The Pittsburgh Penguins made plenty of surprising selections at the 2025 NHL draft.
Kyle Dubas and company continued to put their stamp on the organization, going outside the box, particularly in the first round.
With several consensus prospects available as the Penguins were on the clock at number 11, it seemed like a relatively straightforward decision. Instead, Dubas did it his own way, drafting Ben Kindel from the WHL’s Calgary Hitmen.
The pick drew some criticism from not only Pittsburgh media but also the rest of the hockey world. However, Kindel is making the critics eat their words so far, and while it’s only the preseason, he’s already garnering some high praise.
Team reporter Josh Yohe shared a take during Monday night’s game on X (formerly Twitter), comparing Kindel to former Penguins star winger Jake Guentzel.
“Ben Kindel reminds me of Jake Guentzel when he was that age. Not big. Not fast. IQ off the charts. Million dollar hands. He’s not NHL-ready yet. But in a couple of years, I could see him being a very good player at this level,” Yohe wrote.
Ben Kindel reminds me of Jake Guentzel when he was that age. Not big. Not fast. IQ off the charts. Million dollar hands. He’s not NHL-ready yet. But in a couple of years, I could see him being a very good player at this level.
— Josh Yohe (@JoshYohe_PGH) September 29, 2025
The 18-year-old scored his first goal of the preseason in the 2-1 win over Detroit, while also accumulating five shots on net in his 19:54 of ice time.
Could Kindel make the Penguins?
Rarely do we see teenagers make the jump immediately to the NHL, but with how well Ben Kindel has played and improved in each preseason game, he’s making the decision a lot more difficult for head coach Dan Muse.
That being said, it remains highly unlikely that Kindel would stay with the big club beyond the nine-game tryout limit, though it does appear to be possible that he’ll at least get that opportunity to start in Pittsburgh.
Unfortunately, given his age, Kindel will have to return to the WHL once those nine games wrap up, as he’s ineligible to play in the AHL this season.
Once he inevitably returns to Calgary, Kindel will look to build on an extremely productive 2024-25 campaign that saw him rack up 99 points (35 goals, 64 assists) in just 65 games.
