Top Blackhawks defensive prospect wins Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year
Photo credit: NCAA/Minnesota
The Chicago Blackhawks future is very bright, and it continues to shine as Sam Rinzel, who plays for Minnesota of the NCAA, the top defensive prospect the Hawks have outside of Artyom Levshunov, has won the Big Ten Defensive of the Year award. Levshunov won that same award last year with Michigan State.
Rinzel was the 23rd overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft and is panning out really well for a late first-round pick.
Rinzel, coming off a good 2023-24 campaign, has ten goals and 21 assists, tallying up to 31 points in 39 games this season. Sam had only two goals in 2023.
It looks like the Blackhawks are taking the approach they took with Alex Vlasic, which is time, as Rinzel is 20, and Vlasic didn't get his chance until he was around that age.
But, Rinzel's time may be now, as he's finally proven that he's ready for a chance in the AHL at the very least, maybe even some NHL play depending on how everything goes.
Chicago's blue line is looking stacked for the future; Vlasic, Rinzel, Levshunov, Kevin Korchinski, Nolan Allan, Ethan Del Mastro, Louis Crevier, and more. The Blackhawks may even snag the first overall pick this year and have a shot to take Matthew Schaefer, another defenseman, to beef up their defensive core even more.
On top of all that, they have Spencer Knight, 23 years old, in between the pipes, whose sky's the limit for him.
The back end is all set and in the future is probably going to be the best in the league once it all comes together. It's going to be two or three more years, but it's going to be worth it.
Rinzel is a big piece to the blue line and he's only going to get better.
TRENDING NOW
