He played in six games with Belleville[2] to start the 1987–88 season before he was traded to the North Bay Centennials on November 4, 1987 along with defenceman Scott Shepherd and a draft pick for forwards Troy Crowder and Rich Stromback.
[4] He attended the Kings' 1989 training camp before being assigned to the team's American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the New Haven Nighthawks.
[8] Van Kessel had the best season of his career, scoring 15 goals and 30 points in 65 games and 246 penalty minutes, which was third-most on the team.
[2][9] The Kings sent Van Kessel to Phoenix again for the 1991–92 season,[9] but he did not replicate his previous year, only registering 2 goals and 8 points in 44 games.
[2] The Kings chose not to protect Van Kessel in the 1992 NHL expansion draft and he was selected by the Ottawa Senators.
[14] He then joined the Cape Breton Oilers of the AHL for the majority of the 1993–94 season, but spent some time with the Wheeling Thunderbirds of the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL).