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Having to follow in the footsteps of a sibling is never easy, especially in sports. Apparently, Amanda Kessel didn’t get the memo. As the sibling of Pittsburgh Penguin right winger Phil Kessel, this week’s spotlight has earned her fair share of the spotlight along with her other brother and father. However, Amanda Kessel has shown that she can play with the big boys and that she deserves as much credit as any other athlete.
Kessel followed in the footsteps of older brother Phil; playing hockey at a young age and taking her team to state and regional championships. In high school, she joined the Shattuck St. Mary’s hockey team before deciding to attend the University of Minnesota. During her first game with the Golden Gophers, she tallied up two goals and two assists including shooting the game-winning goal. Kessel continued playing from 2010-2013 where she would appear in 114 games, rack up 97 goals and 134 assists and accumulate 16 game-winning goals.
From 2013-2015, Kessel had to sit out from playing collegiate hockey due to concussion symptoms. She was eventually be cleared to play this year. She made her debut on February 5th and racked up two assists, making it a successful night after sitting out for almost three years. Her long-awaited comeback showed that she is still one of the top female hockey players and that she deserves the recognition.Despite sitting out part of the 2013 season, Kessel was awarded with the 2013 Patty Kazmaier Award, naming her the top female hockey player in 2013.
At age 24, Kessel is already showing so much talent and looks like she has a lot of potential to become a professional hockey player. Even though Kessel sat out for two years of her college career, that didn’t stop her from achieving success on the ice. In 2011, Kessel was named to the U.S. Women’s National Hockey Team. As part of Team USA, she helped them win all of the tournaments she played in. She earned two silver medals, one of which was from the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi and two gold medals and doesn’t look like she’ll be slowing down anytime soon.
One of the most outstanding qualities that Kessel possess is her patience and determination to return to the ice. After being reassured by doctors that she was going to play, Kessel worked to ensure that. She started off by skating by herself before being allowed to skate with her teammates and then eventually being cleared to play on the team. Watching her now makes it seem like she never missed any time and that’s what makes her such a good player. It will be interesting to see where Kessel’s career takes her especially with the creation of the NWHL.
