Coquitlam’s Ben Kindel has always defied the odds, according to his mom, former soccer star Sara Maglio.
Tonight, Oct. 9, the first-round pick of the Pittsburgh Penguins in June’s NHL entry draft will make his home ice debut against the New York Islanders.
Tuesday, Kindel became the fifth-youngest player in Penguins history to make his NHL debut. The 18-year-old — who’s still more than half a year away from his 19th birthday — skated on a line with veteran superstars Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin in a 3-0 win over the New York Rangers at Madison Square Gardens.
Kindel’s 15:11 of playing time was fifth-highest of all Penguins’ players in the game, he won four of his five faceoffs, recorded one shot on net and blocked another.
Maglio, who was at the game in New York with Kindel’s dad, told Penguins’ team reporter Michelle Grechiolo her son always believed he was going to someday play in the NHL.
“Me knowing the statistics and the percentage, I never really let myself believe it,” Maglio said. “Not that I didn’t believe in him, but we’re realistic.”
Unlikely accomplishment
Making the Penguins roster right out of the Western Hockey League, where he played two seasons with the Calgary Hitmen, is an especially unlikely accomplishment for a kid who grew up in a soccer household.
Kindel’s dad, Steve, played for the Vancouver Whitecaps and the old Vancouver 86ers, as well as Canada’s national team. And his younger sister, Lacey, will play for the U-17 women’s national team that will play at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Rabat, Morocco, from Oct. 17 to Nov. 8.
Steve Kindel told Grechiolo his son’s love for hockey was forged watching Montreal Canadiens games on TV together, as the Habs were his favourite team.
“It seems like when he was that little kid up until now, it went by in a flash,” he said.
Not his first rodeo at MSG
Tuesday’s game in New York wasn’t Ben Kindel’s first time in Madison Square Garden. He and his family toured the famous facility in 2022 during a side trip following a spring hockey tournament in Philadelphia.
“I feel like that wasn’t very long ago,” Kindel told reporters after his debut game. “I think it’s one of the best buildings in the league. The energy in there was just unbelievable, so it was just a great experience.”
Penguins coach Dan Muse was full of praise for Kindel and fellow WHL graduate, defenseman Harrison Brunicke.
“They were poised out there,” he said of the rookies. “They were in good spots. I didn’t think that there was anything too loud the wrong way. It’s a good start.”
Kindel signed a three-year entry-level contract with Pittsburgh on July 8. In his two seasons with the Hitmen, he scored 159 points in 133 games, including a franchise-record point steak that lasted 23 games. He also played five games for Canada’s gold medal-winning team at the 2025 IIHF U-18 World Championship in Texas, where he scored a goal and added six assists.
MARIO BARTEL 