NEWSLETTER
A couple days before the 2022 NHL Draft, the Chicago Blackhawks had a rookie general manager and zero picks in the first round. Kyle Davidson was trying to embark on an aggressive rebuild and needed to add early-round draft capital. He did that with three strong trades that could help pave the way for success in the future.
First, he traded forward Alex DeBrincat to Ottawa for two picks that became defenseman Kevin Korchinski and center Paul Ludwinski.
Then he traded center Kirby Dach to Montreal for two picks that became forwards Frank Nazar and Gavin Hayes.
The third deal didn’t have a roster player leaving Chicago. Davidson made a deal with the Maple Leafs to buy them some cap space, acquiring goaltender Petr Mrazek and his contract. The deal move the Blackhawks up from the 38th pick to No. 25, where they selected defenseman Sam Rinzel.
Rinzel, a tall, lanky right-handed defenseman in the USHL ranks in Minnesota, was viewed as a long-term project; many thought he could have been on the Blackhawks’ radar at No. 38. The reality is that 6-foot-4 right-handed defensemen who can skate and move the puck like Rinzel aren’t that common, and the Hawks saw enough value there to take him in the first round.
He finished another season in the USHL before making the jump to the University of Minnesota, where he’s a freshman teammate of Oliver Moore, the second of the Blackhawks’ first-round picks in the 2023 NHL Draft. (Oh, by the way, Davidson got that pick from Tampa in the Brandon Hagel trade.) And this has been a strong first collegiate campaign for Rinzel.
I spoke with Rinzel this week about his path to Minnesota and his freshman season at Minnesota. His path was different than Moore, his freshman classmate on the Gophers’ roster. He spent an extra year in the USHL before matriculating to Minnesota. He said that was a great year for his development.
“It was my senior year of high school still, and I think instead of maybe trying to make that jump for that whole extra year, I think staying in [the USHL] for my senior year of high school has done wonders for me learning,” he said. “Coach [Matt] Smaby in Waterloo taught me so much and did everything that I needed to do and it helped my game.”
He said his freshman season has been all about “playing a little smarter and maturing my game overall.” He had a good start to his freshman year before joining Moore, Nazar and Hayes on the United States roster for the 2024 World Junior Championship. He’s been used different ways by the Gophers and Team USA, but he’s seen his offense explode since coming home with a gold medal.
What’s changed since winning gold?
“Obviously confidence, but I think it’s just kind of figuring out at this level to be able to chip in that offense and keep playing defense as well,” he said. “I think it’s using my strengths and that’s part of my offensive game. I like to get up in the rush and if I can lead it then I can and just having good breakouts, getting pucks to my forwards and being that kind of third or fourth level of wave coming in the offensive zone.”
Rinzel is among the national leaders among freshman in assists and has been piling up helpers since he came back from Sweden. His defensive game is still admittedly a work-in-progress, but he’s showing strides in the right direction. His plus-11 is second on the Gophers and he’s blocked 25 shots in 26 games. On Thursday, Rinzel — and Moore — were among the freshman named to the Hockey Commissioners Association’s Tim Taylor Rookie of the Year Award ‘Watch List.’
He’ll be back at Minnesota for a sophomore season — and maybe a junior one as well — but the production we’ve seen from Rinzel this season is cause for optimism that he can be an impact player in Chicago in the future.
And the bond he has with the other three Blackhawks prospects with whom he won gold at the World Juniors?
“I’m sure we’re going to be talking about that for the rest of our lives,” he said. “Obviously having {Moore], Frankie and Hazer there, it’s going to be pretty cool to talk about it when we’re with the Blackhawks for sure.”
