Matthew
Kessel
D · NYI · Balanced · Around average
- PAL
- 42
- WAR
- 0.3
- Value
- 56
- PTS
- 3
2025-26№ 131 / 325
Matthew Kessel (New York Islanders) stats and profile: offensive production, ice time, advanced stats, WAR and PAL rating.
Matthew Kessel
HEIGHT : 191 cm · WEIGHT : 98 kg · SHOOTS : R
Born : June 22, 2000 · Bloomfield Hills, United States
Drafted : 2020 · STL · round 5, pick #150
Contract : $850,000 · 2026-27 → 2026-27 · Standard Contract · UFA
NHL record
| Year | Team | GP | G | A | PTS | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 | New York Islanders | 10 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| 2025-26 | St. Louis Blues | 29 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 10 |
| 2024-25 | St. Louis Blues | 29 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 10 |
| 2023-24 | St. Louis Blues | 39 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 12 |
| 2022-23 | St. Louis Blues | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| NHL totals | 109 | 3 | 12 | 15 | 36 | |
Matthew Kessel: our analysis
2025-26 season: 29 GP, 2 G, 1 A, 3 PTS, +1 +/-, 12:32 TOI. WAR 0.3 (131st of 325) · PAL 42, around average.
In 2025-26, Matthew Kessel, 26, posts a PAL Rating of 42 out of 100 (around average), and his WAR of 0.3 ranks 131st among 325 regulars, in the top half.
His strengths: power play (70, above average), discipline (69, above average) and defense (63, above average). On the other hand, possession (28, below average) and penalty kill (30, below average) hold him back.
Breaking down his WAR (goals above average), his biggest contribution: finishing (+1.2); his biggest cost: EV offense (-0.7).
A clear step forward: his PAL went from 27 in 2024-25 to 42; his WAR went from -0.0 to 0.3.
Contract-wise, his Value score of 56 (good value) weighs his output against what he costs: 50 is what that salary should buy.
Matthew Kessel's story
Born in Arizona but raised in Detroit, Matthew Kessel moved through the American junior system before reaching college hockey. He began 2017–18 with the Fargo Force, was transferred to the Chicago Steel that season and joined the Sioux Falls Stampede in 2018, gathering game experience in the USHL along the way.
Kessel initially committed to Miami (Ohio) but altered course to attend the University of Massachusetts Amherst after Miami's head coach was dismissed and a connection with an assistant opened a spot. He made his UMass debut on October 11, 2019, and scored his first collegiate goal four days later against Northeastern. Starting on the third defensive pairing, he earned promotion to the top pair by mid-November and finished the season as one of the team's leading blueliners, registering seven goals to lead freshmen defensemen nationwide.
Selected by the St. Louis Blues in the fifth round, 150th overall, of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, Kessel signed a two-year entry-level deal with St. Louis on March 28, 2022 and was assigned to the Springfield Thunderbirds (AHL) to complete the 2021–22 campaign. He made his NHL debut on April 2, 2023 versus the Boston Bruins, appearing in two games before being returned to the AHL.
The following season saw him split time between Springfield and St. Louis: he began 2023–24 in the AHL, was recalled on December 30, 2023, and picked up his first NHL point on February 13, 2024 with an assist on an Alexey Toropchenko goal. On March 13 he signed a two-year, one-way extension with the Blues, and he scored his first NHL goal on April 7 against Lukáš Dostál of the Anaheim Ducks in his 37th game. On July 1, 2026 he signed a one-year, $850,000 contract with the New York Islanders after the Blues did not extend a qualifying offer.
As a player, Kessel has shown an ability to contribute offensively from the blue line and to step into bigger roles when asked; coaches at UMass promoted him into the top pairing early on, and his scoring totals as a freshman highlighted his knack for joining the attack while handling defensive assignments.
Facts drawn from Wikipédia, told in our own words.
Advanced stats
- TOI/GP
- 13:25
- PP TOI/GP
- 0:05
- SH TOI/GP
- 1:22
- Pts/GP
- 0.20
- EV points
- 2
- Hits
- 6
- Blocks
- 3
- Takeaways
- 2
- Corsi % (SAT)
- 55.4 %
- Off. zone starts
- 40.0 %
Stats and photos: NHL (NHL.com)
2026-27 projection
Projected points
6between 2 and 14 (80% range)
- Goals
- 1
- Assists
- 5
- Games
- 40
So far: 2 pts in 10 games. The team has played 16 of 84 games. Projected pace: 0.13 pts per game (last season: 0.10).
