Phil Kessel = WOW!!!!

Status
Not open for further replies.

leafaholix*

Guest
ndhockey21 said:
ESPN2 said he is the youngest player in the tourny.
Michael Frolik (Czech) and Jesse Joensuu (Finland) are both younger than Phil Kessel.

Frolik is an '88, and Joensuu was born 3 days after Kessel. October 5th, 1987.
 

orangeandblack

Registered User
Nov 27, 2004
1,395
2
philadelphia
i wonder if all the michigan players on the u.s. are having any influence on kessel's college decision. its one of his top choices, and this could be a big recruiting tool for the wolverines.
 

NYR469

Registered User
Feb 27, 2002
5,785
0
Visit site
the most impressive thing about kessel is the fact that he isn't draft eligible until 2006...don't look at how good he is today against 18-19 year olds but look at where he is now and envision how good he will be 1 1/2 years from now when he becomes draft eligible.

sort of like crosby last year, he wasn't the best player last year but you could look at him and say 'wow he's got another year before being drafted'
 

NYR469

Registered User
Feb 27, 2002
5,785
0
Visit site
orangeandblack said:
i wonder if all the michigan players on the u.s. are having any influence on kessel's college decision. its one of his top choices, and this could be a big recruiting tool for the wolverines.

i'm sure that guys headed to michigan would love for kessel to join them, but there are guys on the U-18 team headed to other schools that i'm sure the same applies...

as for the advantage of him being in ann arbor with the U-18 team that could be good or bad for michigan. if kessel loves living there it is a big plus for michigan, but if he doesn't really like it there then it becomes a big negative...
 

Frenzy31

Registered User
May 21, 2003
7,175
1,995
NYR469 said:
the most impressive thing about kessel is the fact that he isn't draft eligible until 2006...don't look at how good he is today against 18-19 year olds but look at where he is now and envision how good he will be 1 1/2 years from now when he becomes draft eligible.

sort of like crosby last year, he wasn't the best player last year but you could look at him and say 'wow he's got another year before being drafted'

I think the most impressive thing about Kessel is his play. He may be smaller then some of the other guys on the team, but he didn't back down and did play physically.

As for him being 6'0". Most players are not near as big as they are listed - this is evident in many sports.
 

JJ24

Registered User
Jul 1, 2002
155
0
Visit site
NYR469 said:
i'm sure that guys headed to michigan would love for kessel to join them, but there are guys on the U-18 team headed to other schools that i'm sure the same applies...

FWIW, Kessel is reportedly rooming with Chris Bourque at the WJCs; his U17 coach, David Quinn, now AHC at BU, is in Grand Forks, too, as an assistant for Team USA. Kessel also will get a chance to skate in BU's new state-of-the-art Agganis Arena (www.uscho.com/news/2004/03/03_008101.php) on January 8 in the U18-BU exhibition game. So Terrier fans still have some hope.

Recent articles indicate that BU, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin are the remaining candidates with many folks feeling the Wolverines and Gophers have the best chances to secure Kessel's verbal for what will probably be a two-year NCAA career.
 

Spectacular_Bid

Registered User
Mar 22, 2004
561
0
Kessel looked good, he's got great speed and amazing puck skills but still plays a selfish game. He hasn't learned when to try and make an individual play or move the puck to a teammate. That will come. I was impressed with his play along the wall, especially for his size/age.
 

X-SHARKIE

Registered User
Kessel looked bigger then I remembered him being actually! He could add some bulk but he is the youngest player in the tournament and he didn't look out of place at all!

In fact I think he had an extremely impressive showing and did better then I expected.

Kessel has amazing wheels and an amazing shot that you guys didn't get to see, his playmaking well be questioned but it well come with maturity.

He's an elite player.
 

orangeandblack

Registered User
Nov 27, 2004
1,395
2
philadelphia
i know there are guys on the u-18 team going to michigan, but its different when theres 5 guys on the u-20 team that play at michigan, and could persuade him in that direction.

all this talk about him being small is ridiculous. hes listed at 6-0 184, so say for example he actually is 5-10 165 which people stated earlier, (even though i think hes closer to what hes listed at), hes still the type of player where being 5-10 wont hurt him, its not like hes 5-5. plus how many 17 yr olds are completely done growing, i kno i wasnt. he still has a little less then two years till hes drafted, and already would be a top 5 pick in this years draft. for all we know he could be 6-2 210, unlikely however, by june '06. the size debate is irrelevant right now.
 

