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The Penguins Youth Movement Is Here

Originally posted on Stadium Rant | By Drew Palmer | Last updated Nov 13, 2025 11:59 AM ET

Through 17 games, the Pittsburgh Penguins have been better than anybody thought they could be. They hold a record of 9-5-3. The Penguins were expected to be in the Gavin McKenna sweepstakes, but they are off to a hot start, fueled by their legends. Sidney Crosby has 20 points in 17 games, and Evgeni Malkin has 21 points. The two-headed monster has aged like fine wine, but the youngsters have Penguins fans excited.

The Future Of The Penguins

Ben Kindel has been a pleasant surprise for Pittsburgh. He outlasted his nine-game tryout period to stick in the NHL. That’s unheard of for a kid who wasn’t a top-10 pick. At his age, Kindel possesses a certain mentality that isn’t common amongst his peers. He’s a two-way player with a tremendous hockey brain. The sky is the limit for Kindel, but his first 15 games have been encouraging.

Ben Kindel sticking in the NHL as a non top 5 pick and playing center as an 18-year-old isn’t just rare, it’s borderline unprecedented these days. The fact that he’s also the main play driver on a line that consistently controls play is just not something that happens
— Dan Hopper (@DanHoppOPS) October 31, 2025

The Penguins’ rookie sensation has five goals and two assists in his first 15 professional games. The armchair general managers clowned Kyle Dubas for drafting Kindel 11th overall, but he found a gem. Kindel was born on April 19th, 2007. That was the same day that Crosby and Malkin got eliminated from the playoffs for the first time in Pittsburgh. Now, they all play together on the power play. Shoutout to Josh Yohe for that cool fact. Kindel could be the future of Penguins hockey.

The Other Weapons

Kindel isn’t the only young gun that Pittsburgh has in its pocket. Ville Koivunen has struggled this season, but his potential is through the roof. Rutger McGroarty will be back from his injury soon. Harrison Brunicke is their future on the back end. Owen Pickering has been underwhelming, but the hope still exists. All of those players are 22 or younger. The Dubas youth movement is underway.

Let’s check in on Kyle Dubas’ rebuild for the first year…

Added:
• Rutger McGroarty
• Ville Koivunen
• Harrison Brunicke
• Ben Kindel
• Bill Zonnon
• Will Horcoff
• Tanner Howe pic.twitter.com/AeElYu8NTw
— Wyatt Leblanc (@wleblanc15) July 10, 2025

Penguins fans have hope that Sergei Murashov is their goaltender of the future. He has only made one NHL start, losing 3-2 to the Los Angeles Kings. Coincidentally, Pittsburgh legend Marc-Andre Fleury also allowed three goals in a loss to the Kings in his debut. Murashov has played incredibly in the minors. He will bounce back. The young puck stopper is 21. The sky is the limit for him.

End Of My Pittsburgh Penguins Rant

It’s odd to see the Penguins go through a transitional phase. They have spent 20 years as a superpower of the Eastern Conference, but the future is now. Dubas is doing his best to fuse the old guard with the next generation. So far, he’s doing a great job. Pittsburgh sports talk radio hosts won’t agree, but Dubas has been a good general manager. He has an eye for young talent.

This article first appeared on Stadium Rant and was syndicated with permission.

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