Soccer Legacy, Hockey Future: Ben Kindel's Journey

At the end of the day, Steve Kindel is a soccer player. He played professionally and represented his country internationally, as did his wife Sara Maglio, and they both still work in the sport.

“But I'm Canadian, and a lot of the non-soccer hours around my house growing up or on the street were playing street hockey. When it was evening time and all the kids came out to play, I was Patrick Roy,” said Steve, who joked that he first became a Montreal fan to spite an uncle who loved the Flames.

So, he was delighted to see son Ben take to hockey at a young age. While Ben also played soccer growing up, his dream has always been to play in the NHL. He took a big step towards that goal after being drafted 11^th overall by Pittsburgh in June.

“Right away, I'm thinking of the Lemieux, Jagr, Francis, and Bowman Stanley Cups, then the Sidney, Malkin, and Letang Cups – different historic eras that this franchise has been through,” Steve said. “And obviously, Pittsburgh, because of what those icons have done, it's a hockey town. So, it was very exciting when the Penguins announced his name for us.”

Neither Steve nor Sara came from a sports family. However, both sets of parents viewed soccer as an affordable and accessible way for their children to stay active in a climate tailor-made for the sport, as their home province of British Columbia remains relatively warm year-round.

They both ended up playing collegiately at Simon Fraser University; professionally for the Vancouver White Caps; and internationally for Canada. Sara participated in the 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup, which completely changed the landscape of women’s soccer.

“1999 was such an amazing time,” Sara said. “Especially when you look at the U.S. team and the breakout that they had that year with Mia Hamm and Brandi Chastain, and I think just how much it took off after that. So, just being involved in that at that time, and being on the cusp of where women's soccer was going, was pretty amazing and exciting.”

That being said, in those days, Major League Soccer (MLS) was only in America. That meant that Canadian pro soccer players needed to work other jobs to supplement their incomes.

“So, everyone was either in school, or if you finished school, starting to get into coaching and earning income during the non-training hours,” Steve said. “And then as you retire, and you're already in it, it just becomes your life when you're done playing, and you continue coaching.”

He is now the Senior Technical Director of the North Vancouver Football Club, while Sara is the Executive Director of the Coquitlam Metro-Ford Soccer Club. But even after they retired, both Steve and Sara would still play locally, with Ben and his younger sister Lacey tagging along.

“It really helped getting to watch them and their professionalism, all that stuff on how to be a pro,” Ben said. “So, I think it was a great experience for me at a young age.”

The kids were registered to play soccer when they each turned 4, which was the plan all along. Steve and Sara liked how multifaceted it is, not to mention it’s the only sport where the athletes use their feet, which helps with coordination. Ben and Lacey each did another sport as well, hockey and gymnastics, respectively.

Lacey, now 15, has followed in her parents’ footsteps. She is a rising soccer star who currently plays for Canada’s U17 team. But Steve and Sara could tell early on that hockey was more of Ben’s preference.

“We strongly encouraged him, but avoided the early specialization and the pressure of that,” Steve said. “We felt soccer was great cross-training for hockey. For soccer, there are more players in the field, and it's more things to coordinate in your brain. So, we felt it brought a lot of value for game sense and an IQ in general, and then the physical endurance aspect.”

The biggest takeaway for Ben was learning how to be a good teammate, which is something Steve and Sara both emphasize in their coaching.

“Three-quarters of the things that we bring into our coaching don't even relate to soccer or hockey or any sport. They're universal,” Steve said. “I think one thing with soccer that helps with hockey is that there are 18 guys that participate in a game, and 11 will start. Some will play more than others, and you'll play for 90 minutes, and it might end up 1-0. One person has a goal, and one person has an assist. There's not a lot of five-point nights happening in soccer. It’s that whole concept of playing the right way amongst a group of 11 for a cause, which is the win without having your individual stats.”

Steve and Sara did their best to make sure their kids had the right balance when it came to sports. When Ben was younger, they took him off of skates when others were training throughout the late spring and summer, and would spend time at their family cabin. But during the season, Ben would watch all 82 games Montreal played each year, either live or later on via recording.

“When he really first started getting into hockey, Brendan Gallagher was a rookie,” Steve said. “He was trying to break his way into the lineup, and eventually did, and that's right when Ben kind of gravitated to him. Brendan was a hardworking player. If you see Ben wearing No. 11, that's where that comes from.”

One of the most memorable NHL games that Ben got to see in person was during the 2021 Stanley Cup Final. The Kindel family got to see Montreal’s only win of that series at Bell Centre, when Josh Anderson scored the overtime game-winning goal against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

A few years after that game, Ben stepped away from soccer for good at age 16 as he prepared to join the Western Hockey League (WHL). After a strong first season with 60 points (15G-45A) in 68 games, Ben began to impress scouts and rise in draft rankings. Next season, Ben exploded with 99 points (35G-64A) in 65 games for the Hitmen, solidifying himself as a top draft prospect.

“I felt he came home with a lot more confidence this year,” said Sara. “We saw a lot of growth, not just physically, but emotionally. I think it was such a great year for him in so many ways.”

After Kris Letang and his son Alex announced Ben’s name at the 2025 NHL Draft at the Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles, Ben was then invited to Pittsburgh to take part in development camp. During the week, Ben got to meet players, coaches, management, and staff, and get his initial experience of what Pittsburgh is all about.

“I didn't know what to expect, really, but it definitely exceeded my expectations from what I would have thought I would be,” Ben said. “So many great players here, so many great guys, and a lot of great staff as well that are just committed to helping us develop as players and people.”

To make Ben’s development camp experience even better, he signed his entry-level contract with the team on July 8, and is set to participate in the 2025 Prospects Challenge with Pittsburgh. With childhood goals of making it to the NHL and winning a Stanley Cup, Ben has always been determined to get to this point. What stands out to Steve the most about his son is how he is dedicated to doing things that other players his age might overlook.

“His willingness and dedication to taking care of his body and the extra stretching and working on his core strength or prehab routines, those aren't very fun or glamorous, and you don't see results,” Steve said. “The fact that at an early age, he's dedicated himself to achieving his goal in various ways, not just the obvious ways.”

While it all still feels pretty surreal, Sara knows how motivated a person her son is.

“I feel like along the way, over the years, that he's kind of defied the odds and done things unexpectedly, and so I'm really excited to see what he can do here,” said Sara. “I know how much he loves the sport. I know how dedicated he is, how serious he is, and I know he'll do everything he can to reach those goals.”

While both Sara and Steve are incredibly proud of their son for everything he has achieved thus far, they know there is still a lot of work to be done. However, the Kindel family has full trust that Ben will be given every opportunity to succeed in Pittsburgh.

“One of the things I'm most excited about is just hearing about how much they invest in development and care about their players,” Sara said. “I’m just super excited that Ben's in that environment and has that opportunity to develop under the Pittsburgh Penguins.”