Sam Rinzel heads into his second season with the Blackhawks in a far more settled spot, and that alone makes him one of the more interesting names to track when camp opens.
The 22-year-old spent last season bouncing between Rockford and Chicago, a development year that was as much about sharpening the defensive side of his game as it was about getting his puck confidence back. Now, with that first full lap behind him, Rinzel said the game feels different for him this time around.
When asked about the feel of this season compared with last year, he said, "Obviously you're excited, but... I think for me, it feels more comfortable.
You feel like the game kind of slows down a little bit for you and whatnot. So I think that wise a little bit, and the energy's so high on our team, and like we're young, we're excited, and it's a new season.
So anytime you have a new season, anything can happen, and we want to win. So that's what we're pushing for, and that's our standard."
That confidence matters because Rinzel already flashed plenty in 54 games last season, finishing with 14 points while averaging 18:16 of ice time. At 6-foot-4, there’s still more upside in the tank, and the Blackhawks are clearly betting on that growth continuing.
Chicago also put some help around him this offseason. The team brought in Bowen Byram from the Buffalo Sabres and signed Ian Cole from the Utah Mammoth in free agency, with the idea that two Stanley Cup champions could help raise the level of the young defense. For Rinzel, that means more chances to learn from players who have been through it.
He was paired with Cole on the first day of training camp on Sept. 17, and he pointed to the summer work he focused on before camp: "Similar to other summers- shooting, getting stronger. I think just little things that I learned kind of from last year, whether it's pre-scanning or whatnot.
But I think a shot was a big one, and yeah, it's nothing too much. But you learn things as you go, and as you go through it.
So, it's easy to have Bo come in and Ian, and you figure it out. And they have so much experience, so it helps a guy like me just to learn from that and ultimately push them, and they push me."
For a player still growing into his role, the setup looks like a good one: more comfort, more experience around him, and a bigger runway to keep building.
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