Kindel scored a power-play goal on five shots and blocked two shots in Thursday's 4-3 win over the Lightning.
Kindel stretched the Penguins' lead to 3-0 midway through the second period. He's scored twice over his last three games while continuing to play in a middle-six role. The 18-year-old center is up to seven goals, 10 points, 49 shots on net, 25 blocked shots, 10 hits and a minus-8 rating through 23 appearances. He may sit out occasionally as part of his development plan, but Kindel's quickly established himself as part of the Penguins' system thanks to his willingness to do defensive work.
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Penguins' Ben Kindel: Likes playing Leafs
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Kindel scored a goal Saturday in a 7-2 loss to Toronto.
He batted it baseball-style off Scott Laughton's shoulder and past Dennis Hildeby. It came on the power play. In an odd twist, half of Kindel's six goals have come against the Maple Leafs. He put up two in Toronto on Nov. 3. Kindel has nine points -- including six power-play points -- and 42 shots in 21 games this season. Not bad for an 18-year-old who was drafted five months ago.
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Penguins' Ben Kindel: Snags two helpers
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Kindel notched two power-play assists in Thursday's 5-3 win over Washington.
With injuries piling up for the Penguins, Kindel found himself elevated not only to the first line but also the No. 1 power-play unit, where he is playing with three future Hall-of-Famers. The 18-year-old Kindel didn't look out of place at all, even feeding a cross-ice pass to Sidney Crosby. When the team is fully healthy, Kindel likely will be shifted back to the third-line center role, but he may have secured his place on the top power-play unit with Thursday's performance.
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Penguins' Ben Kindel: Lights lamp twice in loss
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Kindel scored two goals, one on the power play, in Monday's 4-3 loss to the Maple Leafs.
The 18-year-old rookie recorded his first multi-goal performance in the NHL, and Kindel's efforts helped give the Penguins a 3-0 lead heading into the third period, only for everything to come crashing down over the final 20 minutes. Kindel's getting a look on the top power-play unit -- two of his last three tallies have come with the man advantage -- with Rickard Rakell (hand) and Justin Brazeau (upper body) nursing injuries, and his first five NHL points have all been goals. Through his first 12 games, Kindel's added 26 shots on net, 10 blocked shots, eight hits and a minus-1 rating.
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Penguins' Benjamin Kindel: Deposits power-play goal
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Kindel scored a power-play goal in Thursday's 4-1 win over the Wild.
This was Kindel's 10th career game, so his entry-level contract has officially started. That likely means the Penguins will keep him on the NHL roster throughout the season, though Team Canada may inquire about his availability for the World Junior Championship in December. Kindel has three goals, 17 shots on net, eight blocked shots and a minus-1 rating so far, and he's filling a third-line role when in the lineup. The 18-year-old will have his usage managed early on, but it wouldn't be surprising to see him become an everyday player in the second half of the campaign.
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Penguins' Benjamin Kindel: Tallies in Thursday's win
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Kindel scored a goal on two shots in Thursday's 5-3 win over the Panthers.
Kindel stretched the Penguins' lead to 3-1 in the second period. The 18-year-old center is up to two goals, 13 shots on net, seven blocked shots, three hits, four PIM and a plus-1 rating over his seven appearances this season. It doesn't look like he'll be heading back to junior hockey, but the Penguins plan to manage Kindel's workload, so expect occasional healthy scratches in the early going. When he's in the lineup, he fills a third-line role and sees time on the second power-play unit.
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Penguins' Benjamin Kindel: Nets first career goal
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Kindel scored his first career goal, blocked two shots and served two PIM in Saturday's 6-1 loss to the Rangers.
Kindel was the lone bright spot in a Pittsburgh offense that fell flat Saturday. The 11th overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft came through with a goal just over three minutes into the second period. He scored just the second goal that has made it past Igor Shesterkin in net this year, proving Kindel's ability to compete with the world's best. Pittsburgh will have to decide whether to keep Kindel at the NHL level or send him to WHL Calgary for the remainder of the year before the first year of his entry-level deal kicks in. If he stays with the Penguins this season, Kindel is a high-upside stash in all formats that should receive a decent chunk of playing time in the third-line center role behind NHL legends Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.
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Penguins' Benjamin Kindel: Serving in middle-six capacity
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Kindel has been auditioning in a middle-six role over Pittsburgh's first two games.
Kindel has no points, two PIM, three shots, one hit and one block while averaging 14:09 of ice time, including 0:43 with the man advantage. While those numbers don't jump out, it's a fine start, and Pittsburgh isn't likely to change much for Saturday's clash against the Rangers after opening the season with back-to-back wins. The 18-year-old Kindel can play up to nine games with Pittsburgh before this season burns the first year of his three-year, entry-level deal. For that reason, Kindel probably has seven more chances to impress the Penguins before they decide whether to keep him in the NHL or return him to WHL Calgary.
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