Kesselring Continues to Grow While Making Most of NHL Opportunity

The last time Arizona Coyotes defenseman Michael Kesselring played at TD Garden, he was celebrating a Beanpot victory with Northeastern University.

A return trip to Boston on Saturday will bring back some meaningful memories – not to mention some emotions in playing against his favorite boyhood team – but if he’s in the lineup against the Bruins, it will be business-as-usual for the 23-year-old.

Kesselring, who was acquired as part of a deal that sent Nick Bjugstad to the Edmonton Oilers last March, has made the most of his NHL opportunity this season after the Coyotes’ blue line was depleted by a number of injuries throughout the first quarter of the season. Juuso Välimäki, Travis Dermott, Matt Dumba, and Sean Durzi have all missed some time with injuries, giving Kesselring the chance to slot into the lineup and play meaningful NHL minutes.

In 10 games this season, the 23-year-old has recorded five assists and earned a plus-2 rating while averaging 13:35 of ice time. Four of those assists have come over his last five games.

“I think I’m just making simple plays using my feet,” Kesselring said. “I think both of the last two points I just used my feet, and gave it to skilled guys that made plays. 

“Hopefully I can keep that going, shoot a few more pucks, and hopefully I can find the back of the net soon, too.”

Arizona’s upcoming three-game road trip begins against the Bruins in Boston, a meaningful trip for the 6-foot-5 blueliner who grew up cheering for the Bruins and played for two seasons at Northeastern University. He was part of the 2019-20 Huskies team that won its third straight Beanpot at TD Garden – an annual men’s and women’s tournament held between Northeastern, Boston University, Boston College, and Harvard – and ultimately started his professional career with the AHL's Bakersfield Condors in 2020-21.

The former 2018 draft pick (164th overall by the Edmonton Oilers) said the team’s upcoming trip to the Northeast United States will bring back a flood of memories, and if he has the opportunity to play on Saturday against the Bruins, it will be a surreal moment in his still-budding career.

“I’ve been thinking about it for a few weeks now, I’m pretty excited,” Kesselring said, adding he has scores of family and friends seeking tickets. “Boston’s obviously a great city, so it will be cool to go back. Watching the Bruins growing up, Bergeron, and all those guys, it’s a privilege to be a fan of the Boston Bruins growing up, so it will be an exciting one, for sure.”

The 2023-24 season marks Kesselring’s second NHL stint after making his debut with the Coyotes in 2022-23, where he recorded three assists in nine games with the Desert Dogs. He also recorded two goals and five assists in 10 games with the Tucson Roadrunners last season, and played in six with them this season before getting called up to play with Arizona.

He’s used his size and wingspan to his advantage early this season, demonstrating sound fundamental play while chipping in offensively, as well.

“He has length, he has good size, and he has a long stick,” head coach André Tourigny said. “He competes hard defensively and he has poise with the puck, as well.”

Kesselring has been working on his decision-making and attention to detail since his pre-college days in the USHL with the Des Moines Buccaneers and Fargo Force, and though the COVID-19 pandemic drastically shortened his collegiate opportunities, he’s continued to grow his game as he adjusts to the speed of both the AHL and NHL.

He said he continues to focus on being sharp and making the most of his opportunity, and understands the stakes as the Coyotes jockey for positioning in both the Central Division and Wild Card races.

“We’re a team that’s fighting to make the playoffs and every mistake is costly, so you have to be sharp out there,” Kesselring said. “Just compared to last year I’m more comfortable. The guys have been awesome, the coaching staff has been awesome, and they’re helping me feel comfortable.”

Tourigny said the rookie blueliner has impressed with his current opportunity, but there’s still aspects of the game that will continue to grow as he plays more games in the NHL.

“He needs to keep improving the quickness of his execution and quickness of his reads,” Tourigny said. “He’s really competitive, he’s a smart guy, and he’s a smart player.”

Whether or not Kesselring is in the lineup for Saturday’s matinee against the Bruins, he said he’s excited to take in the moment and reflect upon the journey that’s taken him to 19 career NHL games to this point. 

The Coyotes continue to get players back from injury (Välimäki, Dermott, and Dumba have returned to the lineup, while Durzi is day-to-day), so nothing is guaranteed. Even so, by showing consistency and continuous improvement, he believes he can eventually work his way into an everyday role.

If he’s playing on Saturday, though, it will be business as usual once the puck drops.

“I’m a New Hampshire kid, I grew up watching the Bruins, [Brad] Marchand, [Charlie] McAvoy, and even the Beanpot, so it will be pretty cool and pretty special to play in front of the fans there,” Kesselring said. “It’ll be cool at the start, but it’ll be just another hockey game once I get into it.”