Michael Kesselring On Moving To Buffalo, Shootouts, & Playing Against Utah Mammoth | Buffalo Sabres

As promised, Michael Kessler joins us here on Sabres Live. It’s a game day. It’s Buffalo Utah tonight. So, how does that make you feel? Yeah, it’s good. It’s uh a little nerve-wracking to be honest, but it’s uh it’s fun. I saw some of those faces last night and um a lot of good memories there. So, it’ll be a fun one for sure. Money on the board is always a big thing. So, who puts more? You are donor today for this big game tonight. I think I should. But, um he’s the franchise. I mean, he grew up with like, it’s funny, he grew up with Tony in Arizona and stuff with his dad. So, it’s it’s even crazier for him playing these guys, I think. But, um, yeah, I told the D, I promised the D we’d get him a D dinner, but we got to we got to win a game when I go up. So, so we’ll see. How do you think the Fords respond to that? They weren’t happy. What are they getting out of it? They weren’t happy. I put some up for the team, too, and trainers. But, uh, I told the D, we got to get the D together. So, uh, I’m waiting for that. So, we got to get one here. What did you like about playing here in your previous stops? And now that you’re in and have played some home games, what are you feeling again now? Yeah. Uh, it’s funny. Obviously, I got my first goal in Dev, so that was good. I fanned on it. He makes sure uh he reminds me of that all the time. And then, uh, last year was probably one of my best games ever I ever played. So, with the Gordy House, that was a lot of fun. So, good memories in this rink and hopefully here. I know I missed a few games, but starting to feel more comfortable with the injury and stuff, so hopefully get my game going here, too. What’s that like though? Because in training camp, you were kind of working with power a lot. You missed the start of the year, then all of a sudden you come back and you’re with Byum because things have been switched around. Um, so what’s that like being thrown in regular season games with a new D partner and having to figure it out on the fly? Yeah, obviously it it takes a little bit of time, I think, with anybody. Uh they’re both really all of our lefties are good lefties that provide maybe a little something different than the rest of uh them, but uh Bisy and and Owen are a little bit similar with the offensive ability, puck moving ability, skating ability. So um it’s just getting the chemistry. I think me and By have been talking a lot too and trying to to get it going a little bit. And for me, just missing that time was a little bit tough, obviously. But, uh, I played three games now, had a week and a half of practice, injury starting to feel better, so want to get get going here, too. I asked Bo this morning, how many times did he rewatch his shootout attempt? And he said at least 50. Um, you know, like how how far down the depth chart do you think you are when it comes to shootouts? Uh, I I I mean, I I think I’d be up there pretty decent, but that’s in my head, right? So, who knows what uh Lindy’s thinking, but it’s we got a bunch of talented D that could go in the shootout for sure. So, it was good to see Bisy was kind of joking that that maybe it’d be a long one and he get out there and then he went what? Fourth, fifth. Fifth. Fourth or fifth? Yeah. So, cuz Dolls went fourth. No, Dolls went uh in anyway, he went before, but I I would thought like, well, Owen Power has been used a lot, so you guys got a lot of defenseman that can go out there. Maybe you’d be ahead of Matias Samson. I don’t know. He’s hot. He’s hot. He’s hot. He’s hot. But uh No, it’s it’s fun to play with. Uh all of our our decor has been really good so far. Timmer and and Sammy have been great, too. So, it’s it’s been fun to be a part of and good to be back in the flow of things. Bo had not taken an NHL shootout before, and you have not either. Have you done it at any other levels though? Uh in USHL, I was like our fourth shooter. Okay. Um success rate. I shot maybe once. I think I was 0 for one. Yeah. But um I always joke that I’m not that far down the chart. College we didn’t do it. Um and then in pro, I think my second year in Bakersfield, I would have went, but we weren’t in many shootouts. Uh if it went down a few, but uh no, it’d be nice to get one though. Bo is just the seventh Saber defenseman to ever score in a shootout. But there’s one guy that has two goals and he’s a part of your current blue line. Yeah. Owen. Owen. Yeah, he’s good