Matthew Kessel

Matthew James Kessel (born June 23, 2000) is an American professional ice hockey player who is a defenseman for the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League (NHL).

Early life Kessel was born on June 23, 2000 in Arizona, USA to parents Tom and Leila Kessel. alongside his three older brothers. His third oldest brother played college hockey at the College of the Holy Cross from 2017 to 2021.

Playing career Amateur Kessel first played junior ice hockey for the Fargo Force of the United States Hockey League (USHL) in 2017–18, moving to the Chicago Steel later that season. In 2018, he moved to the Sioux Falls Stampede. Due to a close connection with one of the assistant coaches, Kessel was offered a spot at UMass Amherst without seeing the campus or being recruited through the normal means. Kessel began the 2019–20 season playing on the UMass Minutemen's third defensive pairing alongside fellow freshman Gianfranco Cassaro. He made his collegiate debut on October 11 Kessel impressed the UMass coaching staff through the first seven games of the season enough that he was dubbed the "most impressive freshman" by head coach Greg Carvel. He then played the majority of the season as one of the team's top defenseman alongside Marc Del Gaizo and finished with seven goals to lead all freshmen defensemen in the nation. He was assigned to complete the 2021–22 season with the team's American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds. He played just one more game, two days later, before being sent down to the AHL. On February 13, 2024, he recorded his first NHL point, an assist on a goal by Alexey Toropchenko. On March 13, Kessel signed a two-year, one-way contract extension with the Blues. In his 37th game, he scored his first NHL goal on April 7, against Lukáš Dostál of the Anaheim Ducks.

On July 1, 2026, Kessel was signed as a free agent to a one-year, $850,000 contract with the New York Islanders after not receiving a qualifying offer from the Blues.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs Regular seasonPlayoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 2017–18 Fargo Force USHL 32 0 3 3 18 — — — — — 2017–18 Chicago Steel USHL 20 0 0 0 4 3 0 0 0 2 2018–19 Sioux Falls Stampede USHL 62 2 17 19 38 12 1 3 4 14 2019–20 UMass-Amherst HE 34 7 4 11 48 — — — — — 2020–21 UMass-Amherst HE 29 10 13 23 16 — — — — — 2021–22 UMass-Amherst HE 37 6 11 17 22 — — — — — 2021–22 Springfield Thunderbirds AHL 15 0 3 3 8 18 1 1 2 6 2022–23 Springfield Thunderbirds AHL 71 5 28 33 66 2 0 0 0 0 2022–23 St. Louis Blues NHL 2 0 0 0 0 — — — — — 2023–24 Springfield Thunderbirds AHL 36 3 5 8 16 — — — — — 2023–24 St. Louis Blues NHL 39 1 6 7 12 — — — — — 2024–25 St. Louis Blues NHL 29 0 3 3 10 — — — — — 2024–25 Springfield Thunderbirds AHL 29 5 12 17 25 — — — — — 2025–26 St. Louis Blues NHL 29 2 1 3 10 — — — — —NHL totals 99 3 10 13 32 — — — — —

International Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM 2024 United States WC 5th 2 0 1 1 0 Senior totals 2 0 1 1 0