“The Finnish journalist examines the growth of Boston’s Phil Kessel at the World Championships.

What a difference a year makes
Almost a year ago to the day, I found myself in Riga, crammed between a heavy Swedish reporter, and a tall one. We were all trying to get the Team Sweden media officer’s attention to get the players we wanted to talk to, to stop at the mixed zone, reserved for just that.

Well. I was just jammed between them, listening to them, and trying to get the attention of the American media officer. Besides the Canadian Press guys – who seemed to talk to about everyone – nobody was interested in the US team.

I told the guy I wanted to talk to Phil Kessel. He nodded to say yes, and then disappeared. The Swedes swarmed around me, and around their own stars, got their quotes and then left, one by one, paper by paper.

The American media officer had come out once to tell me that Phil would just take a shower and then come out.

Ten minutes after the last Swedish reporter had left the mixed zone, and nine minutes after the last remaining person had left it – that being one of the pretty Latvian officials – I was still standing there.

A year ago, Phil Kessel was an excellent prospect, on his way down, though. He had slipped from being the projected number one draft pick to being in the top five, while some scouts even had him as low as ten.

Last year, he was the youngest player on the team, and one of three college players to don the Team USA sweater.

I was there to write about him for ESPN.com so I was going to sit there, on my bag, as long as it was going to take.

It didn’t take that long. I heard the curtain swish, and Phil Kessel was standing in front of me. Wearing a white golf shirt and beige pants, he gave me straight answers to my questions, kept them to the point, without elaborating too much.

After the US team had beat Sweden 5-3 last week, with Phil Kessel getting a goal and two assists, I found myself jammed between two Swedish reporters again. The tall one is not covering hockey anymore, I hear, but the heavy one was there again.

Again, nobody wanted to talk to the Americans, so I asked to talk Phil Kessel. The Swedish media people just sent me straight to the locker room. There I found the US media person, who said he’d go get Phil for me.

This time, I only stood there a couple of minutes before Phil came out and unlike last time, he hadn’t showered.

“Yeah, well, it was disappointing that we didn’t make the playoffs with the Bruins, but I’m excited to be playing for my country, together with a bunch of great guys,” he said.

“Last year, you were a kid…” I started.

“I’m still the kid on a team, obviously, but maybe I’m more mature now after the year in the NHL,” he said, waiting for the next question. Then he went on to praise the American team, and said he’s looking forward to the next NHL season with the Bruins.

A lot can happen in a year. Last year in the World Championships, Kessel’s first men’s tournament, the undrafted college player started the tournament in the team’s fourth line, but by the quarterfinal game against Sweden, he quarterbacked the US power play.

Today, Bruins rookie Phil Kessel is wearing the Team USA sweater again, only this time he’s one of the NHL players on the team. He scored the team’s first goal in the tournament as the US beat Austria in their opening game last week. Kessel’s not even the youngest player on the team. Erik Johnson’s the kid now, almost six months younger. Kessel’s a little bigger and faster than last year, and seems a little stronger on the ice.

He’s also gone through a successful bout against testicular cancer.

And he’ll be twenty in October.