Ben
Kindel
C · PIT · Balanced · Around average
- PAL
- 58
- WAR
- 0.8
- Value
- 74
- PTS
- 35
2025-26№ 194 / 615
Ben Kindel (Pittsburgh Penguins) stats and profile: offensive production, ice time, advanced stats, WAR and PAL rating.
Ben Kindel
#81CPlays: Centre · 56% of faceoffs
Pittsburgh Penguins
HEIGHT : 180 cm · WEIGHT : 83 kg · SHOOTS : R
Born : April 18, 2007 · Coquitlam, Canada
Drafted : 2025 · PIT · round 1, pick #11
Contract : $975,000 · 2025-26 → 2027-28 · Entry-Level Contract · RFA · Signing bonus $97,500
NHL record
| Year | Team | GP | G | A | PTS | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 15 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 2 |
| 2025-26 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 77 | 17 | 18 | 35 | 18 |
| NHL totals | 92 | 20 | 22 | 42 | 20 | |
Playoffs
| Year | Team | GP | G | A | PTS | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Playoff totals | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Ben Kindel: our analysis
2025-26 season: 77 GP, 17 G, 18 A, 35 PTS, -5 +/-, 15:04 TOI. WAR 0.8 (194th of 615) · PAL 58, around average.
In 2025-26, Ben Kindel, 19, posts a PAL Rating of 58 out of 100 (around average), and his WAR of 0.8 ranks 194th among 615 regulars, in the top half.
His strengths: discipline (80, well above average), penalty kill (78, well above average) and possession (71, above average).
Breaking down his WAR (goals above average), his biggest contribution: penalties (+1.4); his biggest cost: finishing (-1.5).
Contract-wise, his Value score of 74 (good value) weighs his output against what he costs: 50 is what that salary should buy.
Ben Kindel's story
Growing up in Coquitlam, Ben Kindel split his youth between soccer and hockey before focusing on the ice as a teenager. He developed at the Burnaby Winter Club, playing U15 from 2020 to 2022; a broken hand cost him part of 2021–22, yet his play at the John Reid Memorial Tournament put him on WHL scouts' radar.
Drafted in the second round by the Calgary Hitmen in 2022, Kindel spent a season with the Yale U18 prep squad where he tallied 17 goals and 29 assists in 29 games. Those production numbers and his camp showing earned him a spot in Calgary's opening lineup for 2023–24 as a 16-year-old. His rookie year included WHL Rookie of the Week honours in November 2023 and a team award as the Hitmen's Rookie of the Year after finishing with 15 goals and a team-high 45 assists.
He took a clear step forward in 2024–25. Selected for the 2024 CHL USA Prospects Challenge, Kindel led the Hitmen with 35 goals and 64 assists in the regular season, set a franchise mark for the longest consecutive point streak, and earned a place on the Eastern Conference First All-Star Team alongside linemate Oliver Tulk. His mid-season ranking among the top 20 North American skaters underlined growing NHL interest.
Pittsburgh chose Kindel 11th overall in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft and he signed a three-year entry-level contract on July 8. He broke into the NHL right away, debuting on October 7, 2025, and scored his first NHL goal on October 11. He recorded his first multi-goal game on November 3, and after a stretch without goals following mid-December, he ended the drought with a two-goal performance on January 25, 2026, against Vancouver.
Internationally, Kindel represented Canada at the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup and helped the U18 squad capture gold; he was also selected for the 2025 IIHF U18 World Championship. On the ice he is known for playmaking instincts, an ability to rack up assists and a scoring touch that grew markedly between his first and second junior seasons.
Facts drawn from Wikipédia, told in our own words.
Advanced stats
- TOI/GP
- 17:21
- PP TOI/GP
- 2:54
- SH TOI/GP
- 1:17
- Pts/GP
- 0.47
- EV points
- 6
- Hits
- 9
- Blocks
- 9
- Takeaways
- 4
- Corsi % (SAT)
- 53.9 %
- Off. zone starts
- 38.5 %
- Faceoffs
- 42.0 %
Stats and photos: NHL (NHL.com)
2026-27 projection
Projected points
37between 19 and 55 (80% range)
- Goals
- 16
- Assists
- 21
- Games
- 75
So far: 7 pts in 15 games. The team has played 18 of 84 games. Projected pace: 0.50 pts per game (last season: 0.45).
