2024 NHL Draft Eligible
H/W: 5-foot-10 180 pounds
Date of Birth: 2007-04-19
After missing the playoffs altogether in 2023/24, the Calgary Hitmen took a huge step forward this past season, establishing themselves as a legitimate threat in the WHL’s highly competitive Central Division. The emergence of Benjamin Kindel as a top-line contributor in his draft year was a large factor in the turnaround, as it pushed the team into win-now mode, leading to midseason acquisitions such as Tanner Howe (PIT ‘24), Sawyer Mynio (VAN ‘23), and Kalem Parker (MIN ‘23). The Hitmen finished third in the WHL and made quick work of the Saskatoon Blades in the first round of the playoffs before ultimately falling in seven games to the Lethbridge Hurricanes in round two.
Ben Kindel’s emergence this season didn’t come as a huge surprise, after all, the 2022 WHL second round pick finished fourth in the WHL rookie scoring race in 2023/24 with 60 points. He bumped that production way up this season though, finishing with 99 points. The 5-foot-10 forward was a third of one of the best lines in the league this season, along with fellow sub-six-footers Howe and Oliver Tulk. He also did a lot of heavy lifting on the power play and was a secondary penalty killer.
Kindel brings a lot to the table despite his slight stature. He battles hard, particularly shining along the boards, where he uses his body to shield the puck, and is able to squirm out of pins effectively. He is among the most polished players in the draft, making effective reads whether he has the puck on his stick, is finding open space offensively, or is defending and applying pressure. Kindel also has excellent hand-eye coordination, easily corralling bouncing pucks and gaining control. One area of weakness for him is his speed, which is probably the reason he will be taken outside of the top 15 on draft day. In the NHL, assuming he gets a bit quicker, he likely ends up as a second line winger due to his high compete-level and Hockey IQ.
Skating:
The biggest weakness in Kindel’s game is his speed. His stride just lacks the explosiveness it needs to accelerate quickly, so he is often behind the play when he doesn’t have the puck or slows the game down when he does have the puck. Whoever drafts him will certainly be working with him to improve this aspect of his game. If he can add a gear or two, the rest of his skating should be enough to make him a very effective NHLer. Kindel is very strong on his skates, which is really helpful for him along the boards and in front of the net, where he likes to go despite his smaller size. He also has good edgework and is able to change direction and manipulate his momentum to evade opponents with ease.
Kindel does have great balance, being able to take bumps from larger opponents without falling down or losing the puck.
Here’s Kindel struggling to pick up steam going both ways. First he can’t catch up in time to be a threat offensively, then he isn’t able to keep up with someone on the backcheck.
Even though acceleration is a bit of a struggle for Kindel, if he has enough runway, he can create a bit of space with his skating. Here he takes an extra step to the outside to create lateral space away from the defender.
Kindel barely wins the foot race here, but a perfectly timed stick lift and a very quick change of direction ensure that he comes away with full control of the puck.
Grade: 52.5
Shot:
Benjamin Kindel’s shot is more of a tool than it is a weapon. It is accurate but is not particularly heavy. He mainly shoots low, which sometimes beats goalies but more often can lead to rebounds and other dangerous scoring chances. He does have a quick release, so at times he is almost able to catch goalies by surprise with it. As for slapshots, he pretty much only uses them on one-timers, but again isn't a huge shooting threat for opponents. Most of the goals he scores at the pro level will be within 10 feet of the net.
Kindel started the season on his one-timer side on the powerplay, but the Hitmen eventually moved him over to the right side so he could go downhill. Better for playmaking, but nifty releases like this were still able to find the back of the net.
Another downhill powerplay goal. This time his release is not as quick, but he uses the defender as a screen perfectly and places it shortside just over the pad.
Not much time needed to get that shot off, as Kindel picks a corner off one touch.
Nice forced turnover to start off the clip, and then his one-time slapshot for the OT winner. Nothing particularly special about Kindel’s slapshot, but it’s a tool and he uses it effectively here.
