Ben Kindel discusses handling the pressure of playing alongside NHL legends as a rookie

The Pittsburgh Penguins had several first-round picks in the 2025 NHL Draft, and with their first one, they selected Ben Kindel from the WHL's Calgary Hitmen with the No. 11 overall pick, with many calling the pick a reach.

However, the 18-year old has gone about proving everyone wrong, as he made the team out of training camp in his first season, and through 15 games, he's proven to be very effective.

In that time, Kindel has posted 5 goals and 7 points, and while there's still a major learning curve ahead of him, he's clearly impressed the team and proven himself to be a major piece of the future.

While playing with icons like Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin has many positives, it also has major negatives, as there is much more pressure on a rookie to produce right away, and now, Kindel has addressed those pressures.

Clearly, the pressure isn't getting too him too much, as he continues to talk about how lucky he is to get the opportunity, and clearly, he has great belief that he not only belongs, but can be a major positive for this team and their core for years to come.

At 18-years of age, there have been some major bright spots for Kindel in his rookie campaign, and if he can keep playing at this level, he is going to be a big part of this Stanley Cup Playoffs push in 2025/26.