Recipient] . Jun 14, 2007
*"Profiles":
**"Boston Bruins". [http://bruins.nhl.com/team/app?page=PlayerDetail&playerId=8473548&service=page&tab=prf Phil Kessel] . Retrieved 25 Jun 2007
**"National Hockey League Players' Association (NHLPA)". [http://www.nhlpa.com/WebStats/PlayerBiography.asp?ID=29827 Phil Kessel]
**"Minnesota Golden Gophers". [http://www.gophersports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=38856&SPID=3322&DB_OEM_ID=8400&ATCLID=260917&Q_SEASON=2005 Phil Kessel] . Retrieved 17 Aug 2006
*"Other information":
**"Bish of Bish's Blog, is John Bishop. He is the beat reporter for BostonBruins.com". [http://bruins.nhl.com/team/app?service=page&page=NewsIndex Bish's Blog] . Retrieved 23 Sep 2007
** [http://bruins.bostonherald.com/bruins/ Boston Herald]
**"Updates and Insights from Globe Sports Writers". [http://www.boston.com/sports/hockey/bruins/extras/bruins_blog/ Bruins Blog]
*"USA Hockey":
**"US Hockey Report". [http://www.ushr.com/ USHR]
** [http://www.usahockey.com/servlets/FileServlet/relatedDocuments/13D66ECDC396617FE0440003BA5FE009/Mens%20Guide%202006%203.pdf 2006 USA Men's National Hockey Team Media Guide] . Retrieved 17 Aug 2006

References

External links

*hockeydb|93039