Pittsburgh Penguins General Manager Kyle Dubas provided an update on forward Ben Kindel's medical status during an Oct. 22 press conference, saying the 19-year-old was undergoing further testing after collapsing during a flight two days earlier.
Kindel, who was signed to the team in 2025, experienced a "vasovagal episode," Dubas said, more commonly known as vasovagal syncope. At the time of the press conference, Kindel was still undergoing testing to understand why the episode occurred and would be out for the team's Oct. 22 game.
Here's what we know.
What happened to Pittsburgh Penguins forward Ben Kindel?
The day after the Pittsburgh Penguins lost 5-4 to the Utah Mammoth in Salt Lake City, Kindel "collapsed" on the team plane and experienced a "vasovagal episode" on the team's airplane, Dubas said.
During the incident, Kindel received oxygen and regained consciousness, though the flight made an emergency medical landing back in Salt Lake City, Dubas said. Kindel was taken by paramedics to the University of Utah Hospital for additional treatment.
After receiving clearance to travel on Oct. 21, Kindel returned to Pittsburgh with Nick Bonino, Jason Spezza, Richard Rotenberg and team physician Dharmesh Vyas.
Will Ben Kindel play in the next Pittsburgh Penguins game?
No, Kindel was not cleared to play in the Penguin's Oct. 22 game.
Earlier in the morning on the same day, Dubas said Kindel was scheduled to receive further testing on Oct. 22 and was set to be placed on injured reserve, with Dubas saying the team will follow "very strict guidelines to ensure a safe return to training and play."
"That's our primary ... goal and paramount to his future and health," Dubas said.
He added that the hope is that Kindel can return to practice by Oct. 25 or 26, but it's ultimately dependent on testing.
Did Ben Kindel have a seizure?
No. Rumors circulated online that Kindel had experienced a seizure immediately following team officials' announcement that he had experienced a medical episode, but vasovagal syncope is not the same as a seizure.
What is vasovagal syncope? Is it a seizure?
Vasovagal syncope not a kind of seizure, but rather a kind of fainting that happens when a person's nervous system overreacts, causing their blood pressure and heart rate to drop suddenly, according to the Cleveland Clinic. It's the most common type of reflex syncope, and it generally happens when you're standing or sitting. It's commonly triggered by blood, needles, medical instruments, stress, anxiety, emotional upset, fatigue, exhaustion or dehydration. Being in a warm environment, standing for a long time, experiencing pain and feeling strong emotions all make vasovagal syncope more likely to occur.
Moments before an episode, a person may experience fatigue, a sudden warm feeling, dizziness, paleness, nausea, heavy sweating, a slow pulse, yawning and tunnel vision. Then, during the episode, they may experience symptoms such as brief disorientation or confusion, eyes remaining open but rolling up toward the back of their head, falling when they lose consciousness, loss of bladder control and twitching movements that can be mistaken for a seizure.
People typically recover quickly, though they may have leftover symptoms like anxiety, dizziness, fatigue, headache, nausea, pale skin, sweating or the urge to have a bowel movement.
Kindel does not have a history of experiencing vasovagal syncope, and he'll undergo evaluation to better understand what triggered the episode, Dubas said.
When is the Pittsburgh Penguins' next game?
The Penguins are scheduled to play the Florida Panthers at PPG Paints Arena on Oct. 22 at 7 p.m. ET. The game will be available on SportsNet Pittsburgh, NHL Center ICE and ESPN+.
Pittsburgh Penguins Ben Kindel background, 2026 stats
The Penguins signed Kindel to a three-year, entry-level contract in July 2025, according to the NHL website. Kindel previously played for the Calgary Hitmen in the Western Hockey League, where he set a Hitmen franchise record with a 23-game point streak from Nov. 8 to Jan. 12 during the 2024-25 season.
Kindel is currently in his second season with the Pittsburgh Penguins and has had two goals and two assists in nine games. During the Oct. 19 game against the Utah Mammoth, he played 18 minutes and 53 seconds. He missed the first game of the season due to a lower body injury, The Athletic reported.
Finch Walker is the Pittsburgh Connect Reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Contact Walker at FWalker@usatodayco.com. Instagram: @finchwalker_. X: @_finchwalker.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Pittsburgh Penguins GM reveals cause of Ben Kindel's medical episode
