The Pittsburgh Penguins have provided an update on forward Ben Kindel, who experienced a medical episode on the team plane 10 minutes into a flight from Salt Lake City International Airport on Tuesday, necessitating an emergency landing.
Penguins GM Kyle Dubas hosted a press conference Thursday morning, where he said Kindel’s diagnosis was a vasovagal episode — fainting, in layman’s terms.
Kindel was given oxygen and regained consciousness. The plane turned around and landed, where paramedics were waiting to take him to the University of Utah Hospital for further treatment.
Penguins assistant GM Jason Spezza, assistant coach Nick Bonino, director of sport performance Richard Rotenberg and team physician Dr. Dharmesh Vyas stayed in Salt Lake City with Kindel while the rest of the team flew back to Pittsburgh later that day.
Kindel and those who stayed with him flew back to Pittsburgh Wednesday.
Dubas noted that Kindel is now on injured reserve and that the team will follow “strict guidelines to ensure a safe return to training and play for Ben.” He described Kindel’s present state as “very clearly shaken and sorting through it.”
He said the hope is that Kindel can return to practice by Sunday or Monday, though it could happen sooner. The Penguins play at home on Thursday and Saturday before a four-day break. In their first game after the break, they’ll match back up with the Utah Mammoth.
Kyle Dubas spoke to the media this morning on the status of Ben Kindel. pic.twitter.com/YtnHDTkILm
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) October 22, 2026
What is a vasovagal episode?
According to the Mayo Clinic, a vasovagal episode “occurs when you faint because your body overreacts to certain triggers.”
Those triggers can include a number of things: extreme emotional distress, the sight of blood or even anxiety related to flying.
The trigger “causes your heart rate and blood pressure to drop suddenly. That leads to reduced blood flow to your brain, causing you to briefly lose consciousness.”
The Mayo Clinic goes on to say that aside from injuries, which may be sustained from falling when fainting, these episodes are usually harmless and require no treatment.
Dubas mentioned that Kindel does not have prior history of vasovagal episodes and that they’re working to figure out what triggered it.
Who is Ben Kindel?
At 19 years old, Kindel is the eighth-youngest player in the NHL this season. He’s four years younger than the next-youngest player on his team, Ville Koivunen.
The Penguins surprised many by drafting Kindel 11th overall in 2025 (most projections slotted him in the late first round). Then, Kindel surprised everyone by making the Penguins roster out of training camp that same year — something that very few players accomplish at that age.
Kindel helped the Penguins surprise the hockey world yet again as they qualified for the playoffs that season, despite most experts projecting them as a lottery team. They lost in six games to their in-state rivals, the Philadelphia Flyers.
Through 86 career games in the NHL, Kindel has 19 goals and 39 points.