The projection follows last season's pace. Tested on 2,265 player seasons (2022-23 to 2025-26): average miss of 9 points over 82 games; for players at 0.9 points per game and up, it ran 5 points high on average.
Trend
Slightly up
- Points per game: 0.18 in 23-24, 0.10 in 25-26
- PAL Rating: 27 → 42
Outlook, age included
↗ Slightly upAge 26: prime years
This is only a projection. It knows nothing about injuries, trades or role changes; one player in five finishes outside the range.
Player ratings, 2025-26
All ratings →Fourteen ratings from 0 to 100 drawn from data, never by hand: 75 = established NHL player, 95+ = elite.
OV · OverallConfidence 59 %
67
Depth
- SK
- Skating
- 62
- Confidence 73 %
- ST
- Strength
- 83
- Confidence 64 %
- EN
- Endurance
- 49
- Confidence 75 %
- DU
- Durability
- 45
- Confidence 73 %
- CK
- Checking
- 76
- Confidence 64 %
- FG
- Fighting
- 76
- Confidence 38 %
- DI
- Discipline
- 76
- Confidence 64 %
- FO
- Faceoffs
- —
- PA
- Passing
- 65
- Confidence 59 %
- SC
- Scoring
- 72
- Confidence 59 %
- DF
- Defense
- 79
- Confidence 54 %
- PS
- Penalty shot
- 76
- Confidence 0 %
- EX
- Experience
- 48
- Confidence 100 %
Why these ratings?Hide details
SK — Skating62
- Top speed (35 %)34.4 · 61
- Bursts > 20 mph /60 (30 %)1.93 · 76
- Distance /60 (20 %)14.2 · 74
- Speed consistency (15 %)32.1 · 49
ST — Strength83
- Contact absorbed /60 (50 %)5.712 · 79
- Body mass (50 %)0.845 · 81
EN — Endurance49
- Ice time per game (45 %)15.9 · 55
- Total ice time (20 %)359 · 35
- Shift length (15 %)45.6 · 67
- Lowest recent ice time per game (15 %)13.7 · 49
- Special-teams time per game (5 %)1.341 · 55
DU — Durability45
- Share of games played (100 %)0.578 · 45
CK — Checking76
- Hits /60 (70 %)3.524 · 77
- Lowest seasonal rate (20 %)3.377 · 78
- Season volume (10 %)3.136 · 63
FG — Fighting76
- Fights per 82 games (100 %)0.839 · 76
DI — Discipline76
- Net penalty value /60 (50 %)-0.038 · 76
- Penalties taken /60 (30 %)0.701 · 70
- Penalties drawn /60 (20 %)0.477 · 80
PA — Passing65
- Primary assists /60 (40 %)0.302 · 68
- Secondary assists /60 (20 %)0.283 · 57
- Offensive creation (RAPM) (20 %)-0.053 · 69
- Power-play points /60 (10 %)4.333 · 82
- Assist consistency (10 %)0.191 · 69
SC — Scoring72
- Goals /60 (25 %)0.214 · 75
- Individual xG /60 (20 %)0.176 · 69
- Finishing (goals − xG per shot) (20 %)0.321 · 78
- High-danger chances /60 (15 %)0.069 · 68
- xG per shot (10 %)0.034 · 73
- Shot attempts /60 (10 %)8.856 · 68
DF — Defense79
- RAPM defense /60 (35 %)0.057 · 78
- Relative xG against (20 %)-0.072 · 79
- On-ice xG against /60 (15 %)2.545 · 79
- Penalty kill /60 (10 %)-0.03 · 70
- Takeaways − giveaways /60 (10 %)-2.094 · 72
- Shot attempts against /60 (5 %)55.8 · 85
- Blocked shots /60 (5 %)4.603 · 77
PS — Penalty shot76
- Shootouts (60 %)32.7 · 76
- Penalty shots (40 %)26.7 · 76
EX — Experience48
- Career regular-season games (65 %)65
- Career playoff games (25 %)0
- NHL seasons (10 %)55
OV — Overall67
- DF · Defense (30 %)79
- PA · Passing (22 %)65
- SK · Skating (12 %)62
- SC · Scoring (12 %)72
- EN · Endurance (9 %)49
- ST · Strength (6 %)83
- DI · Discipline (5 %)76
- CK · Checking (4 %)76
| Season | OV | SK | SC | DF |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 67 | 62 | 72 | 79 |
| 2024-25 | 65 | 56 | 65 | 77 |
| 2023-24 | 70 | 54 | 70 | 80 |
The bars show confidence (sample size), not player quality. — : not enough data, not a zero. Engine version 1.0.
