Latest news with #BenKindel
National Post
12 hours ago
- Sport
- National Post
Mom and dad both played for Vancouver Whitecaps, but Ben Kindel set to make noise at NHL Draft
Ben Kindel's first NHL goal has to feature him kicking the puck up to his stick before firing it home. That would only be fitting. Article content The 18-year-old right winger from Coquitlam, who is expected to be a first-round pick in this weekend's NHL Draft in Los Angeles, is the son of Steve Kindel and Sara Maglio, who were both standouts with their Vancouver Whitecaps teams and played soccer internationally for Canada. Article content They each remain firmly entrenched in the game — with Maglio the executive director for Coquitlam Metro-Ford Soccer and Kindel the senior technical director for North Vancouver FC. Ben's teenage sister, Lacey, is accomplished on the pitch herself that she was part of Canada's entry in the Concacaf Under-15 championships in Costa Rica last summer. Article content Ben also played soccer up until a couple of years ago, opting then to further amp up his focus on hockey. Article content He was the highest-scoring, first-year, draft-eligible player in the WHL this past season, putting up 99 points, including 35 goals, in his sophomore campaign with the Calgary Hitmen. He was seventh overall in league scoring. He set a franchise record with a 23-game point streak (15-30-45) midway through the campaign. Article content Elite Prospects culls together various mock drafts and has the 5-foot-11, 186-pound right-shot Kindel slotted at No. 20 overall in its consolidated ranking. Among the teams picking in that vicinity are the Vancouver Canucks, who have the No. 15 selection. 'All the teams that interviewed me asked about my parents and how playing soccer has helped my hockey,' he said earlier this week. 'Obviously, my mom and dad passed along good athletic and competitive genes. They taught me a lot about how to be professional and the mental side of sport as well. Article content 'It wasn't hard to tell them I wanted to give up soccer. They always knew that hockey was what I wanted do. Article content 'My parents didn't go through something like this. But they've talked about embracing every moment, because you never know when your athletic career might end.' Article content 'It's a childhood dream come true for me and my family and all the people that have supported me along the way.' Hear from 21st-ranked North American skater and @WHLHitmen forward Benjamin Kindel ahead of the 2025 #NHLDraft. — Western Hockey League (@TheWHL) June 26, 2025 Article content Kindel is represented by Vancouver agent Ross Gurney. When Gurney was starting out, one of his first clients was Steve Kindel. Article content Article content Ben says that, 'It would be a really cool thing to be a hometown player in this city,' in regards to the opportunity to be drafted by the Canucks. His favourite team growing up, though, was the Montreal Canadiens, and that's something that has been passed along from his father. Article content He was a mainstay with the Whitecaps from 2000-08, when they were playing in the USL First Division and based out of Swangard Stadium. He helped them win league championships in 2006 and 2008. Article content Just days before Ben was born in April 2007, Steve did an interview with Postmedia. He was asked then about what he would be doing if he was not playing for the Whitecaps. He replied, 'A rock star. Or maybe a hockey player. I'm probably a little too small to play hockey, though.' Article content Steve's Soccer Canada player bio lists Italian forward Giuseppe Signori and defender Paolo Maldini as his favourite athletes, along with Canadiens/Colorado Avalanche goalie Patrick Roy. Steve's international career included the Under-20 World Cup in 1997 and Olympic qualifying in 2000.
National Post
14 hours ago
- Sport
- National Post
NHL Draft primer: Hitmen, Calgary draft-eligibles set for annual pick-em
Article content And internationally, the Hitmen forward won gold with Canada at the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, in which he had a goal and an assist, and the 2025 IIHF Under-18 World Championship, in which he scored once and added six helpers. Article content 'What it is, it's hockey sense with Ben,' Davidson said. 'He's got outstanding hockey sense. He sees and thinks the game so well. And he was undersized, and he's obviously growing now a little bit and gotten stronger, and he's still got a ways to go in that department, which also translates that strength with core and legs to taking his skating to another level. Article content 'But it's all about his head and his sense that's really high.' Article content Kindel was also a monster presence in the playoffs, with eight goals and 15 points — both team-highs — in just 11 games. Article content Two of those tallies were overtime winners — back-to-back — in Games 4 and 5 of their second-round series with the Lethbridge Hurricanes. Article content 'Certainly Ben has risen to the occasion when it's needed and seems to embrace that, for sure,' Kindel said. 'It reinforces why we took him in the second round of the bantam draft, and we were actually pretty shocked he was still there. Article content 'So … yeah … it's gratifying for us. But more importantly, it's all about the player, and you're excited for the player and his family.' Article content Hitmen teammate Brandon Gorzynski is ranked 50th in the rankings, rising high from his 81st rating midway through the season. Article content The 6-foot-2, 181-lb. forward racked up 17 goals and 42 points in 68 WHL games this past season — his second with the Hitmen. Article content 'As the season went along, he just really started, I believe, to believe in himself and how good he was,' said Davidson, of the native of Scottsdale, Ariz. 'This guy gets around the ice real well. He's 6-foot-2 — he's got that pro frame. And he's probably a guy, I think, with a little more development would be able to play up and down in the lineup. Article content 'Early in the year, Brandon had very little special-teams opportunity,' continued Davidson. 'As the season went along, his role grew to where he was on power plays and he was killing penalties, and I just think there's a lot more there yet. I think he'd be a good pick for his NHL team.' Article content Article content Article content Goaltender Anders Miller isn't ranked but has also risen in the eyes of scouts. Article content His clutch play when called upon in the playoffs was a big reason for the shift in his stock. Miller came on for injured starter Daniel Hauser from the drop of the puck in the post-season and posted a 2.55 goals-against-average and a .902 save percentage in 10 games played for the Hitmen. His 7-3 record anchored two-round success — they fell one win short of Round 3 — in the WHL playoffs. Article content 'He's a sleeper,' said Davidson of Miller, a product of Anchorage, Alaska. 'Teams are already talking about him going to their camps, but I wouldn't be at all surprised if he's picked later in the draft. I look at him as a 6-foot-2 strong kid. He obviously needs more experience, but he's just trending in such a positive way.' Article content Davidson will grab a pizza and a comfy spot with family and friends to take in the draft. Article content With Kindel a possible top-20 pick, it's a chance for the longtime WHL GM and scout to reap the rewards from the development of another successful player.
