penguins Prospect Ben Kindel Joins Rare Company of 18-Year-Old NHL Forwards
Pittsburgh Penguins prospect Ben Kindel has earned a spot on the NHL roster out of training camp, placing him in a select group of 18-year-old forwards who’ve made the leap to the NHL in recent years. His achievement is especially noteworthy as it’s uncommon for players drafted outside the top-5 to immediately impact an NHL lineup as 18-year-olds.
Historically,the most significant contributions from draft+1 nhlers-players in their first year after being drafted-come from those selected in the very top picks. In the 2024-25 season, five players drafted in 2024 appeared in NHL games, combining for 95 total games played. Macklin Celebrini, the first overall pick, accounted for 70 of those games, while Artyom Levshunov, drafted second added another 88 of the 95 games played.
Beyond the top selections, a small number of other draft+1 players have seen NHL action. Jett Luchanko of the Philadelphia Flyers appeared in four early-season games after being drafted 13th before returning to juniors. Montreal’s Ivan Demidov (5th overall) played in two games, and Calgary’s Zayne Parekh (9th overall) appeared in one. Minnesota’s Zeev Buium (12th overall) made his NHL debut in a single playoff game.
Looking at recent Penguins history, Daniel Sprong (drafted 46th overall in 2015-16) played 18 NHL games during his draft+1 season. While players like Jordan Staal (2nd overall),Sidney Crosby (1st overall),and Marc-Andre Fleury (1st overall) debuted for the Penguins at a young age,they don’t fit the criteria of being draft+1 players outside the top-5. Olli Maatta does not qualify, as he made the team after turning 19.
Kindel joins a small group of forwards-Zach Benson, Cole Sillinger, Luchanko, and William Eklund-who have earned a spot on an NHL roster via training camp in the last five years without being a top-5 pick. While some players like Benson and Sillinger have managed to stay in the NHL for an entire season, many others experience a debut season similar to Luchanko or Eklund, where they play fewer than 10 games to avoid burning a year off their entry-level contract.
Kindel’s trajectory has consistently exceeded expectations, and his continued success could see him follow a similar path to those who’ve established themselves in the NHL as 18-year-olds. Making the NHL in a draft+1 year as a forward drafted outside the top-5 is a rare feat, and Kindel is now among a very limited number of players to achieve it.
