A year ago, Kesselring might not have shown up and felt so comfortable, so quickly, around new teammates. But thanks to a breakout 2024-25 campaign in Utah – 82 games, 29 points (7+22) and an impactful physical presence – he arrived in Buffalo highly confident of his place on a young, on-the-rise roster. The Americans’ gold-medal run at Worlds, with a series of must-win games in Sweden, also helped.

“Going into camp last year, I was still trying to prove I was an everyday-er, I felt like,” he said. “Honestly, 15 games in, I was like, ‘Okay, I can be a really good player in this league.’”

That fitness level Ruff referenced was evident on Day 1 of training camp, when every player went through what he called a “compete skating drill.” The collective grind of that and other fitness testing, Kesselring feels, went a long way toward building team chemistry, and the Sabres have quickly taken notice of the newcomer’s work ethic.

“Guys that I think are going to fit into this team and this city perfectly,” Thompson said of Kesselring and Doan, packaged together in that June 26 trade from Utah. “Blue-collar guys, work extremely hard, guys that put the team above themselves, and they just want to win and help the team in any way possible. … I think that’s going to help push the team in the right direction.”

Part of the Sabres’ direction, as repeated throughout camp, is to become harder to play against. The blueliner with seven fights and 205 hits in his 156-game NHL career is bringing an attitude he hopes rubs off on the rest of the roster.

“I want to play meaner all the time – that’s one thing I talked to Lindy and [general manager Kevyn Adams] about and something I want to keep growing on,” Kesselring said. “That’s a role that I want to help show everybody, ‘Hey, if we play a little bit meaner as a team, it’s gonna help us have some success.’”

Added Ruff: “Group toughness is really important. I think another guy that puts himself in that category will help lift other guys, for sure.”

Kesselring may be surprising some Sabres with his all-around impact, but not Doan, his roommate who made the transition with him from Arizona to Utah to Buffalo. This time last year, Kesselring’s presence and personality quickly won over the young locker room and budding fanbase in Salt Lake City.