WAR and PAL ratings, 2025-26
How we rate →PAL Rating scores performance from 0 to 100 against players at the same position (50 = average player), starting from the player's strength, offensive or defensive. Value Rating compares that performance with what the player costs: 50 means paid what the play is worth.
WAR
0.3
wins above replacement
131 of 325
PAL Rating
42/ 100
Performance · Around average
143 of 250 at the position
Value Rating
56/ 100
Good value
0.80 M$ · expected PAL 36
ProfileBalancedNeither end dominates
- Offense
- 43
- Defense
- 48
See full detailsHide details
- Offense
- 45
- Creation
- 36
- Shooting
- 61
- Possession
- 28
- Defense
- 63
- Discipline
- 69
- Power play
- 70
- Penalty kill
- 30
From 0 to 100; 50 is the average player at the same position, adjusted for ice time.
| Season | Team | WAR | PAL | Value | Cap hit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | STL | 0.3 | 42 | 56 | 0.80 M$ |
| 2024-25 | STL | -0.0 | 27 | 45 | 0.80 M$ |
| 2023-24 | STL | 0.0 | 32 | 44 | 0.88 M$ |
Hockey IQ, 2025-26
Rankings and method →The quality of the player's decisions with and against the puck at 5-on-5, against regulars at the same position (50 = average). PAL measures output; IQ measures how the player plays.
Overall IQ
23/ 100
Below average
better than 23% of defensemen, offense and defense combined
Offensive IQ
41/ 100
Average
passing, shots, puck
Defensive IQ
15/ 100
Low
takeaways, discipline, own zone
Overall IQ isn't an average of the two scores: it's the player's rank with offense and defense combined, 173 of 225 defensemen.
See full detailsHide details
Offense
- Playmaking passes
- 28
- Shot selection
- 26
- Penalties drawn
- 73
- Puck management
- 59
Defense
- Takeaways
- 2
- Discipline
- 41
- Safe zone exits
- 39
Percentiles: 80 means better than 80% of regulars at the same position. Play without the puck (positioning, coverage) isn't measured: the NHL doesn't publish that data.
| Season | Team | IQ | Off. | Def. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | STL | 23 | 41 | 15 |
| 2024-25 | STL | 22 | 39 | 20 |
| 2023-24 | STL | 30 | 29 | 38 |
WAR, 2025-26
How it's calculated →Wins added to the team, compared with a replacement-level player called up from the AHL.
0.3
wins above replacement
-0.2 to 0.8 — 90% interval
131 of 325 defensemen
+1.4 goals above replacement
Full leaderboard →See full detailsHide details
- EV offense
- -0.7
- EV defense
- +0.4
- Power play
- 0.0
- Penalty kill
- -0.0
- Shooting
- +1.2
- Penalties
- -0.2
- Average → replacement
- +0.8
In goals.
| Season | Team | GP | WAR | 90% interval | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | STL | 29 | 0.3 | -0.2 to 0.8 | 131/325 |
| 2024-25 | STL | 29 | -0.0 | -0.1 to 0.1 | 209/314 |
| 2023-24 | STL | 39 | 0.0 | -0.3 to 0.3 | 159/316 |
| 2022-23 | STL | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 to 0.0 | 177/334 |
Player tracking (NHL EDGE)
League EDGE leaderboards →Speed, shot power, distance covered, time by zone: measured by chips in the puck and shoulder pads. 90th percentile = better than 90% of players.
