Penguins' Ben Kindel hospitalized after medical episode on flight, details on what happened unclear

Pittsburgh Penguins center Ben Kindel suffered a medical episode on a flight from Salt Lake City and is conscious, alert, and stable in the hospital.

The National Hockey League (NHL) team Pittsburgh Penguins announced that their center Ben Kindel suffered a medical episode aboard a flight while he was flying out of Salt Lake City in Utah on Tuesday afternoon.

Ben Kindel of the Pittsburgh Penguins arrives for the game against the Montreal Canadiens at PPG PAINTS Arena on October 3. (Getty Images via AFP)

The Pittsburgh Penguins said in a statement that Kindel is stable after a “medical episode" and has been hospitalized. He was attended to by the team medical staff aboard the plane as the plane rerouted to the Salt Lake City from where it had departed. An ambulance was waiting for the 19-year-old at the airport which took him to the hospital for treatment.

"Ben is conscious, alert and in stable condition," the team said in a statement. The team added that the team physician, Dr. Dharmesh Vyas of UPMC before the plane could land and he could undergo further evaluation.

"The health and safety of out players, as well as the privacy of their families, are out top priority. The team will provide more updates when appropriate.

Notably, the team described what happened to Ben Kindel as only as "medical episode." No further details about the condition that Kindel suffered were released.

According to Pittsburgh Hockey Now, the Pittsburgh Penguins team was scheduled to practice in Pittsburgh on Wednesday, but it is unclear if they eventually flew back to Pittsburgh. The practice is scheduled at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry.

This story is being updated.