The projection follows last season's pace. Tested on 2,265 player seasons (2022-23 to 2025-26): average miss of 9 points over 82 games; for players at 0.9 points per game and up, it ran 5 points high on average.
This is only a projection. It knows nothing about injuries, trades or role changes; one player in five finishes outside the range.
Player ratings, 2025-26
All ratings →Fourteen ratings from 0 to 100 drawn from data, never by hand: 75 = established NHL player, 95+ = elite.
OV · OverallConfidence 53 %
76
Established NHL
- SK
- Skating
- 78
- Confidence 40 %
- ST
- Strength
- 66
- Confidence 58 %
- EN
- Endurance
- 77
- Confidence 50 %
- DU
- Durability
- 78
- Confidence 40 %
- CK
- Checking
- 67
- Confidence 58 %
- FG
- Fighting
- 76
- Confidence 32 %
- DI
- Discipline
- 84
- Confidence 58 %
- FO
- Faceoffs
- 63
- Confidence 62 %
- PA
- Passing
- 77
- Confidence 53 %
- SC
- Scoring
- 78
- Confidence 53 %
- DF
- Defense
- 71
- Confidence 48 %
- PS
- Penalty shot
- 89
- Confidence 14 %
- EX
- Experience
- 51
- Confidence 100 %
Why these ratings?Hide details
SK — Skating78
- Top speed (35 %)36.2 · 76
- Bursts > 20 mph /60 (30 %)6.563 · 78
- Distance /60 (20 %)16.5 · 78
- Speed consistency (15 %)35.8 · 80
ST — Strength66
- Contact absorbed /60 (50 %)4.134 · 75
- Body mass (50 %)-1.152 · 62
EN — Endurance77
- Ice time per game (45 %)14.8 · 75
- Total ice time (20 %)1,125 · 77
- Shift length (15 %)47 · 80
- Lowest recent ice time per game (15 %)14.3 · 77
- Special-teams time per game (5 %)2.521 · 77
DU — Durability78
- Share of games played (100 %)0.839 · 78
CK — Checking67
- Hits /60 (70 %)2.581 · 66
- Lowest seasonal rate (20 %)2.836 · 73
- Season volume (10 %)3.434 · 63
FG — Fighting76
- Fights per 82 games (100 %)0.839 · 76
DI — Discipline84
- Net penalty value /60 (50 %)0.048 · 84
- Penalties taken /60 (30 %)0.535 · 80
- Penalties drawn /60 (20 %)0.82 · 79
FO — Faceoffs63
- Faceoff % (85 %)46.3 · 62
- Faceoffs /60 (15 %)35.6 · 72
PA — Passing77
- Primary assists /60 (40 %)0.747 · 78
- Secondary assists /60 (20 %)0.321 · 60
- Offensive creation (RAPM) (20 %)0.078 · 79
- Power-play points /60 (10 %)4.524 · 76
- Assist consistency (10 %)0.625 · 82
SC — Scoring78
- Goals /60 (25 %)0.897 · 79
- Individual xG /60 (20 %)0.863 · 80
- Finishing (goals − xG per shot) (20 %)-0.27 · 74
- High-danger chances /60 (15 %)1.448 · 81
- xG per shot (10 %)0.081 · 69
- Shot attempts /60 (10 %)14.4 · 82
DF — Defense71
- RAPM defense /60 (35 %)0.009 · 74
- Relative xG against (20 %)0.032 · 70
- On-ice xG against /60 (15 %)2.631 · 74
- Penalty kill /60 (10 %)0.014 · 82
- Takeaways − giveaways /60 (10 %)-2.517 · 50
- Shot attempts against /60 (5 %)57.2 · 78
- Blocked shots /60 (5 %)3.17 · 83
PS — Penalty shot89
- Shootouts (60 %)36 · 91
- Penalty shots (40 %)26.7 · 76
EX — Experience51
- Career regular-season games (65 %)61
- Career playoff games (25 %)37
- NHL seasons (10 %)24
OV — Overall76
- SC · Scoring (20 %)78
- PA · Passing (20 %)77
- DF · Defense (20 %)71
- SK · Skating (12 %)78
- FO · Faceoffs (10 %)63
- EN · Endurance (8 %)77
- DI · Discipline (5 %)84
- ST · Strength (3 %)66
- CK · Checking (2 %)67
The bars show confidence (sample size), not player quality. — : not enough data, not a zero. Engine version 1.0.
