The other night, Ben Kindel got a chance to meet Mario Lemieux in the Penguins dressing room. Forty-one years to the day Le Magnifique scored his first goal in the NHL at age 19, Kindel found the back of the net for the first time, in just his third career game – with his parents in the stands.
“It was definitely nice to get the first one out of the way,” said Kindel, the fourth-youngest player in franchise history to score a goal at 18 years, 175 days. “This was always a goal of mine, but I never knew how fast it would come. But I’m really grateful to be here and be with this team.”
Puck secured ✔️ pic.twitter.com/UR4J11KyI2
For Kindel, these past four months have been an ongoing series of accomplishments. From getting drafted in the first round (11th overall), signing his first professional contract, making the opening night roster as an 18-year-old, and now, scoring his first career goal against Vezina Trophy winner Igor Shesterkin.
“It was a loose puck in the neutral zone,” Kindel said. “It kind of popped out to me, and the defenseman had a bad gap. I tried to attack, heard [Filip Hallander] call for the drop, but I decided to shoot. I just got lucky and it went in.”
NYR@PIT: Kindel scores goal against Igor Shesterkin
His hockey IQ, playmaking, and his ability to play 200 feet and elevate his game in important moments that made Kindel stand out to Clark and his staff. Kindel has learned a lot about improving his game just from the Prospects Challenge and the six preseason games he appeared in.
“Just keeping my motor high, working hard every shift,” he said. “I think when I move my feet, good things start to happen, versus when I start to slow the game down a bit too much. And at this level, it’s harder to slow the game down compared to the junior level. Everything happens so fast, and I think that’s just been a really big key for me coming into this training camp.”
Kindel speaks to the media.
As for any young player in the league, there are always areas to grow, especially at Kindel’s age. For Head Coach Dan Muse and the rest of the staff, the focus will be on Kindel to continue improving and build on what he’s already accomplished.
“The offensive side has been there pretty consistently, and the guy has got a lot of poise with the puck,” said Muse. “He puts himself in great areas. He’s young, there’s going to be the details in the game, there’s going to be little things that are constantly going to be coming up, as they should. For him, it’s going to continue to be learning the game at this level, this is the highest league in the world. There’s going to be plenty of learning that will be taking place.”
While these past few weeks have been a roller coaster of emotions for Kindel, he has been continuing to grow every single day and learn from the veteran players. For captain Sidney Crosby, it is not only Kindel’s skill that is impressive, but the way he is handling the adjustments to becoming an NHL player.
“I think he’s got a lot of poise with the puck, a lot of speed,” Crosby said. “Those two things probably stand out the most. I think he’s using his speed well. He’s finding guys, he distributes the puck really well, and he seems like he’s confident. It doesn’t seem like it’s been too fast for him or anything like that. To this point, he’s done a great job. So, sometimes it takes time to adjust all that. It seems like with every game, he’s getting more and more comfortable.”
For the two teenagers on the team, Kindel and Brunicke, their presence and milestones have been felt all throughout the locker room. For Bryan Rust, who was once that same rookie scoring his first NHL goal, it is not only their skills that are making a difference, but the attitudes they carry with them.
“You can see they trust what they can do out there, and they can do some pretty good things,” Rust said. “[Kindel] had a great goal tonight. He’s been awesome. Those kids come to a rink with a smile on their [faces]. They’re ready to go, ready to have fun. That kind of stuff is contagious.”
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