Blackhawks Prospect Sam Rinzel On Areas of Improvement, the Hobey Baker, Turning Pro, More ...Middle East

It’s bye week(s) time for the Chicago Blackhawks, so let’s catch up with some of the team’s prospects. I had a chance to chat with Minnesota’s Oliver Moore and Sam Rinzel about how they feel their seasons are going, where they’ve improved, winning at the World Junior Championship and more.

The guys were great to chat with. I’ll have more from Moore later, but wanted to start with Rinzel.

When the Blackhawks drafted Rinzel 25th overall in 2022, a lot of people saw it as a reach. He was a long, lanky defenseman who probably would have been around where the Hawks originally sat in the second round (they acquired the pick they used on Rinzel with Petr Mrazek from Toronto for a second).

Over the two-and-a-half seasons since Rinzel was drafted, he’s continued to fill out his frame, grow his confidence and improve defensively.

Sam Rinzel scored his ninth goal of the season in the #Gophers' 23rd game of 2024-25 on Friday. Minnesota's defensemen combined for nine goals all of last season.The Gopher blueline upped its season goal total to 20 with three more goals on Saturday.pic.twitter.com/flUIHaTKuZ

Moore also being a Blackhawks prospect makes their relationship unique; they could be teammates for two years at Minnesota and then as professionals as soon as the end of their collegiate season this spring. Here’s what Moore had to say about how Rinzel has developed over the past couple years:

“He had a huge summer,” Moore said. “He knows what he needs to do of getting better and what’s impressed me is just the way he’s able to work on that every day and that self-assessment process from his freshman to sophomore year. He’s having a huge year for us this year and what he’s able to do out there for our team, it goes a long way, not only almost a point per game defenseman, but he logs like 30 minutes for us every night.”

Rinzel said he did get to around 30 minutes once this year, but laughed at Moore saying he played that much every night. However, Rinzel is playing extremely heavy minutes for Minnesota against the best offensive players on the opposing team. Part of his learning curve is knowing how and when to extend himself in situations so he doesn’t run out of gas before the night is over.

“I think it’s all about trying to play as efficient as possible,” Rinzel said. “Obviously you don’t want to burn all your energy just chasing. I think it’s playing smart, knowing when to jump and when — maybe if it’s a 30-70 play — obviously you just have that in your brain that you don’t need to jump in there. I think that’s a big part of it, just … trying to be as efficient as possible.”

Good analysis from Frank Seravalli on Artyom Levshunov. Also notable that he touted Sam Rinzel as a future top-pairing defenseman. #Blackhawks #HawksProspects pic.twitter.com/xswHMLNGzS

Being situationally smarter is the mental side of the game. Rinzel also talked about the physical side of his game and where he sees his game developing this season.

“Just getting faster, bigger or stronger I think is a huge part of it,:” he said. “I think that brings out confidence for yourself. You feel a little confident in corners, able to slow things down knowing that I can use my body and I feel like that strength is there. [And] obviously my skating, I feel faster. I can pull away from guys maybe a little more and with my reach, I think that’s a big thing is kind of stemming that from my skating.”

I asked Rinzel about being one of the Blackhawks’ five (5) Hobey Baker Memorial Trophy nominees. It’s a huge honor (college hockey’s Heisman Trophy) and being a defenseman many consider a legit potential winner is significant.

“Thinking back to when I was younger, it’s pretty crazy to think about that my name would be on there. Obviously it’s a super cool award. It would be an honor to be part of that.”

With skill, poise, and a game-changing presence, Sam Rinzel is a name to watch in the race for the Hobey Baker Award. Vote for your favorite nominee daily by heading to t.co/CGEVafN9rB. @rinzelsam @b1ghockey @gopherhockey @drinkbodyarmor pic.twitter.com/QCvtUXLLv4

Rinzel and Moore are both focused on winning the Big Ten, getting into the playoff and trying to bring a national championship home to the Gophers. But… after their season ends, whenever that may be, both players will likely have a conversation with the Blackhawks about their future. Rinzel said balancing the hope for his future as a professional hockey player with being in the moment for Minnesota can be tough, but he’s loving the ride.

“It’s mentally challenging trying to handle that all on your plate, but just living in the moment — I want to be where my feet are and right now,” he said. “It’s hard to think in the future so much like that. But obviously my goal is to win a national championship here, so what I’m really focused on.”

The good news for Minnesota is both Blackhawks prospects are playing very well right now, and the date they’re eligible to join the Blackhawks might be as late as possible this season.

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