Penguins' 1st round pick Ben Kindel growing up fast this preseason

Ben Kindel looks every bit like someone who just had his 18th birthday April 19.

He has a thick shock of curly, unkempt hair and a complexion devoid of wrinkles.

Plus, his five o’clock shadow looks as if it’s on West Coast time.

Of American Samoa.

There is one blemish that deviates from his otherwise cherubic appearance, however.

A big cut over the bridge of his nose.

The Pittsburgh Penguins forward prospect suffered the abrasion during a 4-1 road preseason loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Wednesday.

“I don’t know what exactly happened, but I just came out of the corner,” Kindel said Monday in Cranberry. “I felt my nose started bleeding. Had to get patched up a bit, but it’s all good now.

“It doesn’t look great, but I guess I don’t mind it. I look a bit more like a hockey player.”

Kindel has looked like the hockey player the Penguins were hoping for when they selected him No. 11 overall in the NHL Draft in June, well ahead of where several mock drafts had forecast.

This preseason, Kindel has been deployed on three of the team’s four lines while appearing in a team-leading four games, including Monday’s 2-1 road win against the Detroit Red Wings.

Starting the contest as the second-line center, he opened the scoring with his first goal of the exhibition slate.

Kindy gets us going ???? pic.twitter.com/gvUDqbACXo

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) September 29, 2025

Kindel, who signed his three-year entry-level contract in July, led the contest with five shots, boosting his preseason total to a team-best 11.

After Monday’s morning skate, he seemingly manifested that night’s goal into existence while discussing the number of scoring opportunities he had manufactured in his first three contests.

“Obviously, I’d like to convert at some point,” said Kindel, a right-handed shot. “Hopefully, get my scoring touch here soon. But it’s definitely easier when you’re getting the chances versus you get bit more frustrated when you’re not getting the chances. I’m happy, at least, that they’re coming. I know eventually the puck will start to go in.”

It doesn’t seem like the Penguins are ready to start sitting Kindel for their final two games of the preseason. He has earned his playing time.

“Some of these decisions are also based on what we’ve been seeing and how he’s played,” coach Dan Muse said. “We didn’t come in here saying (at the start of training camp) that he was going to play in these four games. That wasn’t the case. You get little bit of a starting point, and, as we go, you want to see guys in more situations. It’s been good for him. If we didn’t feel that way, we wouldn’t have him playing.”

If Kindel winds up playing games in the regular season, that’s another matter.

Players who are eligible to play at the junior level can appear in nine regular season NHL contests without burning the first year of their entry-level contract. It’s something of a “tryout” to see if they are ready for the NHL.

Considering Kindel (5-foot-11, 182 pounds) is just starting his professional career and that the Penguins are largely focused on long-term development of their prospects, it’s likely he will be returned to his junior team, the Calgary Hitmen of the Western Hockey League, at some point.

But he certainly has given Penguins management something to look at.

“Every rep you get just helps build confidence,” Kindel said. “Put another brick down each day. Every chance I get, I think it really helps me. And I’m grateful for the opportunities that I’m getting.”

Note: The Penguins had a scheduled day off Tuesday.