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Brotherly battle: Schenn and Kessel brothers to face off against each other tonight

Boston Bruins v Toronto Maple Leafs

TORONTO, CANADA - MARCH 19 Luke Schenn #2, Keith Aulie #59 and Phil Kessel #81 of the Toronto Maple Leafs celebrate Keith Aulie goal against the Boston Bruins during game action at the Air Canada Centre March 19, 2011 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Abelimages/Getty Images)

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Hockey’s often a family affair for kids growing up in North America. If a family had a set of brothers of any number that were into the sport, the chances were pretty good all of them were going to play it together as kids. Look at the Staal family and the four brothers there who all play professional hockey (three in the NHL, one in the AHL).

A funny thing happened this offseason, however, as the Philadelphia Flyers acquired a pair of players with brothers who have already made a name for themselves with the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Flyers acquired Brayden Schenn, brother of Leafs defenseman Luke Schenn, when they sent Mike Richards to Los Angeles. The Flyers also signed former Islanders draft pick defenseman Blake Kessel, brother of Phil Kessel, to an entry level deal during rookie camp.

It only makes sense then that the two teams will face each other tonight in Toronto and that both sets of brothers would be on the roster ready to go to play against each other.

While we know plenty about Phil Kessel and Luke Schenn, their younger brothers come with a bit of the unknown behind their games. Brayden Schenn is one of the top prospects in hockey and the L.A. Kings giving him to Philly in exchange for Mike Richards showed how badly they wanted Richards on their team. Schenn was the fifth overall pick in the 2009 draft by the Kings and has been slowly crafting his game in junior hockey the last two seasons. He’s expected to land a spot on the Flyers as their starting third line center out of camp.

Blake Kessel is even more unknown than Brayden Schenn and, much like the Schenns, is a defenseman compared to his brother as a forward. Kessel was a late draft pick by the Islanders but never signed a deal with the team after playing for three years at the University of New Hampshire and became a free agent. At UNH Kessel was an offensive defenseman who peaked in his second season with the Wildcats scoring ten goals and adding 28 assists in 38 games. A point per game player is someone worth taking a peek at and that’s what the Flyers are doing with him. He’s expected to play in the AHL for Adirondack this year.

The chances we’'ll see these sets of brothers both pair up and face each other in the regular season are slim as it’s highly unlikely that Blake Kessel can win a spot in Philly, but throwing in the brotherly part of the game between the Flyers and Leafs helps make this once brutal rivalry a bit more fun. Add in the fact that brothers will always get up for a game against each other to try and one-up one another and you’ve got a lot of talented guys eager to go all out. Tonight should provide a bit of fun all around for these guys.