Penguins Say Ben Kindel Is Stable After Medical Episode on Team Plane

Conceptual illustration of a hockey stick and puck with a passenger airplane in the sky

Updated: October 21, 2026, 1:56 p.m. EDT

Canadian forward Ben Kindel was taken to hospital after a medical episode on the Pittsburgh Penguins’ team plane on Tuesday, October 20, prompting the aircraft to return to Salt Lake City shortly after takeoff. The club said he was conscious, alert and in stable condition.

In a team statement, Pittsburgh said physician Dr. Dharmesh Vyas of UPMC and other medical staff attended to Kindel on board. An ambulance met the returning aircraft at Salt Lake City International Airport and took him to the University of Utah Hospital for further evaluation.

Kindel, 19, is from Coquitlam, British Columbia. Field Level Media reported that the Penguins were travelling home after a four-game road trip that ended with Monday’s 5–4 loss to the Utah Mammoth.

The forward, selected 11th overall in the 2025 NHL draft, is in his second season with Pittsburgh and has two goals and two assists through nine games, according to the report.

The team has not disclosed the nature of the medical issue or a timetable for his return. It said it would provide further information when appropriate, with his health and his family’s privacy taking priority. Pittsburgh’s next scheduled game is at home against Florida on Thursday; Kindel’s availability has not been announced.

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