Leading up to the 2025 NHL Draft, we’ll examine some of the young players that the draft experts think might be available to the Ottawa Senators when they step up to the podium to make the evening’s 21st overall selection.

The draft will be held at L.A. Live's Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. The first round will be held June 27, with rounds 2–7 on June 28.

Last June, in his first draft as an NHL GM, Steve Staios and his amateur scouting staff used their first- and second-round selections to go after large defencemen: Carter Yakemchuk (7th) and Gabriel Eliasson (39th). In both cases, the players were taken well before the rest of the hockey world thought they would be, especially Eliasson, who was ranked on at least one draft projection (Elite Prospects), as low as 80th.

So projecting (guessing) what Staios might do at 21 this year is an almost impossible task. For one, when examining tendencies, we have a very small sample size to work with. What we do know is that this staff isn’t afraid to do their own thing.

There’s also the randomness of picking at 21. This isn’t like getting Tim Stützle third overall in 2020, when the Senators knew for certain they’d get one of the top three guys on their list. This year, a pile of names will be in play. Even if you could read Staios’s mind to see the player he plans to take at 21, some other team might swoop in and wreck things. So, naturally, all discussions about players need to begin with the caveat of “If he’s still available…”

The other caveat here is that while I watch a large amount of NHL hockey, particularly the Atlantic Division, I don’t watch a ton of amateur hockey. Prior to writing about any prospect between now and the draft, I'll ensure that I watch a couple of games' worth of video of the player (not just "best of" highlights) and listen to the general consensus of the people who watched these kids all season.

With all that being said, one of the most interesting players who might be available to the Senators at 21st overall is Calgary Hitmen C/RW Ben Kindel.

For example, The Hockey News’ Tony Ferrari has Kindel ranked at 23, THN'S Ryan Kennedy has him at 27, TSN's Bob McKenzie has him at 25, Sportsnet's Sam Cosentino has him at 20.

Why the Senators May Take Kindel

Last season, as a 16-year-old WHL rookie, Kindel was nearly a point-per-game player. This season, he didn’t enter his draft year on too many lists of potential first-rounders, but he quickly changed minds, putting up 99 points. That’s more than any projected first-rounder not named Michael Misa (134).

Kindel had 35 goals and 64 assists for Calgary and another 15 points in 11 playoff games. When the Hitmen were eliminated, he also put up a goal and seven points for Team Canada in five games at the U18 Worlds.

His athletic bloodlines run deep as his mother and father, Steve Kindel and Sara Maglio, both played soccer for the Vancouver Whitecaps and our national teams. In a world where players specialize in one sport so early, Ben played elite soccer right up to U16.

And that's probably part of why evaluators gush over his hockey IQ and the way he sees and processes the game.

THN's Tony Ferrari: Kindel had some instances of simply elite playmaking throughout this season. He isn’t the biggest player, but he puts in the work to stay in position, open himself up for a pass and hunts pucks down. He does so much so well from a puck-transporting and creation perspective that he could be a very solid pick in the late first or second round.

In viewing his highlight reel, it’s clear that Kindel owns a fierce wrist shot and one-timer, taking advantage of all the technology in today’s sticks. Some of his stretch passes are crazy good too. When someone like Tim Stützle decides to break up ice, Kindel won’t be late in seeing him or getting him the puck.

It seems like anyone who regularly watched the Calgary Hitmen the past two years fell in love with Kindel's game. And that group would include the Sens’ scouting staff, who drafted his teammate, Carter Yakemchuk, last summer. So they would know the player extremely well with a high number of in-person viewings. Kindel and Yakemchuk played up top on Calgary's No. 1 power play unit this season.

And finally on the list of pros vs cons, if you buy into karma, it also doesn’t hurt that Kindel wears 11, just like the greatest player in Sens history.

Why the Senators May Pass on Kindel

There’s not much to dislike, but he’s not very big, and the Senators showed high interest last year in their draft picks being big dudes.

• Carter Yakemchuk (2024, 1st round): A 6-foot-4, 207-pound defenceman.
• Gabriel Eliasson (2024, 2nd round): A 6-foot-7, 214-pound defenceman.
• Lucas Ellinas (2024, 4th round): A 6-foot-1, 186-pound winger.
• Javon Moore (2024, 4th round): A 6-foot-4, 202-pound winger.
• Blake Montgomery (2024, 4th round): A 6-foot-4, 187-pound winger.
• Eerik Wallenius (2024, 5th round): A 6-foot-4, 220-pound defenceman.

Kindel is listed as 5-foot-10 and 176 pounds and, like all players with a rep for being “not that big,” you take those dimensions with a grain of salt until you actually get him on a scale at the combine. The good news, as Ferrari puts it, Kindel “can get pushed around, but he doesn’t often get pushed off the puck.”

After just one draft under Staios, it’s hard to say if the Senators truly do have a ‘bigger is better’ mantra. Even if they do, if Kindel is still on the board, they might just be willing to make an exception to their rule.

Banner image credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

Recent Senators News at The Hockey News Ottawa:

The Sens' Short History Of Offer Sheets Isn't Likely To Grow This Summer

The Senators’ Quiet Logjam At Forward: What Are They Planning?

Senators Open To Re-Signing Adam Gaudette – But At What Cost?

Senators Hope To Deal Themselves Another Winner At 21

Ex-Sens Head Coach Enters Ottawa Sport Hall Of Fame

Former Sens Defenceman Officially Signs On To Play In Switzerland