Pittsburgh Penguins rookie Ben Kindel officially scored first NHL goal of his career. The goal came in only his third NHL game against the New York Rangers.
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It happened after he grabbed the puck from a Ranger and broke out in a rush. Once he crossed the blue line, he ripped a wrist shot that beat Igor Shesterkin. His celebration afterwards was pure emotion, especially when his teammates surrounded him.
Kindel is looking very good early
Kindel, 18, was the 11th overall pick in the 2025 Draft and has already shown that he deserved to make the team and certainly deserves to stay. Ultimately, it will depend on what the Penguins have planned for the season. Kindel can play a maximum of nine games before burning out the first year of his entry-level contract.
If the Penguins decide to keep him and use him that year, it might be worth it. He was very good early on. There will be some learning curves, but if he can work through them and learn from the veterans in the locker room, he has a chance to have a very good, long career. And scoring in just his third game, beating one of the best goalkeepers in the league with a long-range wrist shot, is a pretty good start to showing just how good he can be.
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