The Sports Outsider

When Kyle Dubas and the Pittsburgh Penguins selected Ben Kindel 11th overall in last year’s NHL Draft, much of the hockey world—including a lot of Penguins fans themselves—saw it as a reach and a surprising choice. Names like Jackson Smith, Victor Eklund, and Kashawn Aitcheson were thought to be the obvious picks, but Dubas and company went outside the box, and so far, it’s worked out in spades.

Everything Kindel has done this year has been extremely impressive. From forcing his way onto the big club out of training camp, to making such an impact that they couldn’t send him down, to now gaining confidence and improving night after night.

He may not have altered the franchise the way first-overall pick Matthew Schaefer has on Long Island, but Kindel’s impact can’t be understated. It’s no coincidence that his arrival has lined up with the Penguins’ resurgence, currently second in the Metropolitan Division when many thought they’d be tanking for Gavin McKenna.

The numbers speak for themselves: 25 points (12 goals, 13 assists) in 50 games as an 18-year-old, and the third youngest player in the entire league. Not only has the production been there, but he’s handling 15:24 of ice time per game as a third-line center—one that HC Dan Muse can rely on in any situation.

He’s spent time on PP1 with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin—and thrived when there—kills penalties, and is often thrown into late-game situations, whether holding leads or in overtime. That’s the kind of usage a dependable veteran player handles; rarely, if ever, do you see that from a rookie drafted outside the top 10 just a few months prior.

As any teenager playing against grown men in the NHL would, Kindel went through a slump—a 19-game goalless drought—but even then, he brought a “B” game every night and continued to make a positive impact. His hockey IQ is what has allowed him to make the jump to the pros so quickly, and it’s something you simply can’t teach, so even while he was in a skid, Penguins fans knew there was no reason for concern.

While he was still effective during that drought, it’s always a relief to get the monkey off your back—something Kindel recently did in fitting fashion in front of friends and family in Vancouver. He’s had an extra pep in his step since, recording five points (four goals, three assists) in his last three games and looking as good as he has at the NHL level.

It will be fascinating to see how the rest of 2025–26 goes for Pittsburgh, and Kindel will be a big part of it. That said, this is just the beginning. What should excite Dubas and the Penguins most is that Kindel hasn’t even scratched the surface of what he can be—a special player who looks to be a cornerstone piece for the future.

Depending on how his development and ascension continue, we could very well look back on Kindel as being a top-five player from his draft class.