Sam Rinzel has plenty to work on after first full season

Sam Rinzel came into the 2025-26 season with high expectations. He made his NHL debut late last season and suited up in nine games for the Chicago Blackhawks. He looked like a confident young blueliner who recorded five assists and put up 22 shots on goal in 51 shot attempts. He looked like an absolute gem of a draft pick and a key part of the franchise’s future.

While both of those statements can still be true, Rinzel had an up-and-down first professional season. His successful nine-game stint had some calling him a dark horse for the Calder Trophy or saying he’d never play a game in the American Hockey League. Turns out, young and inexperienced defensemen need time to grow and learn, no matter how promising they are.

Season Review

The season began well for Rinzel. He played a career-high 25:18 in the opening game against the Florida Panthers. He eclipsed that total two games later, skating 25:58 in the home opener against the Montreal Canadiens. He also scored the first goal of his NHL career in that game, as things looked promising for the young blueliner.

Rinzel earned the trust of head coach Jeff Blashill early in the season. He played over 19 minutes in six of the first nine games of the season. However, when the calendar flipped over to November, he started to struggle. He looked less confident on the ice, made mistakes defensively, and did not provide much offensively. He was a healthy scratch in mid-November and was eventually reassigned to the Rockford IceHogs in early December.

In 23 AHL games, he had a pair of goals and 14 points, while playing big minutes. He was recalled for the final three games before the Olympic break, but was sent down to keep playing while the NHL was off. He returned to Chicago after the Olympics and remained with the Blackhawks for the rest of the season. His second stint in the NHL was better, but he still showed inconsistencies in his game.

“When Sam’s playing his best, he’s a really good breakout passer,” Blashill said of Rinzel. “He’ll get you up the ice and join the play. We talk all the time about making a play or living another day, and I think he’s managed that part of the game well. What’s going to separate him in this league is his ability to skate and move the puck.”

Analysis & Final Grade

Season Stats

Games played: 54
Goals: 4
Assists: 14
Plus/Minus: -7
Shots on goal: 83
Shot attempts: 200
Shooting percentage: 4.8
Average time on ice: 18:16
Penalty minutes: 44
Penalties drawn: 6
Blocked shots: 63
Individual scoring chances: 55
Individual high-danger chances: 3
Corsi for percentage (CF%): 48.70
Scoring chance percentage (SCF%): 47.17
High-danger chance percentage (HDCF%): 45.74

Defensive mistakes were expected for a rookie defenseman, and Rinzel made his fair share. Some of those mistakes happened less frequently when he returned after the Olympic break, but he still had some rough nights. He will need to work on getting bigger and stronger this summer so he can use his body more effectively next season.

Rinzel’s 48.70 CF% was the second-highest among Blackhawks defensemen, behind only Artyom Levshunov. A big reason for this was his starting 64.2% of his shifts in the offensive zone as Blashill tried to put him in positions to succeed. Despite getting a lot of offensive zone starts, he did not contribute much offensively. It’s not unusual for a young blueliner to be so worried about making a mistake defensively that his offensive game struggles. But the Blackhawks will need more production from him, especially on the power play. He had only one power-play assist this season despite getting the second-most ice time on the ice time among defensemen.

Final Grade

Whenever I give a grade at the end of the season, I base it on the expectations I had for the player before the season began. My expectations for Rinzel were high heading into training camp, but, in hindsight, those were a bit unfair. Growing pains were expected, but with the lack of offensive production, Rinzel’s season was disappointing. He gets a C, with plenty of room for improvement.

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