- Hardest shot
- 150.4 km/h83rd percentileleague avg. 139.7 km/h
- Top skating speed
- 34.7 km/h69th percentileleague avg. 34.0 km/h
- Bursts over 20 mph, season
- 963rd percentileleague avg. 8
- Offensive zone time
- 43.7 %80th percentileleague avg. 42.4 %
See full detailsHide details
- Total distance, season
- 32.6 km26th percentileleague avg. 56.1 km
- Distance, single-game high
- 4.17 km24th percentileleague avg. 4.98 km
- Offensive zone at 5v5
- 44.2 %83rd percentileleague avg. 42.8 %
- Neutral zone time
- 18.6 %75th percentileleague avg. 16.9 %
- Defensive zone time
- 37.7 %84th percentileleague avg. 40.8 %
Shooting
| Shots on goal | Goals | Shooting % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| All | 934th percentile | 049th percentile | 0.0 %27th percentile |
| High danger | 175th percentile | 084th percentile | 0.0 %60th percentile |
| Mid range | 251st percentile | 073rd percentile | 0.0 %50th percentile |
| Long range | 435th percentile | 077th percentile | 0.0 %67th percentile |
Shots on goal by zone
2026-2027 regular season. Measured by puck and player tracking chips; the percentile ranks the player within the league.
Game log, 2026-27
NJD
CAR
EDM
NSH
DAL
LAK
ANA
TOR
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VANMatthew Kessel: frequently asked questions
How many goals does Matthew Kessel have in 2026-27?
Matthew Kessel has 0 goals and 2 points (2 assists) in 10 games in 2026-27.
How old is Matthew Kessel?
Matthew Kessel is 26 years old: he was born on June 23, 2000.
How tall is Matthew Kessel, and how much does he weigh?
Matthew Kessel is 6'3" (191 cm) and weighs 216 lb (98 kg).
Where is Matthew Kessel from?
United States: Matthew Kessel was born in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, United States.
What team does Matthew Kessel play for?
Matthew Kessel plays for the New York Islanders in the NHL, at D, wearing number 4.
Is Matthew Kessel injured?
No: Matthew Kessel is not on the latest NHL injury report. This answer is updated throughout the season.
How good is Matthew Kessel?
Matthew Kessel produced 0.3 wins above replacement (WAR) in 2025-26, 131st of 325 players at his position in the NHL. His PAL rating is 42 out of 100: around average for his position.
How much does Matthew Kessel make?
Matthew Kessel earns $800K for the 2025-26 season. His Value Rating is 56 out of 100 (good value): it measures the on-field return for that salary, compared with players at his position.
When does Matthew Kessel's contract end?
Matthew Kessel's contract runs through the 2026-27 season; he will then be an unrestricted free agent.
Is Matthew Kessel overpaid?
No, he gives more than he costs. His Value rating is 56 out of 100 (good value), where 50 is the output expected for his salary, compared with players at his position.
Is Matthew Kessel a top-10 player at his position?
No: by WAR, he ranks 131st of 325 players at his position in the NHL in 2025-26. Our comparison tool puts him side by side with any other player.
Is Matthew Kessel getting better?
Yes: his PAL rating went from 27 in 2024-25 to 42 in 2025-26 (out of 100, 50 = average player at his position).
How has Matthew Kessel played lately?
Over his last 10 games, Matthew Kessel has 2 points (0 goals, 2 assists).
What are Matthew Kessel's career stats?
Over his NHL career, Matthew Kessel has 109 games, 3 goals, 12 assists and 15 points. His best season: 2023-24, with 7 points in 39 games.
Where was Matthew Kessel drafted?
Matthew Kessel was drafted 150th overall (round 5) by St. Louis Blues in 2020.
How does Matthew Kessel perform in the playoffs?
Matthew Kessel has not played in the NHL playoffs yet.
Which player is most similar to Matthew Kessel?
Lian Bichsel: he is the player at his position whose PAL profile (the 0-to-100 dimensions) is closest to his in 2025-26.
Lian Bichsel's page →Is Matthew Kessel a good fantasy pick?
Probably not, except in deep leagues: our projection has him at 6 points in 2026-27, or 0.15 points per game.
What is Matthew Kessel's nationality?
Matthew Kessel is American.
Where did Matthew Kessel play before turning pro?
Fargo Force (USHL) 2017–18; Chicago Steel (USHL) 2017–18; Sioux Falls Stampede (USHL) 2018; University of Massachusetts Amherst (NCAA) 2019–2022.
How many points is Matthew Kessel projected to score in 2026-27?
Our projection has him at 6 points in 40 games in 2026-27 (2 to 14 points, 80% interval), based on his recent seasons, age and role.
See also: his New York Islanders teammates
Full roster →
NHL.com ↗ · Stats and photos: NHL (NHL.com)