Penguins’ Kindel stable after medical episode on flight

Pittsburgh Penguins forward Ben Kindel is conscious, alert and in stable condition after a medical episode aboard the team plane forced it to return to Salt Lake City on Tuesday, the club said.

The plane turned back to Salt Lake City International Airport shortly after takeoff, NHL.com reported. The Penguins’ team physician, Dr. Dharmest Vyas of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, and the team’s medical staff were on board and attended to the 19-year-old immediately.

An ambulance was waiting when the plane landed, and Kindel was taken to University of Utah Hospital “for further evaluation,” according to a team statement. “Ben is conscious, alert and in stable condition,” the statement said. The Penguins said they will provide further updates when appropriate.

The team has not said what caused the episode, and the Associated Press described the issue as unspecified. The Penguins said player health and safety, and the privacy of his family, are top priorities.

The flight was the team’s trip home from a four-game road swing, the AP reported. Pittsburgh lost 5-4 to the Utah Mammoth in Salt Lake City on Monday night, and Kindel played 18:53 in that game.

Kindel was selected 11th overall in the 2025 NHL draft and is in his second season with the Penguins. He has two goals and two assists in nine games this season.

Neither the NHL nor the AP reported any roster move related to the incident. The Penguins are scheduled to host the Florida Panthers at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh on Thursday.

The news drew heavy interest in Canada, where Kindel’s name was among the most searched on Google overnight. Our NHL power rankings track how the league’s teams are faring early in the season.

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Source: NHL.com and The Associated Press via ESPN.