Kyle Dubas went a little off the board with the Penguins' pick at No. 11 overall in the NHL Draft today.
Or so it seemed.
The Penguins selected forward Ben Kindel from the WHL's Calgary Hitmen. The 5-foot-10, 180-pound center/wing was ranked much lower than No. 11 in most mock drafts and rankings, listed at No. 20 on Elite Prospects' final rankings and No. 22 in Bob McKenzie's final rankings.
For the Penguins, though, Kindel had long been a target.
"From the beginning of the year, he was a player that our area scouts and Wes (Clark) keyed in on as someone that they had a lot of belief in," Kyle Dubas said. "I watched him play, and he just continued to get better and better."
Dubas said that as Friday's draft went on, they got "intel" that had they not jumped on Kindel at No. 11, he wouldn't be available much longer.
For Kindel, he tried to not pay attention to mock drafts and the noise leading up to Friday. And he's coming into Pittsburgh looking to prove those who thought he was a "reach" of a pick wrong.
"I think throughout my life, I've always kind of had a little bit of a chip on my shoulder, and I think that's a good thing," he said. "I talked to Pittsburgh a little bit throughout the year, and I knew they were somewhat interested. So, I always knew it was possible, and I'm just really excited to move forward with this now."
Kindel, 18, describes himself as a "complete player, great hockey sense. Can score as well. Take a lot of pride in my defensive game. Competes hard for pucks and do all the little things."
He certainly did a lot of that scoring this past season with the Hitmen. His 99 points ranked second on his team and seventh in the WHL and led all draft-eligible players. His 35 goals ranked second on the team and 19th in the league.
The Elite Prospects Draft Guide wrote that "pace, vision, and translatability are Kindel’s calling cards. With feet that never stop moving, he weaves through traffic, draws defenders, and works give-and-gos. In a single rush, he builds several passing plays and then escapes the wall for a chance.A skillful mid-range shooter and even more dangerous passer, he brings dual-threat scoring ability."
Kindel can play both center and wing. He excelled in faceoffs at center this season, winning 353 (54.4 percent) of his faceoffs this year. His head coach, Paul McFarland, lauded his playmaking at center.
“The best playmakers are always a step ahead,” McFarland told the CHL league site. “They know where they’re doing with the puck before they get it, and Ben sees things other players don’t. … He thinks the game at an elite level, and he’s ultra competitive to go with it. Over the course of the season, he was very consistent from start to finish with us, and probably played his best hockey in the playoffs, when, obviously, everything matters the most. It was very evident to all of us when the game was on the line, he wanted to be on the ice. He wanted to be the player who scored the big goal. And he was able to do that for us on a number of different occasions throughout the year.”
Kindel centered the Hitmen's top line, where his left wing later in the season was fellow Penguins prospect Tanner Howe:
Ben Kindel? Like @penguins prospect Tanner Howe's linemate Ben Kindel?
If there's a knock on Kindel, it's his size. An NHL team's scout told Elite Prospects in April that Kindel is "small and… not fast enough for how small he is. Do I think he could become an NHLer? Of course, but I wouldn’t take him in the top 20.”
Kindel is well aware of what his weaknesses are, naming his size and strength as the biggest areas of his game needing improvement right now, as well as his straight-line skating and creating separation for himself.
With Kindel only being 18 years old with only two years of WHL experience, he won't become AHL-eligible for another three seasons. For the next two, his options will either be to go straight to the NHL, back to junior, or the NCAA route, as some major junior players are opting to do now.
Wherever Kindel ends up over the next couple years, and regardless of how long it takes him to get to the NHL, he's thrilled to be here. He's going to be a part of the next era of Penguins hockey as the Penguins eventually transition away from this core and into their next one, and Kindel is looking to build on what has already been built in Pittsburgh.
"It’s an honor to be part of this organization," Kindel said. "Obviously, they have a player such as Sidney Crosby and a lot of other great players that have been here for a long time. But I think like looking up to a guy like Sid for his passion for the game, his loyalty to the Penguins, and his hockey sense and the way he plays the game the right way. So, I really admire all those things about him."