in you can tell in practice he’s now. Would you be a fast guy down the middle? Fast or slow? Like Owen. Owen goes extremely slow and it almost feels like he’s bringing it back a little bit. Got to be careful. But what are you like at Braden Point? Go down the middle. Yeah, I think I’d come down the left a little bit and just pump fake and then take one step and try to shoot Logan. Maybe just step into it. Yeah, just use the shot full one like set it up with a big full Yeah, maybe if it was that far down the lineup, maybe it’s like screw it, I just But like maybe that’s the beauty of it. Like guy like you, I remember Brendan Whit came in on the shootout with the New York Islanders on me and he took a full slap shot. I had no idea what he was going to do and I thought he was doing a fake. I didn’t move. He missed the net. Luckily for me, he missed the net. But like that’s the beauty. Nobody would have a a kind of a a book on you. Yeah, I would try to use the reach some way. Either change the angle and shoot or the onehander. I don’t I like the onehander in practice. I don’t know if I got that in the game. Um or I actually like going backhand, too, but it’s just our goalies know it now, so I can’t really do it. It gets tough once they see your moves a few times. Speaking of knowing it, obviously, you know, I’m guessing you get asked for a little bit of input going into a game like this or or is that not a real thing? Yeah, maybe just about systems and certain guys tendencies and maybe special teams. So, it’s it’s funny because I know it to a tea now. So, it’s it’s kind of funny like I know what really what to expect tonight with the game and how they play. So, it’ll be it’ll be kind of fun to be on the other side. Their young guys are pretty fiery. You look at uh uh Keller, Gunther, Kulie, they all have 12 points. Obviously, Nick Schmaltz is at 17. Um, you know, when you have a line of young players like this and you’ve played with them, what sets them apart from other young players around the league? Yeah, I think um like honestly I give Kels his flowers. He’s pretty underrated. I think uh he’s not young anymore. No, but he’s still he’s just hitting his prime kind of, right? And um his hockey sense is just so high level. I think he just sees the game at another level. He’s not super like the physical traits aren’t going to scare you with skating doesn’t scare you, but his hands skill and brain are just so high level. Um, and then Schmaltz is kind of the same way a little bit. Like him and like I was telling the guys, when nine has the puck, find eight. When eight has a puck, find nine. Like they just know where each other are. It’s it’s going to each other. Hates is at the net. Hates has been really good with those guys just doing the dirty work and and getting them the puck. And then Kie’s kind of the opposite of Kels. His physical, his skating, his speed. Same with Gunther, same with JJ. So, um, those guys you got to be, you got to be ready when they’re on the ice cuz Kools and Gunner can really go. So, if you make mistakes, you’re not catching them. If you’re next to one of them at a faceoff, are you leaning in and shot right away? Oh, yeah. Yeah. We were joking last night at dinner that we were getting physical tonight. So, like I send a message. I like it. Me and Kools and Donor kind of like we were the three like best friends last year and we were joking around last night that like I could see myself fighting him. Like we could get so mad at each other that like he would try to like fight me like so it’s kind of like as siblings, right? Like when you play in the in the street or the backyard pond with with your brothers or sisters and and you’re almost more competitive that way because of that. 100%. like I’d love just to strip those guys tonight or bury them or or like they come out and I fake a one a slapper and they go like this and I go around them. So, um but yeah, it’s it’s been fun joking around with them. That’s good. Like I said, they they those guys were really good to me. Like especially Kel’s, like I kind of came to the league with with him and he was always really good to me. So, I really appreciate those guys. What about settling in here? How has that gone for you? Yeah, it’s been great honestly. Uh like our team’s a young team too. I feel like I’m right in that middle range with like Rass is my age, Sammy, Quinn, Clouder, Donor right around my age. So we got a good group of young guys and uh obviously Tommer from Worlds. I was hanging out