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2026 Blackhawks Top 25 Under 25: Sam Rinzel leaps to No. 6

A northward move for the Up North product.

Posted on by L_B_R
Source: Blackhawks

The 2026 version of Second City Hockey’s Top 25 Under 25 rankings moves on to our Top 10, which will contain a lengthier breakdown of each individual who made it into that group.

Sam Rinzel

  • Position: Defense
  • Age: 22 (June 25, 2004)
  • Acquired via: First-round pick (25th overall) in 2022 NHL Draft
  • 2025-26 team: Chicago Blackhawks (NHL) | Rockford IceHogs (AHL)
  • 2025-26 NHL stats: 14 points (4 G, 10 A) in 54 NHL games | 14 points (2 G, 12 A) in 23 AHL games
  • Size: 6-foot-5, 194 pounds
  • Contract: One-year, $941,667 AAV (entry-level contract)
  • Rankings: 5 (Eric), 7 (Dave, LBR, SCH)
  • Last T25U25 ranking: No. 9, up three spots

There was a lot of hype surrounding Sam Rinzel entering the 2025-26 season and, in hindsight, probably too much.

But it also wasn’t difficult to understand why: Rinzel had just completed an excellent sophomore season at Minnesota and then immediately looked comfortable during a nine-game NHL audition with the Blackhawks at the end of the 2024-25 season. His combination of size, skating and offensive instincts had some projecting him as a potential Calder Trophy candidate before he’d even played his 10th NHL game — an unrealistic standard for just about any prospect, especially a defenseman attempting to jump directly from the NCAA to the NHL that wasn’t a higher draft pick. Rinzel’s rookie season ultimately featured far more growing pains than those expectations allowed for, but the tools and potential that created all that excitement are still very much there, waiting to be realized.

Like several of the Blackhawks’ young players, Rinzel bounced between Chicago and Rockford as the organization tried to find the right environment for his development. He opened the season with the Blackhawks and was immediately handed a significant role, regularly playing around or above 20 minutes during the first 10 games or so. He was also given an opportunity to quarterback the top power-play unit, an enormous amount of responsibility for a 21-year-old defenseman who had entered the season with nine games of professional experience. Eventually, it became apparent that Rinzel wasn’t ready for all of it, and his ice time gradually declined as the mistakes piled up, dropping closer to 14 minutes per game toward the end of that first 28-game stint with the Blackhawks and even below 10 minutes in one of his later appearances.

As a result, Rinzel was sent to Rockford with the goal to help him “get his swagger back,” according to coach Jeff Blashll. Rinzel spent the next stretch primarily playing top-pair minutes with the IceHogs, and even though that transition wasn’t completely smooth either, he improved as his time there went along, particularly when he was paired with Kevin Korchinski. Rockford gave Rinzel an opportunity to play significant minutes without every mistake carrying NHL consequences, and he began simplifying some of the areas of his game that had gotten away from him in Chicago.

Rockford coach Jared Nightingale had this to say about of Rinzel’s progress and areas he was working on while with the IceHogs in Feburary:

“The Blackhawks have had a good vision for him. Kind of the building block for Sam, he’s talented with the puck, his defending and simplifying the game. When he needs to use this skill, you see it along the blue line, offensive blue line. He’s gifted offensively. But to stay in the NHL, Sam has to improve his defense. And he’s done that. Ever since he got back, this recent stretch, he’s been playing at a high, high level. Letting the game come to him, and he’s made some big plays. He’s really taken some great strides. (There’s) a good reason for the Hawks can be excited about (him).”

After briefly yo-yoing between the two levels, Rinzel eventually returned to the Blackhawks for good and played in the final 23 games. There were still plenty of ups and downs, but there were also moments when the player who generated so much excitement the season before reappeared. He again earned top-pair minutes at times, especially alongside Alex Vlasic, and looked more capable of handling those situations than he had during his first NHL stint. Rinzel finished the season with 14 points (4 G, 10 A) in 54 NHL games and another 14 points (2 G, 12 A) in 23 AHL games. The NHL production and overall performance was underwhelming considering his offensive reputation, but there were flashes of that potential lurking.

In December, Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson spoke about the growing pains that are inevitable for young players adjusting to professional hockey:

“I think you’re seeing the inevitable ups and downs of young defensemen in this league. It’s natural. It’s something that is expected. But we’re also seeing that constant upward projection and progression that you want to see. You’re seeing the confidence with the puck that they both have. They both are really mobile defenders, and you’re seeing them use that to their advantage… You’re starting to see Sam grow in confidence with the puck and using his great skating ability. We’re really excited about the future of those two players in particular.”

The biggest takeaway from last season shouldn’t necessarily be that Rinzel failed to live up to expectations, but rather that those expectations probably shouldn’t have been set so high in the first place, largely based on a small sample of NHL games. His overall development was still somewhat disappointing, but also understandable for a young defenseman making the difficult jump directly from college hockey to the NHL. In retrospect, the focus should have been less on assuming Rinzel was ready to immediately handle a major role and more on putting him in the best position to succeed while adjusting to an entirely new level of competition.

The good news is that the raw ingredients are still there. Rinzel still has the big-frame size, impressive mobility and offensive vision. He just needs to get those tools to consistently work together against higher quality competition. His skating has always been a strength, yet he struggled with retrievals and exits, while his positioning, decision-making and ability to handle physical pressure also need improvement. Those issues aren’t insignificant, but they’re understandable for a 21-year-old defenseman coming directly out of college. More encouragingly, Rinzel seemed to recognize what needed to change, focusing in Rockford on simplifying his game and learning to win the routine battles rather than always looking to create something.

To learn more about Rinzel’s performance last season, check out the deep-dive done this summer:

Digging into Sam Rinzel’s disappointing season

There is a balance the Blackhawks will have to strike with Rinzel: he needs to establish a stronger defensive baseline, become more reliable with the puck and learn when the simple play is the right one without losing the aggressiveness that makes his ceiling so high. His play became steadier after simplifying his game late last season, but some of his offensive creation disappeared in the process. The goal isn’t to turn Rinzel into a conservative defenseman, but to make him dependable enough that his offensive instincts can flourish without the mistakes overwhelming them.

Ultimately, one difficult rookie season shouldn’t dramatically change the long-term outlook for Rinzel, and last season should be a reminder that development isn’t always linear, particularly for young defensemen. The hype may have gotten ahead of Rinzel, but he definitely still has time to grow into it — and he seemed focused this offseason in putting in the work to do so.

2026 Blackhawks Top 25 Under 25 list (so far):
No. 7: Artyom Levshunov
No. 8: Nick Lardis
No. 9: Oliver Moore
No. 10: Kevin Korchinski
Nos. 11-15: Greene, Nestrasil, Villeneuve, Commesso, Vanacker
Nos. 16-20: Boisvert, Behm, Roobroeck, West, Mustard 
Nos. 21-25: Del Mastro, Gajan, Spellacy, Slaggert, Alalauri
Honorable Mention: Samuel Savoie 

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