The Rebels lost 2-1 Saturday night to the Calgary Hitmen. It all came down to special teams, where the Hitmen nailed both of their power-play shots and shut down every single Rebel advantage.
Arjun Bawa got the Rebels on the board first at 15:43 of the first period. The assists on the goal went to Nolan Schmidt and Keith McInnis.–Arjun Bawa got the Red Deer Rebels rolling early, ringing the shot off the back bar to open the scoring in the first period. Nolan Schmidt and Keith McInnis earned the assists. It’s the first point of the season for Schmidt while McInnis ran his point streak to five games.
Shots in the first period were 6-5 for the Rebels.
Saskatoon native Caine Wilke tied the game up for the Hitmen at 6:01 of the second period while on the Power Play. The assist on the goal went to Hunter Aura-Caine Wilke tied the game at the six-minute mark, burying a rebound from Hunter Aura’s shot
Former Sherwood Park Crusader Kale Dach gave the Hitmen the lead at 11:03 of the second period while on the Power Play the assist on the goal went to former Prince Albert Raider Harrison Lodewyk-Kale Dach netted his fourth of the season five minutes later to give Calgary the lead.
Shots on goal in the second period were 13-7 for the Hitmen
Shots on a scoreless third period were 15-2 for the Rebels. The Rebels outshot the Hitmen 28-20 in the game.
For the Hitmen 17 year old St. Paul, Minnesota native Aidan Hesse made 27 saves on the 28 shots the he faced for the win for the Hitmen which marked the first in his WHL career. For the Rebels Chase Wutzke stopped 18 of the 20 shots that he faced.
Three Stars of the game were 1) Caine Wilke 2) Nolan Schmidt 3) Harrison Lodewyk
Attendance in Red Deer was 3514
Rebels next game is Wednesday October 29th in Calgary against the Hitmen
Ben Kindel, the 18-year-old forward and former Calgary Hitmen standout drafted 11th overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2025 NHL Draft, has made a strong early impression in his debut season. Through seven games, he’s notched two goals—including one in a recent October 23 matchup against Florida—along with a +1 rating, showcasing impressive underlying metrics, defensive awareness, and line-driving ability that have positioned him as one of Pittsburgh’s most effective young players despite limited production. His absence as a healthy scratch in the Penguins’ October 25 loss to Columbus highlighted his value, with the team opting for load management to preserve the teenager amid the 82-game grind. While concerns linger about his need for physical maturation and the risks of a “rookie wall” in such a demanding environment, Pittsburgh’s cap flexibility and Kindel’s seamless adaptation suggest low odds—perhaps 20-30% based on analyst debates—of him returning to the Hitmen midseason, as the organization leans toward retaining him for full NHL development.
