Penguins’ Ben Kindel ‘conscious, alert’ after medical episode on team flight

Forward staying in Utah after incident forced plane to return to Salt Lake City airport shortly after takeoff

Published Oct 20, 2026  •  2 minute read

Ben Kindel (81) of the Pittsburgh Penguins skates with the puck during the first period of an NHL game against the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026, in Las Vegas, Nev. Photo by Christian Petersen /Getty Images

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Pittsburgh Penguins first-rounder Ben Kindel is “conscious, alert and in stable condition” after suffering a medical episode on the team’s flight home on Tuesday, forcing their plane to return to Salt Lake City shortly after takeoff.

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The Penguins offered few details about the incident other than their flight was re-routed back to Salt Lake City International Airport and that they would provide updates “when appropriate” on the condition of the 19-year-old from Coquitlam, B.C.

“Team physician, Dr. Darmesh Vyas of UPMC, as well as the team’s medical staff were on board and immediately attended to Ben,” a statement from the Penguins said. “An ambulance was waiting upon arrival (at Salt Lake City International Airport) and he was taken to the University of Utah Hospital for further evaluation.”

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Team brass staying with Kindel

According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, members of the team’s medical, coaching and front office staff were staying with Kindel at the hospital with the rest of the team scheduled to fly back to Pittsburgh on Tuesday evening.

General manager Kyle Dubas and assistant GM Jason Spezza were travelling with the team during their four-game road trip, The Athletic reported.

The Penguins’ next game is scheduled for Thursday at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh with the Florida Panthers coming to town. The team is also scheduled to practice on Wednesday in Cranberry, Pa., the Post-Gazette reported.

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Kindel coming off strong rookie season

Kindel, the 11th overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft after starring with the Western Hockey League’s Calgary Hitmen, has suited up in nine games this season for the Penguins, recording two goals and two assists. He missed the first game of the season due to a lower-body injury.

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The Burnaby Winter Club product averaged about 15 to 19 minutes of ice time per game during the road trip, which included stops in Chicago, Denver, Las Vegas and Salt Lake City. He went pointless and took some big hits during those games, The Athletic reported, adding that Kindel seemed to be in good spirits after Monday’s 5-4 loss to the Utah Mammoth.

The 5-foot-11, 183-pound centre is coming of a strong rookie season that saw him score 17 goals and add 18 assists in 77 games to finish ninth in Calder Trophy voting.

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