Penguins rookie Ben Kindel will play his 10th NHL game in Minnesota, securing his spot on the team

It appears rookie Ben Kindel isn’t going anywhere, at least not any time soon.

Penguins coach Dan Muse said before Thursday’s road game against the Minnesota Wild that Kindel will be in the lineup. It will be the forward’s 10th game in the NHL.

Why is the number 10 of significance? Once a young player reaches that 10-game threshold, it burns the first season of his entry-level contract. So NHL teams generally give junior-eligible players such as Kindel a trial of nine games or fewer before they decide whether to send the player back to his junior team or keep him in the NHL.

Kindel said it is “special” but told reporters up in Minnesota that he is not satisfied.

“I still want to keep hungry and I still want to accomplish more things, as a team and as an individual,” Kindel said. “So th