NEWSLETTER
I’m really excited for the coming season in Minnesota. No, not because of Brock Faber’s gaudy plus-minus. Because the Blackhawks will have two of their better prospects playing for the Gophers. While we talk about Oliver Moore a lot because of his skill and speed, let’s take a moment to consider what the coming season could hold for defenseman Sam Rinzel.
Rinzel has a chance to be one of the top point-producing defensemen in the entire NCAA this season. As a freshman last year at Minnesota, Rinzel produced 28 points in 39 games, which tied for 20th among all collegiate defensemen. Among the 19 who had more points, three — Lane Hutson (Montreal), Seamus Casey (New Jersey) and Artyom Levshunov (Blackhawks) — have signed their entry-level deals as underclassmen, foregoing more time on campus. Two more were bonus seniors who aged out of college and signed AHL deals.
After returning from winning gold with the US squad at the World Juniors, Rinzel went on a three-month heater. He put up 17 points (1 goal, 16 assists) in 20 games after the tournament for the Gophers, who advanced to within one game of the Frozen Four. He had four multi-point games over that span, including three three-assist games. His 26 assists tied for 10th among all NCAA rookies last season.
I’m starting to really believe in Sam Rinzel. pic.twitter.com/p99ZPnYTIm
— Chief (@BarstoolChief) March 9, 2024
Rinzel’s skillset and Minnesota’s loaded roster could see him take a big step forward and get closer to being a point-per-game player this year. Minnesota men’s hockey coach Bob Motzko is extremely high on his defensive group this year. He recently told Randy Johnson of The Minnesota Star Tribune: “This is the strongest defensive corps in a cycle that I’ve ever been through.”
Only four defensemen in NCAA hockey appeared in at least 30 games and were a point-per-game player last year. Two of those were Hutson and Casey; the third was Zeev Buium (the 12th overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft by the Wild) and the fourth was undrafted Arizona State senior Tim Lovell (who will take a victory lap at Michigan this season).
With Levshunov making the jump from the college ranks to (presumably) the AHL this year as the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, he immediately jumps to the top of the Blackhawks’ defensive prospect rankings. And, as a right-handed defenseman, he fills a perceived need in the organization; all of the other signed under-25 defensemen in the system were left-handed with the exception Louis Crevier were left-handed shots.
But let’s not sleep on Rinzel’s rapid development since he was drafted as what many viewed as a project at No. 25 overall in the 2022 NHL Draft. He has physically matured and started to fill out his body (he was listed at 6-5 and 180 pounds on the development camp roster in July). If he can continue on the trajectory we saw last season, the likelihood he starts to see the ceiling scouts believed was there could become more real — as could the opportunity to turn pro.
Adding Rinzel on the right side with Levshunov to a young blue line group that already includes Alex Vlasic, Kevin Korchinski, Ethan Del Mastro, Wyatt Kaiser and Nolan Allan on the left is a beautiful thing.