Joe d

Registered User
Aug 15, 2004
94
0
orangeandblack said:
i know there are guys on the u-18 team going to michigan, but its different when theres 5 guys on the u-20 team that play at michigan, and could persuade him in that direction.

all this talk about him being small is ridiculous. hes listed at 6-0 184, so say for example he actually is 5-10 165 which people stated earlier, (even though i think hes closer to what hes listed at), hes still the type of player where being 5-10 wont hurt him, its not like hes 5-5. plus how many 17 yr olds are completely done growing, i kno i wasnt. he still has a little less then two years till hes drafted, and already would be a top 5 pick in this years draft. for all we know he could be 6-2 210, unlikely however, by june '06. the size debate is irrelevant right now.


Central Scouting has him listed at 5'10, 160 pounds. I assume he was measured prior to the 2004 season.
 

HabLover

Registered User
Mar 2, 2002
2,482
0
Sandspit
Visit site
X-SHARKIE said:
Kessel looked bigger then I remembered him being actually! He could add some bulk but he is the youngest player in the tournament and he didn't look out of place at all!

In fact I think he had an extremely impressive showing and did better then I expected.

Kessel has amazing wheels and an amazing shot that you guys didn't get to see, his playmaking well be questioned but it well come with maturity.

He's an elite player.

He is not the youngest player in the tourney and if you compare him to Crosby, he is only like a month or two younger. Now tell how that makes a difference in any way at all? If they were to both play junior, then they would be 17 yr olds this year, 18 yr old next year and so on. Because Kessel isn't eligible until the following draft after the majority of the 17 yr olds it may hurt or improve his rankings, you never know. If he was in the 2005 draft, where he should be, I doubt he would even be Top 5.

Kessel in the game against the Russia had alot more ice-time than I would have thought. He didn't do anything to make you go 'wow', but then he didn't necessarily do anything to make you cringe. Although he was partly to blame on the 2nd Russian goal, the pass from Ovechkin to who knows who?, when he was kind of in the wrong spot and ending up bumping into Fritsche and leaving a lane open for the cross ice pass. Again, he made some plays, carried the puck a bit, showed some speed, but nothing to take you out of your seats like everyone has been talking about. You would have to give some credit to his linemates who are veterans. I do find it interesting how he played a regular shift, while Schremp sat on his butt for the entire game, minus 45 seconds or something. I would've thought it would be the other way around?
 

montreal

Go Habs Go
Mar 21, 2002
57,340
39,859
www.youtube.com
Rabid Ranger said:
What showed you he doesn't have lower body strength? I don't think that was evident in the Russia at all. All of this talk is premature anyway, as he is likely several years away from the NHL anyway. He will grow, and he will get stronger.


His frame, stride, stance, etc... look at his lower body frame, a lot of power comes from the thighs, gives players better balance, makes them harder to knock off the puck. Jagr has massive thighs.

Maybe he does have lower body strength, but not from what I saw. Granted it's only one time watching him play, and my opinion doesn't mean crap anyways. His speed is impressive and he looks like he's going to be a fun player to watch in the NCAA.
 

markov`

Registered User
Feb 23, 2003
3,647
0
Top 2 in the world
Visit site
HabLover said:
He is not the youngest player in the tourney and if you compare him to Crosby, he is only like a month or two younger. Now tell how that makes a difference in any way at all? If they were to both play junior, then they would be 17 yr olds this year, 18 yr old next year and so on. Because Kessel isn't eligible until the following draft after the majority of the 17 yr olds it may hurt or improve his rankings, you never know. If he was in the 2005 draft, where he should be, I doubt he would even be Top 5.