THE ASYLUM
Management worried they'd miss out on Kindel
Kyle Dubas went a little off the board with the Penguins' pick at No. 11 overall in the NHL Draft today.
Or so it seemed.
The Penguins selected forward Ben Kindel from the WHL's Calgary Hitmen. The 5-foot-10, 180-pound center/wing was ranked much lower than No. 11 in most mock drafts and rankings, listed at No. 20 on Elite Prospects' final rankings and No. 22 in Bob McKenzie's final rankings.
For the Penguins, though, Kindel had long been a target.
"From the beginning of the year, he was a player that our area scouts and Wes (Clark) keyed in on as someone that they had a lot of belief in," Kyle Dubas said. "I watched him play, and he just continued to get better and better."
Dubas said that as Friday's draft went on, they got "intel" that had they not jumped on Kindel at No. 11, he wouldn't be available much longer.
For Kindel, he tried to not pay attention to mock drafts and the noise leading up to Friday. And he's coming into Pittsburgh looking to prove those who thought he was a "reach" of a pick wrong.
"I think throughout my life, I've always kind of had a little bit of a chip on my shoulder, and I think that's a good thing," he said. "I talked to Pittsburgh a little bit throughout the year, and I knew they were somewhat interested. So, I always knew it was possible, and I'm just really excited to move forward with this now."
Kindel, 18, describes himself as a "complete player, great hockey sense. Can score as well. Take a lot of pride in my defensive game. Competes hard for pucks and do all the little things."
He certainly did a lot of that scoring this past season with the Hitmen. His 99 points ranked second on his team and seventh in the WHL and led all draft-eligible players. His 35 goals ranked second on the team and 19th in the league.
The Elite Prospects Draft Guide wrote that "pace, vision, and translatability are Kindel’s calling cards. With feet that never stop moving, he weaves through traffic, draws defenders, and works give-and-gos. In a single rush, he builds several passing plays and then escapes the wall for a chance.A skillful mid-range shooter and even more dangerous passer, he brings dual-threat scoring ability."
Kindel can play both center and wing. He excelled in faceoffs at center this season, winning 353 (54.4 percent) of his faceoffs this year. His head coach, Paul McFarland, lauded his playmaking at center.
“The best playmakers are always a step ahead,” McFarland told the CHL league site. “They know where they’re doing with the puck before they get it, and Ben sees things other players don’t. … He thinks the game at an elite level, and he’s ultra competitive to go with it. Over the course of the season, he was very consistent from start to finish with us, and probably played his best hockey in the playoffs, when, obviously, everything matters the most. It was very evident to all of us when the game was on the line, he wanted to be on the ice. He wanted to be the player who scored the big goal. And he was able to do that for us on a number of different occasions throughout the year.”
Kindel centered the Hitmen's top line, where his left wing later in the season was fellow Penguins prospect Tanner Howe:
If there's a knock on Kindel, it's his size. An NHL team's scout told Elite Prospects in April that Kindel is "small and… not fast enough for how small he is. Do I think he could become an NHLer? Of course, but I wouldn’t take him in the top 20.”
Kindel is well aware of what his weaknesses are, naming his size and strength as the biggest areas of his game needing improvement right now, as well as his straight-line skating and creating separation for himself.
With Kindel only being 18 years old with only two years of WHL experience, he won't become AHL-eligible for another three seasons. For the next two, his options will either be to go straight to the NHL, back to junior, or the NCAA route, as some major junior players are opting to do now.
Wherever Kindel ends up over the next couple years, and regardless of how long it takes him to get to the NHL, he's thrilled to be here. He's going to be a part of the next era of Penguins hockey as the Penguins eventually transition away from this core and into their next one, and Kindel is looking to build on what has already been built in Pittsburgh.
"It’s an honor to be part of this organization," Kindel said. "Obviously, they have a player such as Sidney Crosby and a lot of other great players that have been here for a long time. But I think like looking up to a guy like Sid for his passion for the game, his loyalty to the Penguins, and his hockey sense and the way he plays the game the right way. So, I really admire all those things about him."
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