The Penguins played their second game of the preseason on Wednesday in Columbus. The Blue Jackets won, 4-1. This is the lineup Dan Muse and his staff put together:
Filip Hallander – Tristan Broz – Ville Koivunen
Connor Dewar – Blake Lizotte – Justin Brazeau
Aidan McDonough – Ben Kindel – Phil Tomasino
Zach Gallant – Aaron Huglen – Atley Calvert
Caleb Jones – Connor Clifton
Alexander Alexeyev – Jack St. Ivany
Sebastian Aho – Phil Kemp
Arturs Silovs
Filip Larsson
* Penguins fans were excited when Kyle Dubas acquired Arturs Silovs from Vancouver, and rightfully so. Just 24 years old, he is coming off a career season with the Abbotsford Canucks of the American Hockey League, where he led the team to the Calder Cup Championship as Playoff MVP. Tonight, we got our first look at Silovs in black and gold. He recently spoke about his opportunity.
*Zach Gallant, on an AHL-only deal, scored Pittsburgh’s lone goal. Ville Koivunen picked up the only assist. He piled up seven helpers in eight NHL games down the stretch last season after making his NHL debut on March 30 vs. Ottawa, and Muse was impressed with what he saw on the tape.
“The poise that he has with the puck, the confidence with the puck… his ability to find that next play, to extend plays, making plays in tight area, he was doing that a lot last year,” Muse said. “He was also working away from the puck and in the defensive zone, showing detail, blocking shots. He’s not the biggest guy in the world, but I think watching back, some of that really stood out. So, it’s combining all those things and showing that you can make an impact on both ends of the ice.”
Koivunen, who turned 22 in June, worked on getting stronger over the summer. He’s not the biggest guy, but often finds himself in battles because of his high compete level. Koivunen also focused on getting more explosive, so that he can reach full speed quicker, and his conditioning, so that his body can handle the demands of a long season.
“The game is so much faster, so you need to be in good shape so you can skate as fast as you can all the time and work hard,” said Koivunen, who is listed at 6-foot and 184 pounds. “I want to play a lot of minutes there, so you have to be ready to play hard and play fast.”
So far, Koivunen is feeling pretty good after the Prospects Challenge and his first preseason game.
“I just want to try to play how I played here last season. And I want to play to my strengths, work hard and that’s it,” Koivunen said. “And try to win the games, too.”
*It’s been quite the week for Ben Kindel. The first of Pittsburgh’s three first-round picks in the 2025 NHL Draft made his preseason debut in Montreal, which was especially significant because of his Canadiens fandom. Even though he was born and raised in British Columbia, his father Steve first became a Montreal fan to spite an uncle who loved the Flames, and passed that on to his son.
“When he really first started getting into hockey, Brendan Gallagher was a rookie,” said Steve, who is a retired professional soccer player. “He was trying to break his way into the lineup, and eventually did, and that’s right when Ben kind of gravitated to him. Brendan was a hardworking player. If you see Ben wearing No. 11, that’s where that comes from.”
While Kindel is wearing No. 81 for Pittsburgh, he did get drafted No. 11 overall. And he got to play against Gallagher the other night.
“It was a very cool moment for myself and my family,” Kindel said with a smile.
Tonight, Kindel had two Grade-A opportunities. First, he managed to get behind the Blue Jackets defense and go in alone for a look, drawing a tripping penalty at the end. Later, Kindel had a full-blown breakaway. It’s impressive that Kindel has been able to display the hockey IQ Wes Clark felt so strongly about against much higher competition compared to juniors.
“Just his awareness on the ice, he’s one of those players where at times, the game looks easy to him, just because he puts himself in such good positions,” Muse said. “When you watch him, the way he positions himself, the way he can change speed – you combine that with that sense to put himself in those great spots, then with the stick skills and just the overall abilities. You saw that at the rookie tournament, and I think you’ve seen it here in practices, and that’s not an easy thing for a young player like that.”
Kindel said the attention to detail at this level is much different compared to juniors, but he feels like he has taken some good steps, and hopes to take a few more in the near future.
“Just kind of try and play my game, have confidence in my game, and just leave it all out there,” Kindel said. “You might not get many opportunities. So just whatever opportunity I get, just go out there, do whatever I can.”
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