Kessel in the game against the Russia had alot more ice-time than I would have thought. He didn't do anything to make you go 'wow', but then he didn't necessarily do anything to make you cringe. Although he was partly to blame on the 2nd Russian goal, the pass from Ovechkin to who knows who?, when he was kind of in the wrong spot and ending up bumping into Fritsche and leaving a lane open for the cross ice pass. Again, he made some plays, carried the puck a bit, showed some speed, but nothing to take you out of your seats like everyone has been talking about. You would have to give some credit to his linemates who are veterans. I do find it interesting how he played a regular shift, while Schremp sat on his butt for the entire game, minus 45 seconds or something. I would've thought it would be the other way around?

Kessel isn't the youngest player in the tournament, right, but I find it pretty ironic that you are arguing about the player ability with a goalie that actually played against him, when you saw him what... once, twice?
 

PanthersRule96

Registered User
Jun 15, 2003
6,048
0
Visit site
HabLover said:
If he was in the 2005 draft, where he should be, I doubt he would even be Top 5.

Umm, if your are a first rounder at least top 15 a year before your draft year, then you're definatley gonna go top 3 in your draft year.
 

Dempsey

Mark it zero
Mar 1, 2002
3,298
1,701
Ladner, BC
montreal said:
His frame, stride, stance, etc... look at his lower body frame, a lot of power comes from the thighs, gives players better balance, makes them harder to knock off the puck. Jagr has massive thighs.

Maybe he does have lower body strength, but not from what I saw. Granted it's only one time watching him play, and my opinion doesn't mean crap anyways. His speed is impressive and he looks like he's going to be a fun player to watch in the NCAA.

Why are some people on here seemingly so concerned with his strength and knocking him for it? The kid is the youngest player on his team and a long way from his draft day. Even after he's drafted he'll continue to put on weight.

The fact is, he's got major skills and natural ability that you can't teach, and he'll fill out in size.
 

Spectacular_Bid

Registered User
Mar 22, 2004
561
0
nomorekids said:
like him or not, he's been BY FAR the USA's best player, tonight.

Kessel was very good tonight but saying he was the best US player by far is a stretch. Don't get me wrong, Kessel is really playing well. He is super skilled and can flat out fly but his game is still missing a few things, namely moving the puck when other players are in a better position. Don't forget, Kessel is playing on a line with two pretty good players (Fritsche and Porter) They have been playing great, really complimenting each other.
 

nomorekids

The original, baby
Feb 28, 2003
33,375
107
Nashville, TN
www.twitter.com
LemonDrop_27 said:
Kessel was very good tonight but saying he was the best US player by far is a stretch. Don't get me wrong, Kessel is really playing well. He is super skilled and can flat out fly but his game is still missing a few things, namely moving the puck when other players are in a better position. Don't forget, Kessel is playing on a line with two pretty good players (Fritsche and Porter) They have been playing great, really complimenting each other.


the only guy that i think rivaled kessel tonight was ryan callahan. fritsche and o'sullivan took a little step backwards from last game it seemed, though the whole team seemed to, really. mike brown had a much better game, though.

overall, kessel seemed like he was making things happen every time he was on the ice.
 

Larry Fisher

Registered User
Sep 19, 2002
4,034
1,194
Kelowna, B.C.
WOW is right...

All tournament long Kessel has been one of the US's best players. IMO his role is bigger but he has far outshined Crosby's performance at last year's WJC. I'm a huge Crosby supporter but Kessel is special too and deserves his due.

Hat-trick, should have been four if the first period goal counted, against Sweden to lead his country to victory. WOW...even though the NHL is in termoil, the rest of the hockey world is thriving and the talent level is as high as ever.
 

RW8

Registered User
Feb 10, 2004
1,269
8
salostyle said:
All tournament long Kessel has been one of the US's best players. IMO his role is bigger but he has far outshined Crosby's performance at last year's WJC. I'm a huge Crosby supporter but Kessel is special too and deserves his due.

If you're going to compare Crosby's and Kessel's tournaments you'd have to compare their play this year because they are only a couple months apart in age. It's not fair to compare crosby as a 16 year old to Kessel when he's 17.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Ad

Upcoming events

Ad

Ad

-->