Blake Kessel

hfboardsuser

Registered User
Nov 18, 2004
12,280
0
The following is a blurb I put together for my column this week:

"And now looking ahead to the 2007 draft, if you've caught any United States Hockey League Junior A action recently, you may have suffered a bad case of deja vu. He looks like Phil Kessel. He talks like Phil Kessel. But he plays defense. No, the Bruins really didn't send the youngster to a relatively obscure league to train as a puck-moving blueliner. That's his younger brother, Waterloo Black Hawk rearguard Blake Kessel.

While it's tough to imagine a relative of the 'American Sidney Crosby' as being a two-way player.... well, that's still tough to imagine. The younger Kessel has the size at 6'2, 210 lbs to play a solid positional game- and he does, at times- but Blake's game is still all about generating offense. An 80-point scorer in 67 games for his AAA club last season, the defender has five points through his first seven USHL games.

Okay, despite the obvious jokes, this Kessel is actually not that bad in his own zone. You can't be if you play for a team coached by former NHL stalwart Gary Suter, the situation Kessel was in last year.

Having said that, a Kessel with size, skill AND defensive acumen? Are you kidding me? You'd think he'd be hyped as the 'American Bobby Orr', whether he warranted it or not. And yet he's only made NHL Central Scouting's 'Players to Watch' list. The Bruins must be absolutely salivating. Or paying off the NHL not to talk about him. Or both. Then again, this IS Central Scouting, of whom had Deveraux Heshmatpour ranked ahead of Marc-Edouard Vlasic, Paul Stastny, Steve Downie and Danny Syvret in 2005..."

Since writing this on Saturday, Kessel added another point in two games, bringing his total to a modest 6 in 9.

As for the aforementioned CSB Players to Watch list, he made it as a 'B' player, someone to be looked at if you are 'in the region'.

Players on PtW list have a history of becoming steals down the road- Ben Bishop, for one.

Where do you see him being drafted? Personally, I think a 4th round pick probably would get him now, but the hype may push him into the top 90 or even 60 if a team really likes him.
 

UvBnDatsyuked

Registered User
Apr 30, 2005
2,186
1
The following is a blurb I put together for my column this week:

"And now looking ahead to the 2007 draft, if you've caught any United States Hockey League Junior A action recently, you may have suffered a bad case of deja vu. He looks like Phil Kessel. He talks like Phil Kessel. But he plays defense. No, the Bruins really didn't send the youngster to a relatively obscure league to train as a puck-moving blueliner. That's his younger brother, Waterloo Black Hawk rearguard Blake Kessel.

While it's tough to imagine a relative of the 'American Sidney Crosby' as being a two-way player.... well, that's still tough to imagine. The younger Kessel has the size at 6'2, 210 lbs to play a solid positional game- and he does, at times- but Blake's game is still all about generating offense. An 80-point scorer in 67 games for his AAA club last season, the defender has five points through his first seven USHL games.

Okay, despite the obvious jokes, this Kessel is actually not that bad in his own zone. You can't be if you play for a team coached by former NHL stalwart Gary Suter, the situation Kessel was in last year.

Having said that, a Kessel with size, skill AND defensive acumen? Are you kidding me? You'd think he'd be hyped as the 'American Bobby Orr', whether he warranted it or not. And yet he's only made NHL Central Scouting's 'Players to Watch' list. The Bruins must be absolutely salivating. Or paying off the NHL not to talk about him. Or both. Then again, this IS Central Scouting, of whom had Deveraux Heshmatpour ranked ahead of Marc-Edouard Vlasic, Paul Stastny, Steve Downie and Danny Syvret in 2005..."

Since writing this on Saturday, Kessel added another point in two games, bringing his total to a modest 6 in 9.

As for the aforementioned CSB Players to Watch list, he made it as a 'B' player, someone to be looked at if you are 'in the region'.

Players on PtW list have a history of becoming steals down the road- Ben Bishop, for one.

Where do you see him being drafted? Personally, I think a 4th round pick probably would get him now, but the hype may push him into the top 90 or even 60 if a team really likes him.

Does the Kessel name really carry that much weight?
 

hfboardsuser

Registered User
Nov 18, 2004
12,280
0
It did this time last year, heck, two years. "Kessel = Crosby", etc. I was mostly speaking tongue-in-cheek, however.
 

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