NHL player hospitalized in Utah after team plane rerouted back to Salt Lake City

SALT LAKE CITY — A Pittsburgh Penguins player was rushed to a Salt Lake City hospital following a medical episode on the team's flight out of Utah on Tuesday, team officials said.

The team took off from Salt Lake City International Airport Tuesday morning, following a game against the Utah Mammoth on Monday, but the flight was rerouted back to Utah's capital, returning shortly before noon, a spokesperson for the airport told KSL.

In a statement, the team said forward Ben Kindel had an undisclosed medical episode. The medical episode was a seizure, Josh Yobe, a Penguins beat writer for The Athletic, reported, citing team sources.

"Team physician, Dr. Dharmesh Vyas of (University of Pittsburgh Medical Center), as well as the team's medical staff were on board and immediately attended to Ben," the team wrote. "An ambulance was waiting upon arrival, and he was taken to University of Utah Hospital for further evaluation."

Kindel is "conscious, alert and in stable condition," the team added.

The 19-year-old recorded a shot in nearly 19 minutes of ice time during the team's 5-4 loss to the Utah Mammoth on Monday. He was the 11th overall pick during last year's NHL draft, and remains one of the team's top prospects.

"(We're) sending our thoughts to the Penguins organization and well wishes to Ben for a speedy recovery," the Mammoth wrote on social media, in response to the Penguins' statement.

Members of the Penguins front office, including coaching staff and medical staff, opted to remain with Kindel in Utah, while the rest of the team flew back to Pittsburgh, Yobe added. The team is slated to play host to Florida on Thursday.

The team plane ultimately refueled and departed Salt Lake City again shortly before 3 p.m., Salt Lake City airport officials said. They referred all other questions about the incident to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

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