<p>When the World Junior Summer Showcase in Minnesota wrapped up in August, not many expected Benjamin Kindel to make Canada’s main roster in December.</p>



<p>Now, many are saying the same thing – but for a much different reason. Surprise! He’s an NHLer –&nbsp;and with the way he’s playing, there’s little chance he’ll play for the WHL’s Calgary Hitmen ever again.</p>



<p>The 18-year-old has <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/players/stats/skaters?team=pittsburgh-penguins&amp;year=2026&amp;season=regular">five goals through 12 games,</a> putting him third among U-20 NHLers. The two ahead of him? San Jose’s Macklin Celebrini and the <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/new-york-islanders/line-combinations">New York Islanders</a>‘ Matthew Schaefer – the two most recent first overall picks. When the <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/pittsburgh-penguins/line-combinations">Pittsburgh Penguins</a> took Kindel at No. 11 in 2025, many called it a stretch.</p>



<p>“I don’t know if I was surprised or not (getting drafted 11th overall),” Kindel said Monday night. “The draft doesn’t define you, so either way I’m happy and just grateful to be drafted by this organization.”</p><div class="injected-ad injected-video" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="0" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="150"></div>



<p>But head scout Wes Clark has always been one to bet on upside and went with his gut. Now, less than five months after getting drafted, Kindel has become an unlikely everyday contributor for the surging Penguins.</p>



<p>Kindel has been a bright light on Pittsburgh’s third line, centering a trio alongside Ville Koivunen and Tommy Novak. Kindel has even made his way onto Pittsburgh’s top power-play unit, playing alongside Evgeni Malkin, Bryan Rust, and, of course, <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/sidney-crosby-evgeni-malkin-turning-back-time-pittsburgh-penguins">Sidney Crosby</a>. That’s one heck of a leadership group to lean on as a teenager.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Ben Kindel with his second goal of the night 👀<br><br>The PPG makes it 3-0, good guys 💪 <a href="https://t.co/UCUElyovmH">pic.twitter.com/UCUElyovmH</a></p>— SportsNet Pittsburgh (@SNPittsburgh) <a href="https://twitter.com/SNPittsburgh/status/1985528630823293152?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 4, 2025</a></blockquote><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div></figure>



<p>The Coquitlam, B.C., native had his best game to date on Monday, scoring twice and even serving as the net-front presence with the net empty in the final minute. The Penguins ultimately blew a 3-0 lead to the <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/toronto-maple-leafs/line-combinations">Toronto Maple Leafs</a>, but Kindel shone.</p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="1" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="153"></div>



<p>In a sense, every game is still a tryout for the 18-year-old. Kindel impressed during the rookie tournament in Buffalo and carried that momentum into the preseason. The Penguins have exceeded expectations early on – the collapse on Monday notwithstanding – and a big reason is their depth. And Kindel deserves a lot of praise for that.</p>



<p>“His hockey sense got him this far and it’s translating to the NHL so well,” said one scout. “He has always been able to outthink and outwork his opponents. He won’t beat you with flash, he’ll beat you with intelligence, and it’s why he’s always in scoring areas.”</p>



<p>Kindel had 60 points in his Draft-1 season, but exploded for 35 goals and 99 points with the Hitmen last season. Add in another 15 points in the playoffs and gold medals at the Hlinka and U-18 World Championship for good measure – it was hard to ignore him.</p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="2" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="154"></div>



<p>But still, no one could have seen any of this happening. How do you go from a potential world junior outsider to an impact player on an NHL team challenging for a division lead? </p>



<p>There’s even some evidence that Kindel has been unlucky at times and should have another three or four goals to his credit. Alas, <a href="https://www.hockeystatcards.com/skater?id=8485414">his best games</a> – his efforts against Toronto, Minnesota, San Jose and Florida, for example – have been among the best efforts the Penguins have seen to date. Kindel is averaging 1.22 <a href="https://www.naturalstattrick.com/playerteams.php?fromseason=20252026&amp;thruseason=20252026&amp;stype=2&amp;sit=5v5&amp;score=all&amp;stdoi=oi&amp;rate=y&amp;team=PIT&amp;pos=S&amp;loc=B&amp;toi=0&amp;gpfilt=none&amp;fd=&amp;td=&amp;tgp=410&amp;lines=single&amp;draftteam=ALL">goals per 60 at 5-on-5</a>, which is good for fourth on the Penguins. Both his 51.35 Corsi-for percentage and 57.71 expected goals for percentage are first on the team among those with at least 10 games played.</p>



<p>The sample size isn’t massive, but Kindel makes the Penguins better every single night. Simple as that. You can expect growing pains, but Kindel hasn’t looked overwhelmed or out of place by any means. The numbers are good and the eye test is good – you can’t ask for much more.</p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="3" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="178"></div>



<p>“We believed in him heavily but still saw him as a project player,” said one rival NHL team scout. “So good for him, he has earned every opportunity.”</p>



<p>Canada is expected to challenge for gold in Minnesota. Given how important he is to his club, there’s a good chance Kindel won’t be making the trip in December. That’s still a long way to go, but the Penguins have lacked scoring depth for quite a while now. As long as Kindel is producing, there’s no point in cutting him loose. </p>



<p>That said, expect challenges along the way. He’s still only 18 – there’s a reason so few players his age ever stick around. Even <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/2025-nhl-draft-prospect-profile-michael-misa-scouting-report-saginaw-spirit-new-york-islanders-chicago-blackhawks">Michael Misa, taken second overall by the San Jose Sharks</a>, has been eased into action to keep him fresh and not wear him out too quickly. If Kindel ends up slowing down by late November, a trip to Minnesota for the holiday season wouldn’t be bad for him. Player development isn’t a short-term game, and the Penguins’ staff is smart enough to know that. They’re going to do whatever’s best for Kindel. Right now, that means keeping him up to learn from a few <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/hockey-hall-of-fame-tiers-active-nhl-players-crosby-makar-mcdavid-mackinnon-matthews">future Hockey Hall of Famers</a>. Next month, though, it could mean building confidence on the world stage.</p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="4" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="215"></div>



<p>Everyone loves an against-the-odds story. That’s Kindel’s game for you. Scouts knew he was talented, but many still thought the Penguins picked him early. Right now, though, the Penguins’ management staff look like utter geniuses.</p>



<p>There’s still so much of the season left to go, but Hockey Canada must be worried that they might not have Kindel available in a couple weeks’ time.</p>



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Recent posts from Steven Ellis</h2>



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<li><a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/2026-nhl-draft-rankings-preseason-top-40-mckenna-verhoeff-lin-bjorck">2026 NHL Draft Rankings: Preseason top 40</a></li>



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<li><a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/2026-nhl-draft-notebook-10-chlers-off-to-huge-starts-reid-villeneuve-hurlbert-shilov">2026 NHL Draft Notebook: 10 CHLers off to huge starts</a></li>



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<li><a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/2025-26-calder-trophy-november-update-matthew-schaefer-takes-early-lead-demidov-dobes-finnie">2025-26 Calder Trophy November Update: Matthew Schaefer takes early lead</a></li>
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