Sidney Crosby and Phil Kessel find similarities as former 'Next Ones'

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. – According to Sidney Crosby, there isn’t much different with Phil Kessel from his teenage years.

Crosby recalled when the two played each other when Crosby was with Shattuck-St. Mary’s and Kessel was with the Madison (Wisc.) Capitals. Crosby didn’t remember the score, but he certainly remembered Kessel.

“It’s funny the guys you play against or with at that age, usually whatever made them successful then is what makes them successful now and he’s the same type of player – skill and speed and great shot,” Crosby said. “It’s funny the way things work out. With expectations at a young age, you never know how things are going to work. Sometimes things pan out and you meet those expectations and sometimes you don’t.”

Crosby and Kessel are both different players. One’s a winger, one’s a center. One plays with pace and a cerebral knowledge of the game. The other uses his speed and goal scoring ability to be effective. But they both share a common bond. Kessel, for a period in his youth, was the American version of Crosby – a hockey wunderkind with exceptional skill at a young age.

Though he wasn’t under the same microscope as Crosby, he was seen as the next great American talent. Both their experiences have helped shape them to where there’s an understanding between them now that they’re finally teammates on the Pittsburgh Penguins.

“I think they’re both very different personalities, but from a young age a lot of these guys are in the limelight and they have to handle the pressure,” Pittsburgh coach Mike Johnston said. “They have to get accustomed to get used to it, and I think both have become used to it in different ways. Sid’s a very focused athlete – every detail, and Kes is a guy who let’s things go off his back a little bit, no matter what it is. If it’s the media or something in the game. He just lets it go off and gets on with the game. That’s what makes him strong. They both have very different personalities and how they deal with those types of things.”

While every move Crosby made was picked apart and parsed in Canada, Kessel went through the same on a smaller scale in his hometown of Madison, Wisconsin. He was the local offensive star who seemed predestined to go to the University of Wisconsin. Except he looked around and opted to go to the University of Minnesota instead.

“My buddies were going there and it just fit me and my style of hockey the best,” Kessel said. “I grew up a Wisconsin fan so it wasn’t like I never wanted to go there, but it just fit me personally in my hockey career better.”

Before he turned professional, Kessel became a name in some NHL circles, especially to those who played in Minnesota like former Wild and current Penguins forward Pascal Dupuis.

“I got a little glimpse of Phil when I was in Minnesota,” Dupuis said. “He played college hockey. I heard a lot about him in Minnesota. It’s different between Canada and the US, but you can definitely get the comparables a little bit. Sid was always the ‘Next One.’ Phil is a high level guy and a superstar in the league.”

Kessel also entered the national realm at the 2005 World Junior Championships where his scoring skill became apparent with four goals and six points in seven games played.

“I remember the highlight-reel goals he scored at the World Juniors … Some really nice ones there,” Crosby said. “Kind of the same move – I think he used the same move three or four times, you could even mix it up. Nobody could figure it out.”

The Penguins ended up with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2005 NHL Draft and selected Crosby. By the time Kessel’s draft year arrived in 2006, the Penguins held the No. 2 pick. But his stock had dropped a bit. He was seen as a scorer, but not the same all-around franchise player as Crosby. By then the comparisons between the two weren’t quite even. He wasn’t even the first American picked that year – Erik Johnson went No. 1 overall to the St. Louis Blues.

The Penguins took Jordan Staal at No. 2, and Kessel fell to the fifth overall pick with the Bruins. The Chicago Blackhawks used the No. 3 pick on Jonathan Toews and the Washington Capitals took Nicklas Backstrom with the fourth overall selection.

Both players’ NHL paths have also been the same but different. There’s a feeling of unfulfilled expectations mixed with monster numbers. Crosby has won one Stanley Cup and hasn’t been back to a Final since 2009. He’s won two Hart Trophies and picked up two scoring titles in the process.

Kessel has notched five 30-or-more goal seasons – he was also on pace for 34 goals in the 2013 lockout-shortened season. With both the Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs, he’s done his job and done it exceptionally well. But there have been questions about his attitude and conditioning – that maybe either has held him back to some degree.

Now the two prodigies from different countries are on the same team – albeit at later points in their careers after Kessel was dealt to Pittsburgh from Toronto last summer. They started on the same line, but were then moved to different trios.

Can this pairing find success together? So far on the year both haven’t found their offensive footings. Crosby has 15 points in 24 games and Kessel has 17 points and nine goals in the same stretch.

But it’s a long season, and with Pittsburgh the most important part of the year comes in April, not December.

“We have a great group of guys here and we have a lot of fun together and that makes it fun all the time when you have a good group. I’ve been fortunate throughout my career to play with a great group of guys,” Kessel said. “I think it’s just another year. You’re trying your best to help the team any way you can and win hockey games.”

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Josh Cooper is an editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @joshuacooper