Toronto Sun
28-04-2025
- Sport
- Toronto Sun
Unbeaten Canada beats Finland 5-1 at U18 men's world hockey championship
Published Apr 27, 2025 • 1 minute read Hockey Canada logo Postmedia files ALLEN — Ben Kindel and Xavier Villeneuve each had a goal and assist as Canada won its third consecutive game at the U-18 men's world hockey championship on Sunday with a 5-1 decision over Finland at the Texas Event Center. Cole Reschny, Braeden Cootes and Brady Martin also scored for Canada, which led 1-0 after the first period and 4-0 heading into the third. Jere Somervuori scored for Finland, which slipped to two wins, a loss and an overtime loss. Unbeaten Canada will wrap up Group A action with a game against winless Norway on Monday. Canada, with wins over Slovakia (9-2), Latvia (7-1) and Finland, will finish first in Group A with a win or tie against Norway. The quarterfinals get underway Wednesday. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Canada Federal Elections Opinion Toronto Blue Jays Canada
Yahoo
27-01-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
WHL roundup: Mynio, Kindel help Hitmen knock off Rebels 6-1
CALGARY — Sawyer Mynio scored twice, Ben Kindel chipped in with four assists, and the Calgary Hitmen knocked off the visiting Red Deer Rebels 6-1 in Western Hockey League action on Sunday at the Scotiabank Saddledome. Carter Yakemchuk, Tanner Howe, David Adaszynski and Oliver Tulk also scored for the surging Hitmen (28-12-3-2), who led 1-0 after the first period and 4-1 heading into the third. Yakemchuk also chipped in with two assists. Samuel Drancak scored for the Rebels (16-24-4-2), who were outshot 34-18. The Hitmen went 2-for-5 on the power play, while the Rebels were 0-for-3. Elsewhere in the WHL on Sunday: --- HURRICANES 2 OIL KINGS 1 EDMONTON, Alta. — Brayden Yager and Brayden Edwards scored to give the visiting Lethbridge Hurricanes a 2-0 lead and they hung on to beat the Edmonton Oil Kings 2-1. Netminder Jackson Unger stopped 27 of 28 shots for the Hurricanes (29-15-1-1). Rylen Roersma scored for the Oil Kings (25-17-1-2), who outshot the visitors 28-20. --- BRONCOS 3 GIANTS 2 (OT) LANGLEY, B.C. — Brady Birnie scored at 2:27 of overtime to lift the visiting Swift Current Broncos to a 3-2 decision over the Vancouver Giants. Josh McGregor and Trae Wilke scored for the Broncos (24-18-1-1) in regulation time, while Carlin Dezainde added two assists. Ty Halaburda and Tyler Thorpe scored for the Giants (23-17-6-0), who were outshot 35-20, but got a solid 32-save performance from netminder Burke Hood to keep the game close. --- RAIDERS 4 BLADES 3 (OT) SASKATOON, Sask. — Justice Christensen's second goal of the game, scored at 3:31 of overtime, lifted the visiting Prince Albert Raiders to a 4-3 win over the Saskatoon Blades in a battle for top spot in the East Division. Tomas Mrsic and Riley Boychuk also scored for the Raiders (25-15-3-0), who were outshot 36-28. Brayden Dube chipped in with two assists. With the win Prince Albert moves into sole possession of first place with 53 points, one ahead of the Blades. Rowan Calvert scored twice for the Blades (23-16-3-3), while Tyler Parr netted a single. Tanner Scott, Grayden Siepmann and Parr all had two assists. --- SILVERTIPS 2 AMERICANS 1 (OT) EVERETT, Wash. — Dominik Rymon scored at 2:48 of overtime to lift the Everett Silvertips to a 2-1 win over the visiting Tri-City Americans. Lukas Kaplan scored in regulation time for the U.S. Division-leading Silvertips (34-6-4-3), who led 1-0 until 14:53 of the third period. Jake Sloan scored for the Americans (22-18-4-1). Both teams had 39 shots on net. * This roundup was generated automatically with a CP-developed application. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 26, 2025. The Canadian Press
