Latest news with #BenjaminKindel
New York Times
17 hours ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Penguins' NHL Draft first round was unpredictable, unorthodox and completely Kyle Dubas
Follow our live coverage of the 2025 NHL Draft. PITTSBURGH — A few days before the NHL Draft, a Pittsburgh Penguins employee told me something about the team's president and general manager, Kyle Dubas, that stuck with me. 'Kyle isn't worried about what anyone else thinks. He's going to do what he wants. He's got guts.' Advertisement Fast forward to Friday's first round, where Dubas did pretty much everything unconventionally. If he was trying to win a popularity contest on social media, he failed. If he was trying to satisfy fans who treat mock drafts as gospel, he failed. Benjamin who? If he was trying to expedite the Penguins' rebuild to find players who could immediately help Sidney Crosby get back to the playoffs before he retires — which probably would've looked like trading up for a top-five pick — he failed. But, overall, did he fail? First of all, if you think you know, you don't. We won't know for years. On the surface, it seems disappointing that none of the big names in the top 10 slipped through the cracks to 11, where the Penguins were sitting, or that more familiar names, such as thumper Kashawn Aitcheson, were overlooked. It seems at least conceivable that Benjamin Kindel may have still been on the board when the Penguins made their second selection. We'll never know. Dubas noted after the draft that 'we had intel' that he wouldn't have been on the board for much longer. So, there is that. And Dubas did pull off some shrewd business. There's nothing sexy about trading down in a draft, especially a top-heavy one. Still, dealing the 12th pick for the 22nd and 31st picks is pretty good business. Turning around and dealing the 31st and the 59th to move back up to 24th is pretty good business, too. The Penguins met some objectives on the night. They have serious talent in the pipeline on defense (Harrison Brunicke, Emil Pieniniemi, Finn Harding, Owen Pickering) and in goal (Sergei Murashov). However, they look far more bleak at forward. Rutger McGroarty and Ville Koivunen have the look of good NHL players, but neither projects to be a star. Behind those two, the organization doesn't have a ton of talent up front — some, but hardly overwhelming. Advertisement So, Dubas looked squarely at the forwards available and took three in the first 24 picks in the first round. After the 2024-25 season, Dubas decided the Penguins needed to get bigger and more difficult to play against. Bill Zonnon, the 22nd pick, is known for being a relentless, physical competitor who is nasty to play against. Will Horcoff, whom the Penguins took two picks later, is 6 feet 5 inches and physically imposing. He's the son of former NHL player Shawn Horcoff. Those two players may well help the Penguins become tougher to play against down the line. Friday was unpredictable and unorthodox for the Penguins, but they progressed. They selected three players in the first round since 1984. They selected multiple players in the first round for the first time since 2012. And yet, fans seem largely disappointed. They're restless. They're bored. They don't want to wait to compete for a championship again. They want fireworks. They wanted Dubas to trade up. (He said he tried but that there were no takers.) It's not that Dubas doesn't care about what the fans want. Of course he does. But he also is paid to make big decisions, and sometimes, the best decisions are not immediately received well or understood by the public. Everyone wanted a big name. Everyone wanted the Penguins to move up in the draft. Dubas said that, to move up in the draft, the Penguins would have ended up with just one player on Friday. Now, they have three. It's Dubas' show, with a hand from Wes Clark, his vice president of player personnel, who clearly has considerable influence on the draft process. When Dubas took over the Penguins just over two years ago, he seemed to go out of his way to please everyone. He might've wanted to impress Sidney Crosby and Mike Sullivan more than anyone. Even so, he had to have known a dramatic makeover was necessary. Advertisement But you try sitting in a room with Crosby and telling him you're going to sell. Try telling that to Sullivan. Good luck. Dubas gave them a chance to win with the current group, even though it was unlikely to work out. After a few months, he cut the cord and traded Jake Guentzel. That was the day Dubas made the Penguins truly his. Since then, the Penguins have sold, they've collected assets and they've built for the future. Now, is he building the right way? It's tough to say either way, even though the decision to draft Benjamin Kindel at No. 11 is going to be questioned until proven otherwise. Regardless of these moves' success or failure, this is Dubas' show. That's probably why this job appealed to him in the first place. Brendan Shanahan isn't here. Dubas is his own boss. Penguins ownership scarcely makes its presence felt. Former CEO David Morehouse is long gone. So is Sullivan, who possessed an awful lot of power for a coach. In the last month, we've seen Dubas go outside the box on a coaching hire and with the 11th pick in the draft. You might not like it. You might question it. You might have reason to. If the Penguins rise in the next few seasons, Dubas might look like a genius. If they fail, you'll be able to hear the laughter from Toronto. Either way, Dubas is doing it on his terms, which is precisely how he wants it. (Photo of Benjamin Kindel with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, Penguins defenseman Kris Letang and his son, Alex: Bruce Bennett / Getty Images)
Yahoo
18 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Pittsburgh Penguins draft second forward during first round of 2025 NHL Draft
The Pittsburgh Penguins have taken a second forward during the first round of the NHL Draft. Bill Zonnon joined the team as the 22nd overall pick. Zonnon is 6 feet 2 inches tall and weighs around 182 pounds. Advertisement He played for the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies. According to Elite Prospects, the 18-year-old played 64 games and scored 28 goals with 55 assists in the 2024-25 season. He is the second forward taken by the Penguins of the night. Benjamin Kindel was their first pick of the night. Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW
Yahoo
19 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Penguins draft forward Benjamin Kindel with their first pick in 2025 NHL Draft, trade second pick
The Pittsburgh Penguins have drafted a forward as their first pick of the NHL Draft. The Penguins took Benjamin Kindel as the 11th overall pick. Kindel played for the Calgary Hitmen. He is 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighs 180 pounds. Benjamin Kindel, second from right, stands with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, right, after being drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins during the NHL hockey draft Friday, June 27, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes) He played in 65 games in the 2024-25 season with 35 goals and 64 assists, according to Elite Prospects. Advertisement Kris Letang and his son Alex announced the pick. His son, Alex, hit the 'Trade Alert' button as the Penguins traded their 12th overall pick to the Philadelphia Flyers for the 22nd and 31st overall picks. Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW
CBS News
20 hours ago
- Sport
- CBS News
Who is Benjamin Kindel, the Penguins selection at No. 11 overall in the NHL draft?
The Pittsburgh Penguins selected forward Benjamin Kindel in the first round of the 2025 NHL Draft on Friday. Kindel's name was called at No. 11 overall. Here's everything to know about the team's newest rookie forward. Where did Benjamin Kindle play junior hockey? For the last two seasons, Kindel has played for the Calgary Hitmen, a Canadian junior ice hockey team. The Hitmen play in the Central Division of the Western Hockey League. He has been one of the top producers on the team during his time with the Hitmen. He tallied 60 points during his rookie season in 2023-24 before breaking through with 99 points last season. The 18-year-old shared the ice with forward Tanner Howe, who the Penguins selected in the second round of the 2024 draft. Kindel, a right-hander, is a native of Coquitlam, British Columbia CBS Sports said Kindel has "spectacular vision on the ice," though his 5-foot-10, 180-pound frame "might've led to him being lower on some teams' draft boards, but the talent is definitely there."