WAR and PAL ratings, 2025-26
How we rate →PAL Rating scores performance from 0 to 100 against players at the same position (50 = average player), starting from the player's strength, offensive or defensive. Value Rating compares that performance with what the player costs: 50 means paid what the play is worth.
WAR
0.8
wins above replacement
194 of 615
PAL Rating
58/ 100
Performance · Around average
185 of 476 at the position
Value Rating
74/ 100
Good value
0.98 M$ · expected PAL 37
ProfileBalancedNeither end dominates
- Offense
- 61
- Defense
- 57
See full detailsHide details
- Offense
- 57
- Creation
- 67
- Shooting
- 48
- Possession
- 71
- Defense
- 44
- Discipline
- 80
- Power play
- 57
- Penalty kill
- 78
From 0 to 100; 50 is the average player at the same position, adjusted for ice time.
Hockey IQ, 2025-26
Rankings and method →The quality of the player's decisions with and against the puck at 5-on-5, against regulars at the same position (50 = average). PAL measures output; IQ measures how the player plays.
Overall IQ
42/ 100
Average
better than 42% of forwards, offense and defense combined
Offensive IQ
19/ 100
Low
passing, shots, puck
Defensive IQ
66/ 100
Average
takeaways, discipline, own zone
Overall IQ isn't an average of the two scores: it's the player's rank with offense and defense combined, 244 of 424 forwards.
See full detailsHide details
Offense
- Playmaking passes
- 46
- Shot selection
- 36
- Penalties drawn
- 53
- Puck management
- 14
Defense
- Takeaways
- 82
- Discipline
- 64
- Safe zone exits
- 25
Percentiles: 80 means better than 80% of regulars at the same position. Play without the puck (positioning, coverage) isn't measured: the NHL doesn't publish that data.
WAR, 2025-26
How it's calculated →Wins added to the team, compared with a replacement-level player called up from the AHL.
0.8
wins above replacement
-0.1 to 1.8 — 90% interval
194 of 615 forwards
+4.1 goals above replacement
Full leaderboard →See full detailsHide details
- EV offense
- +1.3
- EV defense
- +0.1
- Power play
- -0.2
- Penalty kill
- +0.1
- Shooting
- -1.5
- Penalties
- +1.4
- Average → replacement
- +2.9
In goals.
Player tracking (NHL EDGE)
League EDGE leaderboards →Speed, shot power, distance covered, time by zone: measured by chips in the puck and shoulder pads. 90th percentile = better than 90% of players.
- Hardest shot
- 140.5 km/h82nd percentileleague avg. 130.1 km/h
- Top skating speed
- 35.7 km/h64th percentileleague avg. 35.2 km/h
- Bursts over 20 mph, season
- 1851st percentileleague avg. 21
- Offensive zone time
- 44.5 %76th percentileleague avg. 43.1 %
See full detailsHide details
- Total distance, season
- 59.4 km51st percentileleague avg. 52.2 km
- Distance, single-game high
- 5.08 km70th percentileleague avg. 4.52 km
- Offensive zone at 5v5
- 42.7 %80th percentileleague avg. 42.4 %
- Neutral zone time
- 18.2 %58th percentileleague avg. 16.8 %
- Defensive zone time
- 37.3 %78th percentileleague avg. 40.1 %
Shooting
| Shots on goal | Goals | Shooting % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| All | 3072nd percentile | 366th percentile | 10.0 %32nd percentile |
| High danger | 1589th percentile | 386th percentile | 20.0 %56th percentile |
| Mid range | 1075th percentile | 054th percentile | 0.0 %32nd percentile |
| Long range | 272nd percentile | 092nd percentile | 0.0 %87th percentile |
Shots on goal by zone
2026-2027 regular season. Measured by puck and player tracking chips; the percentile ranks the player within the league.
Game log, 2026-27
ANA
LAK
BOS
VGK
MTL
UTA
COL
CHI
DAL
CBJ
WSH
WPGBen Kindel: frequently asked questions
How many goals does Ben Kindel have in 2026-27?
