Penguins select Benjamin Kindel No. 11 overall in 2025 NHL Draft

The Pittsburgh Penguins selected forward Benjamin Kindel from the WHL’s Calgary Hitmen with the No. 11 overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft at The Peacock Theater in Los Angeles Friday night.

Kindel, a native of Coquitlam, B.C., finished the 2024-25 season with 35 goals and a team-leading 64 assists for 99 points and 39 penalty minutes in 65 regular-season games. The 5-foot-10 center’s 99 points were second behind Hitmen teammate Oliver Tulk. He also scored eight goals and seven assists for 15 points in 11 playoff games.

In two full WHL seasons, Kindel has 50 goals and 109 assists for 159 points in 133 career regular-season games.

Daily Faceoff’s Steven Ellis, who ranked Kindel as the 20th-ranked prospect in his final 2025 NHL Draft rankings, says Kindel was “one of the WHL’s hottest prospects” in 2024-25, and that he was becoming one of the most popular names among scouts.

“He’s equally good as a shooter and a playmaker and is the driving force of Calgary’s attack,” Ellis said. “Kindel does a great job of finding open space and exploiting it, and he has a shot he can unleash from just about anywhere.”

While his lack of size and physical skillset may cause some teams to pass on him in the first round, Ellis says others should consider taking him “for his pure puck skills and solid all-around improvement.”

Internationally, Kindel represented Canada at the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, recording a goal and an assist, helping his country win gold. He also played in the 2025 IIHF Under-18 World Championships, scoring a goal and recording six assists for seven points while also winning gold.

Kindel also took part in the 2023 Canada Winter Games, representing British Columbia. He led the tournament in goals (6) and points (11).

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