NCAA: Toews v Kessel

On Friday December 9th, North Dakota was home to one of the most anticipated games on the NCAA calendar as the Fighting Sioux hosted hated rival the Minnesota Gophers. The visitors won 4-3 thanks to some stellar goaltending, timely penalty killing, as well as opportunistic scoring from the likes of Danny Irmen.

The contest also marked the first showdown between the nation's top freshmen, Phil Kessel and Jonathan Toews, each considered sure-fire top five picks for the 2006 NHL Draft.

Accordingly, the pro scouts were out in full force to witness what might even be a possible preview of the top two selections next June.

While that is far from a lock at his stage, both players are making a legitimate case for themselves. Kessel has been named to the U.S. under-20 World Junior Championship team again this year, while Toews is on the short list for Team Canada.

Tale Of The Tape

Phil Kessel is arguably the most hyped American-born prospect since Mike Modano. The six-foot, 190-poud native of Verona, Wisconsin has been a natural since lacing up the skates and set records everywhere he has gone, including the Madison Capitals and the U.S. National Team Development Program. Kessel enjoyed his official coming-out party at the last U20 WJC in North Dakota, where he notched a hat-trick against Sweden and emerged as Team USA's primary offensive threat despite still being an underager.

The hype has been mounting ever since, to the point that he's even been dubbed the 'American Crosby'. While not putting up Crosby-esque numbers just yet, Kessel does lead arguably the most offensively-gifted team in college hockey with nine goals and 22 points in 17 games. However, there's been some inconsistency behind the solid totals, while some scouts have questioned his overall play this season. He was a virtual non-factor against the two-time defending champion Denver Pioneers, and again last weekend while his Gophers were being swept by arch-rival Wisconsin, the top-ranked team in the country.

In the other corner is one of Kessel's main challengers for the first-overall spot in Jonathan Toews. The 6-foot-2, 180-pound native of Winnipeg, Manitoba is six months younger and won't turn 18 until next April. While Kessel made waves at the U20's last December, Toews was also starring, though on a smaller stage as he carried Canada West to a gold medal at the U-17 World Hockey Challenge with 8 goals and 12 points in 6 games.

The first-overall pick by Tri-Cities in the 2003 WHL Bantam Draft, Toews started his collegiate debut with a splash averaging nearly a point per game for the inexperienced Sioux, who boast nine freshmen in their starting lineup. Currently tied for second on the team with seven goals after 18 games, Toews is being used in all key offensive situations while sharing the top-line center duties with another newcomer in T.J. Oshie.

Scoring The Fight

A look at how the combatants fared this past weekend:

Kessel - the most dangerous player all night, flying around the ice both with and without the puck .. likes being in the spotlight and seems to crave opportunities to rise to the occasion .. though his impact was nominal on the scoreboard, just one power-play goal, Kessel was undeniably the best player on the ice offensively .. quarterbacks the power play, exploiting his remarkable vision and booming shot to emerge as a constant threat from just above the faceoff circle .. scored his goal by sneaking in from the point and using Ryan Stoa's screen to fire a laser wristshot top shelf over Jordan Parise's blocker .. a magician with the puck, danced around defenders with a quick stutter-step move .. possesses amazing speed - a flat-out incredible straightaway skater with a dynamic separation gear and unrivaled top speed that allows him to make highlight end-to-end plays .. forces opposing d-men to allow larger-than-usual gaps in order to contend with his speed .. add in the fact that he can also release a powerful shot in full flight only multiples the problem .. performed a tightrope act in the second when he managed to beat three Sioux players while straddling the blueline to keep the play on-side .. showcased his special ability to make plays at full speed all game .. registered six shots on net, though mostly from the perimeter .. also put forth a strong defensive effort on the backcheck, especially when he was playing the point on the power play .. looks to be a shoe-in for the top pick based on this performance.

Toews - while Kessel played some of the best hockey of his young collegiate career, Toews was just solid .. noticeable at times, but seemed a bit tense in the first half of the game and missed on some plays that he normally executes .. an exceptional playmaker with a crisp passing game, Toews appeared out of sync as some of his passes were a bit wobbly .. proved to be most effective on the power play, where he registered an assist .. loves to work the half-wall and then collapse in front of the net looking for loose change .. robbed twice on sure goals .. had a wide-open net in the second on a 5-on-3 but hesitated just for a second and allowed Gophers goalie Kellen Briggs to get over to make a standout save .. excels in traffic and is hard to contain and knock off the puck in front .. the puck seems to have a way of finding his stick .. makes quick instinctive plays, can even surprise his linemates at times with unexpected passes .. owns a nice shot with a quick release and an accurate payoff .. not the hardest shooter but he shows solid goal-scoring instincts .. should only get bigger and stronger as he fills out his spacious frame .. projects as a similar package to Joe Thornton when it's all said and done, namely an instinctive pivot with uncanny vision and playmaking, to complement an underrated shooting arsenal .. didn't display the gamebreaking ability as Kessel did, however showed enough to leave scouts high on him .. certainly a top five pick, though he still has a ways to go before locking up the No. 2 spot behind Kessel.