Ben Kindel has 3 goals and 7 points (4 assists) in 15 games in 2026-27.
How old is Ben Kindel?
Ben Kindel is 19 years old: he was born on April 19, 2007.
How tall is Ben Kindel, and how much does he weigh?
Ben Kindel is 5'11" (180 cm) and weighs 183 lb (83 kg).
Where is Ben Kindel from?
Canada: Ben Kindel was born in Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada.
What team does Ben Kindel play for?
Ben Kindel plays for the Pittsburgh Penguins in the NHL, at C, wearing number 81.
Is Ben Kindel injured?
No: Ben Kindel is not on the latest NHL injury report. This answer is updated throughout the season.
How good is Ben Kindel?
Ben Kindel produced 0.8 wins above replacement (WAR) in 2025-26, 194th of 615 players at his position in the NHL. His PAL rating is 58 out of 100: around average for his position.
How much does Ben Kindel make?
Ben Kindel earns $975K for the 2025-26 season. His Value Rating is 74 out of 100 (good value): it measures the on-field return for that salary, compared with players at his position.
When does Ben Kindel's contract end?
Ben Kindel's contract runs through the 2027-28 season; he will then be a restricted free agent.
Is Ben Kindel overpaid?
No, he gives more than he costs. His Value rating is 74 out of 100 (good value), where 50 is the output expected for his salary, compared with players at his position.
Is Ben Kindel a top-10 player at his position?
No: by WAR, he ranks 194th of 615 players at his position in the NHL in 2025-26. Our comparison tool puts him side by side with any other player.
How has Ben Kindel played lately?
Over his last 10 games, Ben Kindel has 3 points (1 goal, 2 assists).
What are Ben Kindel's career stats?
Over his NHL career, Ben Kindel has 92 games, 20 goals, 22 assists and 42 points. His best season: 2025-26, with 35 points in 77 games.
Where was Ben Kindel drafted?
Ben Kindel was drafted 11th overall (round 1) by Pittsburgh Penguins in 2025.
Is Ben Kindel better at home or on the road?
At home: in 2026-27, he averages 0.83 points per game at home (5 in 6 games) and 0.22 on the road (2 in 9 games).
How does Ben Kindel perform in the playoffs?
In the playoffs, Ben Kindel has 6 games and 0 points in his career. His pace (0.00 points per game) is lower than his regular-season pace (0.46).
Which player is most similar to Ben Kindel?
Kiefer Sherwood: he is the player at his position whose PAL profile (the 0-to-100 dimensions) is closest to his in 2025-26.
Kiefer Sherwood's page →Is Ben Kindel a good fantasy pick?
Probably not, except in deep leagues: our projection has him at 37 points in 2026-27, or 0.49 points per game.
Is Ben Kindel related to anyone famous?
Yes: Steve Kindel (father, played professional soccer for the Vancouver Whitecaps (A-League) and for the Canadian national team); Sara Maglio (mother, played professional soccer for the Vancouver Whitecaps women's team and for the Canadian national team).
What is Ben Kindel's nationality?
Ben Kindel is Canadian. Internationally: Canada national under-18 team: gold medal at the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup; selected for the 2025 IIHF World U18 Championships.
What awards has Ben Kindel won?
WHL Rookie of the Week (week ending November 12, 2023) ; Calgary Hitmen Rookie of the Year (rookie season 2023–24) ; WHL Eastern Conference First All-Star Team — 2024–25.
How many championships has Ben Kindel won?
1: Gold medal with Team Canada at the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup.
Where did Ben Kindel play before turning pro?
Burnaby Winter Club U15 (2020–2022); one season with the Yale U18 prep team (17 goals and 29 assists in 29 games); drafted by the Calgary Hitmen in the 2022 WHL Prospects Draft and played for the Hitmen (2023–24 and 2024–25 seasons).
How many points is Ben Kindel projected to score in 2026-27?
Our projection has him at 37 points in 75 games in 2026-27 (19 to 55 points, 80% interval), based on his recent seasons, age and role.
See also: his Pittsburgh Penguins teammates
Full roster →
NHL.com ↗ · Stats and photos: NHL (NHL.com)