Ben Kindel’s 2025 Outlook: How 18-Year-Old NHL Forwards Have Fared
▼ Summary
– Ben Kindel is poised to become an NHL draft+1 player, joining a rare group who debut in the same season they were drafted.
– Most draft+1 NHL players are top-5 picks, with recent examples including Macklin Celebrini and Artyom Levshunov dominating the games played.
– Kindel’s situation is comparable to players like Jett Luchanko and William Eklund, who made brief NHL appearances before being reassigned to avoid contract implications.
– Only a few non-top-5 forwards, such as Zach Benson and Cole Sillinger, have managed to play a full NHL season in their draft+1 year in recent history.
– Making an NHL roster as a draft+1 forward outside the top-5 is extremely rare, with Kindel potentially joining just four others who earned a spot via training camp in the last five years.
Ben Kindel appears poised to join a select group of NHL players who debut in the league during the same regular season they were drafted. This achievement becomes even more notable considering that most draft+1 players who make an immediate impact are typically chosen within the first few selections. During the 2024-25 season, five players from the 2024 draft class combined for 95 NHL games, with first overall pick Macklin Celebrini accounting for 70 appearances himself. When combined with second selection Artyom Levshunov’s 18 games, these two top picks represented 88 of the total 95 games played by draft-year athletes.
Kindel’s situation bears resemblance to Philadelphia Flyers center Jett Luchanko, who unexpectedly appeared in four early-season contests before returning to junior hockey. Luchanko achieved this from the 13th overall draft position, while Montreal’s Ivan Demidov (fifth overall) managed two games and Calgary’s Zayne Parekh (ninth overall) appeared in one. Minnesota’s Zeev Buium, selected 12th overall, made his debut during a single playoff game.
Looking beyond the elite top-five selections who don’t closely mirror Kindel’s draft position, several recent NHL forwards have navigated similar draft+1 seasons. Zach Benson, chosen 13th overall by Buffalo in 2023, remarkably played the entire 2023-24 season as an 18-year-old outside the top five, recording 30 points across 71 games. Gavin Brindley, selected 34th overall by Columbus in 2023, appeared in one late-season game after completing his college season at Michigan, though his situation differed since he didn’t make the team directly from training camp.
The 2022-23 season presented another qualified example with Owen Beck, the 33rd overall pick who played one emergency game for Montreal amid widespread injuries. A more relevant comparison comes from William Eklund, drafted seventh overall in 2021, who made San Jose’s roster out of camp and appeared in nine games before being assigned to the AHL to preserve his contract status. Cole Sillinger, chosen 12th in 2021, remained with Columbus throughout his draft+1 season, contributing 31 points in 79 games.
Historical data shows this achievement remains exceptionally rare. The shortened 2020 season saw no non-top-five forwards play in their draft+1 year. Looking further back in Penguins history, Daniel Sprong (46th overall in 2015) appeared in 18 NHL games during his draft year, while higher-profile players like Jordan Staal, Sidney Crosby, and Marc-Andre Fleury don’t fit the specific criteria we’re examining.
The path forward for Kindel could mirror various outcomes from recent history. While Benson and Sillinger managed full NHL seasons as draft+1 players outside the top five, they represent just two success stories among hundreds of forwards drafted in similar positions over the past five years. Kindel’s journey might more closely follow the patterns of Luchanko or Eklund, where an initial debut doesn’t necessarily lead to burning the first year of their entry-level contract.
Given that Kindel has consistently surpassed expectations throughout the fall, his continued progression wouldn’t be without precedent. Earning an NHL roster spot directly from training camp as a forward drafted outside the top five remains an extraordinary accomplishment. Should Kindel succeed, he would join the exclusive company of Benson, Sillinger, Luchanko, and Eklund as the only forwards in the past five years to achieve this rare feat through training camp performance.
(Source: Pensburgh)