\u203c\ufe0f SAM RINZEL FIRST CAREER GOAL \u203c\ufe0f pic.twitter.com\/60QmlqEGuP<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Blackhawks on CHSN (@CHSN_Blackhawks) October 12, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n 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. <\/p>\n 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. <\/p>\n \u201cWhen Sam\u2019s playing his best, he\u2019s a really good breakout passer,\u201d Blashill said of Rinzel. \u201cHe\u2019ll 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\u2019s managed that part of the game well. What\u2019s going to separate him in this league is his ability to skate and move the puck.\u201d<\/p>\n Analysis & Final Grade<\/p>\n Season Stats<\/p>\n Games played: 54 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. <\/p>\n Rinzel\u2019s 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\u2019s 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. <\/p>\n Final Grade<\/p>\n 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\u2019s season was disappointing. He gets a C, with plenty of room for improvement. <\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/assets.minutemediacdn.com\/platform\/google_discover_icon.svg\"){kind=icon}
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