Grade: 50
Skills:
Kindel has good puck control and is one of the best at winning puck battles without the advantage of brute force. He has a great knack for knocking pucks out of the air and uses his hands well in tight areas, even if he’s not constantly trying to take defenders one-on-one. He’s slick and efficient on puck retrievals along the boards, using his body to protect the puck and quickly locating it in scrambles or stealing it off opponents’ sticks. Kindel is also very quick to spot open teammates as soon as he comes away with the puck after a battle.
Kindel catches a bouncing puck in the slot, stick handles a couple times, and snaps the rolling puck past the goalie for the OT winner, a really challenging play that he makes look easy.
Surrounded by three defenders, Kindel still has the wherewithal to kick the puck ahead and bat it in with his stick.
Kindel is so good at coming out of battles along the boards with the puck and doesn’t hesitate to move it to a teammate in a more dangerous position than him.
Excellent puck protection by Kindel here and he still is able to find a teammate in the slot through a maze of sticks and skates.
On the surface there is not anything remarkable about this clip, but it’s just a small detail that is worth noting, Kindel is receiving back pressure from the right side, so he makes sure he keeps his right leg out as a shield and maintains puck possession on the opposite side of his body.
Grade: 55
Smarts:
Kindel’s bread and butter is his attention to detail. He is not the most creative player offensively, but he does the right thing pretty much every time. His vision as a puck carrier is excellent, and he often will try to draw defenders to himself before feeding a teammate. On zone entries he attacks the middle and kicks it out to his wingers or delays and finds the trailer with speed. When a teammate has the puck, he seeks out open ice and has a knack for grabbing rebounds around the net.
When the opposition has the puck, Kindel stands out with his precise timing defensively. He patiently reads the play and pounces, whether he is striking to strip the puck or jumping on a pass to intercept. He hounds puck carriers with purpose, using tenacious stick checking and body positioning to create pressure and force turnovers.
A bit of deception goes a long way here, as Kindel’s weight transition and deke back draws in multiple defenders and opens up a clear one-timer for his teammate.
In just a split second, Kindel picks up a puck at the top of the circles facing his own net and fires a perfect stretch pass to his teammate at the far blueline.
Kindel is a predator when it comes to hunting for pucks, and he seemingly always knows when to strike and pick it up.
On the tape long Breakout pass? Check. Immediately recognizing a huge gap that will open up? Check. Stopping on the puck instead of skating by? Check. Reading the D-to-D pass behind the net? Check. Passing to the slot then immediately finding open ice back door? Check.
Kindel seems to dictate the play whenever he is on the ice. Here he produces a breakout, a zone entry, forces multiple turnovers, and is the one digging for the puck net front while being mauled by a much larger defender in Noah Chadwick.
When it comes to habits, Kindel is so polished compared to his peers. From the soft lock to the takeaway to the heads-up pass to the trailer after the entry, the details are near perfect here.
Grade: 57.5
Physicality/Compete:
At 5-foot-10 and 180 pounds, Benjamin Kindel might not jump off the page as the most physically imposing player, but he consistently makes the most of every inch and pound. He’s the kind of player who competes hard on every shift, unafraid of larger opponents and winning more battles than you’d expect. Kindel has no problem going into tough areas and getting his nose dirty, whether it's along the boards or right in front of the net. He’s never going to be known for delivering huge hits, he still gets involved physically. Mostly he gets in bumps on the forecheck and uses reverse hits to create space for himself. His compete level will be crucial in his effectiveness at the next level despite a lack of size.
He doesn’t blow guys up with hits, but Kindel does use his body to create space, here with a bump to open up some space to make a pass to an attacking teammate.
Again, strong on the puck and using the space he creates to make something happen offensively. There could be 100 clips like this.
Safe to say Kindel will not shy away from a battle in front of the net. Nice hands batting it in too.
Defensively, Kindel will engage physically to contain opponents, despite his size.
Grade: 55
OFP: 53.375
A note on the 20-80 scale used above. We look at five attributes (skating, shooting, puck skills, hockey IQ and physicality) for skaters and six for goalies (athleticism/quickness, compete/temperament, vision/play reading, technique/style, rebound control and puck handling). Each individual attribute is graded along the 20-80 scales, which includes half-grades. The idea is that a projection of 50 in a given attribute meant that our observer believed that the player could get to roughly NHL average at that attribute at maturity.