After being drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round of the 2025 NHL Draft, Ben Kindel is ready to get to the NHL as soon as possible.
Kindel was one of 13 picks the Penguins made during the draft and was one of their highest-profile prospects at the team’s development camp.
The forward had a big week after being drafted, throwing out the first pitch at PNC Park before the Pirates game. He threw out the first pitch with Bill Zonnon and Will Horcoff, the two other players Pittsburgh picked in the 2025 first round. After a day at the Pirates game, Kindel met Captain Sidney Crosby the next morning.
After a few days of fun events, Kindel locked into the Penguins’ development camp with 51 other prospects.
The 5-foot-11, 180-pound forward recorded 35 goals and 99 points in 65 games during the Western Hockey League season with the Calgary Hitmen. While he could use another year to develop, Kindel is eager to get a spot on an NHL roster after working on some skills.
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“You want to try to get there as fast as possible. But I think I have a lot of attributes that I can use to get to the NHL. I have to work on my strength and my skating and a few other things,” Kindel said, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Matt Vensel. “But, yeah, I hope to get there as quick as possible.”
Despite Kindel being drafted at No. 11 in the first round, he is going to come into professional hockey with an underdog mentality.
“The draft is in the past now,” Kindel said. “I’m just looking to move forward and get after it, just have that mentality of more of an undrafted player and stay hungry.”
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