Though he's quiet by nature, Kessel has made a lot of noise throughout his NHL career with his offensive skills. From the U.S. National Team Development Program to the University of Minnesota and then for more than a decade in the NHL, Kessel has been an offensive force.

That scoring prowess put his name on the map in Kessel's first season with the USNTDP's Under-17 team in 2003-04, when he set a program record for a U-17 player with 82 points (52 goals, 30 assists). Kessel moved up to the Under-18 team in 2004-05 and again set a program record with 98 points (52 goals, 46 assists).

Kessel headed to the University of Minnesota in 2005-06 and as a freshman was named Western Collegiate Hockey Association Rookie of the Year after finishing with 51 points (18 goals, 33 assists) in 39 games. Following his freshman year, Kessel was selected by the Boston Bruins with the No. 5 pick in the 2006 NHL Draft. He signed his first pro contract a short time later, forgoing his final three years of college eligibility.

But 27 games into his rookie season, Kessel was diagnosed with a rare form of testicular cancer and had surgery on Dec. 11, 2006. He was declared cancer-free five days later, and after a quick conditioning assignment in the American Hockey League he returned to the lineup Jan. 9, 2007. At the 2007 NHL Awards Ceremony, Kessel was awarded the Bill Masterton Trophy for perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey.

Kessel spent three seasons with Boston. But after he scored 36 goals in his third season, the Bruins traded him to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Sept. 18, 2009. In six seasons with the Maple Leafs, Kessel led Toronto in goals five times and scored at least 30 four times. He had 394 points (181 goals, 213 assists) in 446 games with the Maple Leafs before being traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins on July 1, 2015.

With the Penguins, Kessel helped form one of the top lines in the League for the second half of the 2015-16 season -- the "HBK Line," with Carl Hagelin and Nick Bonino. They helped power the Penguins to the Stanley Cup. Kessel finished tied for third in the NHL with 10 playoff goals and was fourth in scoring with 22 points.

Kessel had 70 points (23 goals, 47 assists) in 2016-17, then helped the Penguins win the Stanley Cup for the second straight season with 23 points (eight goals, 15 assists) in 25 playoff games. He followed that with the best offensive season of his NHL career in 2017-18, finishing with 92 points (34 goals, 58 assists). He also played all 82 games for the fifth consecutive season.

Kessel has also excelled internationally, including at the 2005 IIHF World Under-18 Championship, where he helped the United States win gold by scoring nine goals and 16 points in six games. He won silver medals with the U.S. at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics and 2004 World Under-18 Championship.

NOTES & TRANSACTIONS

• WCHA All-Rookie Team (2006)
• WCHA Rookie of the Year (2006)
• Olympic All-Star Team (2014)
• Best Forward -- Olympics (2014)
• Played in NHL All-Star Game (2011, 2012, 2015)
• Traded to Toronto by Boston for Toronto's 1st (Tyler Seguin) and 2nd (Jared Knight) round picks in 2010 NHL Draft and Toronto's 1st round pick (Dougie Hamilton) in 2011 NHL Draft, September 18, 2009.
• Traded to Pittsburgh by Toronto with Tim Erixon, Tyler Biggs and Pittsburgh's 2nd round pick (previously acquired, Pittsburgh selected Kasper Bjorkqvist) in 2016 NHL Draft for Nick Spaling, Kasperi Kapanen, Scott Harrington, Pittsburgh's 1st round pick (later traded to Anaheim -- Anaheim selected Sam Steel) in 2016 NHL Draft and New Jersey's 3rd round pick (previously acquired, Toronto selected James Greenway) in 2016 NHL Draft, July 1, 2015.
• Traded to Arizona by Pittsburgh with Dane Birks and a 4th-round pick in 2021 NHL Draft for Alex Galchenyuk and Pierre-Olivier Joseph, June 29, 2019.