Chicago Blackhawks defenseman set to dethrone Lane Hutson of rookie defenseman hype
Photo credit: Bleacher Nation
The rebuild for the Chicago Blackhawks has yielded several top-3 picks in the NHL Entry Draft, but one defenseman named Sam Rinzel could eventually prove to be a steal for the team.
The Chicago Blackhawks have picked up multiple top-3 picks in the NHL Entry Draft, which helps to ease some of the pain of having not been successful in quite some time.
One pick who hasn't been in the top-3 is defenseman Sam Rinzel, who was taken with the 25th pick by the Blackhawks in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft.
One Blackhawks fan has already predicted that Rinzel could eventually have a better rookie year than Montreal Canadiens defenseman Lane Hutson, who won the Calder Trophy this year as the NHL's best rookie.
Per his his scouting profile, Rinzel has the potential to be a "shooting force" on the Chicago blue line.
A projectable, top-arm flared release, combined with synced weight-transfer and an immense amount of downforce, Rinzel has all the mechanics to be a shooting force on the blue line. Combine that with angle-changing inward drags, high placements, and a penchant to eat up available space, all while pushing free range activations, the dominance that permeated across his game created significant intrigue across the Elite Prospects scouting team.
They've already signed him to an entry level contract.
Lane Hutson won the Calder Trophy as the NHL's best rookie
Whether or not Rinzel can live up to the hype that Hutson has already shown remains to be seen.
Huston became the 5th active defenseman to have a Calder Trophy win, and was also the Canadiens' 2nd Calder recipient in the expansion era after Hall of Fame goalie Ken Dryden in the 1970s.
| POLL | ||
AOUT 15 | 373 ANSWERS Chicago Blackhawks defenseman set to dethrone Lane Hutson of rookie defenseman hype Do you think Lane Hutson is an overrated defenseman for the Canadiens? | ||
| Yes | 133 | 35.7 % |
| No | 240 | 64.3 % |
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