with Tommer at Worlds a good amount without even knowing about this obviously. So um it’s been great. It’s been easy transition. Me and Don are living together again. So that makes it even easier. And um it’s been nice for me to get back in the games because then you feel like you’re with the guys a little bit more. when I was rehabbing kind of away from the team a bit. So, uh it’s been good to get back in the flow. We asked Donor how the pets were doing. Uh but you know, he’s a dog guy, so everything’s always good. But you’re the cat person and your what was it? Your uh your um animal would you say you were like in the speed dating? Oh, I said like a lion or something. Lion’s like you’re a cat. How How are the pets on your side of things? They’re good. They’re good. They’re good. Hank’s uh Hank just doesn’t know how big he is, you know? He’s a big dog. So, um, but he’s been really good this year. And like my cats are easy. They’re easy. So, they’re never a problem. It’s always the dog that we’re worried about. So, how old are your cats? Uh, like just over two. Yeah. So, it’s easy. If you go like for a couple days, you just need somebody to come in and make sure that they’re still They’re good for three days, I think. Over anything over that, then I have someone just come check it on. But donors got to get somebody. Yeah. Donor’s got to go drop him off and make sure he’s fed and everything. So, my my side’s easy. What’s on your to-do list around here? Places to go and all that. Uh, Angelines has been really good. The restaurant I went there a few times. Um, but other than that, I want to go to a Bills game. Still haven’t gone to a Bills game yet. So, we want to do that for sure. What were you doing on Sunday? That would seem like would I know it would have been a good day, but we were lazy that day. And, um, you know, going out to Tommer’s house has been good. We’ve had a few poker days and and just little stuff like that. So, um nothing too crazy so far. I know I miss the Jay’s game. Some of the guys went to the Jay’s World Series after the Toronto game. So, um but no, it’s nice. My dad’s family’s from Toronto or just outside Toronto, so my grandma’s actually coming down tonight, so it’ll be good to see her. And it’s nice. My parents are an hour flight and everything. So, who’s uh who’s kind of on the low end of the totem pole when it comes to the poker game? Who’s getting like all the the bad beats and all of that? I hate to Mal had a tough trip last trip, but um you know, it goes around. What goes around comes around. Everybody gets their bad days. So, uh but it’s been it’s been fun to that’s a good way like that little those little things you miss when you’re hurt. Like it was just nice to be on the plane last trip in Boston and hang out with the guys and and uh shoot it and and do stuff like that. So it was really fun. Who brings the chips? Are they there on the Tom’s got I think uh I think Tommer’s bringing them. I know Tommer has some nice custom ones at his house. So yeah, he does he does it the right way for sure. I like how he’s taking care of the board. Oh yeah, that’s the way that’s how it should be. Yeah. And have you been to a World Series game even though you missed this one? No. No. Um I’m honestly not the biggest baseball guy. So, what’s the big sporting event you would want to go to? I’d like it’s contra. I would like to go to NBA finals. I like I’m a B my mom played basketball in college. That’s where I get the height from. So, um my dad gave me the hockey. My mom gave me the athletics. So, uh yeah, I’m a big basketball guy and I love golf, too. So, do you keep up with the Northeastern because Len Zacher is a Buffalo kid goalie. He was Hockey East uh player of the week last week. I watch a little bit. I’ve been watching a little bit this year. Um, like the guys my age I still talk to all the time. Like I saw Harris after the game in Boston, he got hurt unfortunately, but um, Ryan Shay I saw in preseason, those guys. So, uh, we had a pretty good team when I was there. So, it’s you see a lot of faces around the league now, which is pretty cool. That’s good. Perfect. Thank you for stopping by. Enjoy today. Thank you. Thank you. Thanks for having me. [Music]

Sabres Defenseman Michael Kesselring joined Brian Duff and Martin Biron on Sabres Live. They talked moving to Buffalo, shootouts, and how it feels to play against his former team at the game vs the Utah Mammoth on November 4, 2025.

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