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Rinzel scored a goal on two shots and blocked two shots in Sunday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Stars.
Rinzel has two points over his last three games. The 21-year-old defenseman is settling back into a top-four role after the Blackhawks traded away Connor Murphy to Edmonton, opening the door for a youth movement on the blue line. Rinzel has three goals, 12 points, 58 shots on net, 40 blocked shots, 28 hits and 36 PIM over 35 appearances this season.
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Blackhawks' Sam Rinzel: Nabs helper in return
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Rinzel logged an assist, three shots on goal and two PIM in Tuesday's 3-2 overtime loss to the Jets.
Rinzel missed the previous two games due to an illness. While listed on the third pairing, the defenseman was at 22:19 of ice time in the Blackhawks' first game sans Connor Murphy. That trade will open up ice time for Rinzel, who should be capable of playing a decent shutdown game while also chipping in offense. He has 11 points, 54 shots on net, 37 blocked shots, 34 PIM, 28 hits and an even plus-minus rating over 33 NHL appearances this season.
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Blackhawks' Sam Rinzel: Poised to play
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Rinzel (illness) is expected to play against Winnipeg on Tuesday, according to Jack Bushman of Chicago Hockey Now.
After missing the last two games, Rinzel participated in Tuesday's morning skate on the third pairing. However, he should reclaim his role on Chicago's top power-play unit. Rinzel has earned two goals, 10 points, 51 shots on net, 37 blocked shots and 28 hits in 32 NHL games this season.
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Blackhawks' Sam Rinzel: Game-time decision
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Rinzel (illness) is a game-time decision for Sunday's game against the Mammoth, Scott Powers of The Athletic reports.
Rinzel missed Saturday's game against the Avalanche due to an illness, and he's a game-time decision for Sunday against the Mammoth. The 21-year-old has 10 points (two goals, eight assists) in 32 games on the season. He'll likely draw in for Kevin Korchinski, if Rinzel plays.
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Blackhawks' Sam Rinzel: Not playing Sunday
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Rinzel (illness) won't play against Utah on Sunday, per Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times.
Rinzel will miss his second straight outing. He has collected two goals, 10 points, 51 shots on net, 37 blocked shots and 28 hits in 32 games this season. Due to Rinzel's absence, Kevin Korchinski will remain in the lineup for Sunday's matchup.
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Blackhawks' Sam Rinzel: Unavailable Saturday
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Rinzel (illness) won't play against Colorado on Saturday, Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.
Rinzel has one goal and one assist in the past three games. He has provided two goals, 10 points, 51 shots on net, 37 blocked shots and 28 hits in 32 NHL outings this season. Kevin Korchinski will replace Rinzel in Saturday's lineup.
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Blackhawks' Sam Rinzel: Recalled Wednesday
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Rinzel was recalled by Chicago on Wednesday.
Wyatt Kaiser (lower body) was put on injured reserve, and Kevin Korchinski was summoned from the minors in corresponding moves. Rinzel has two goals, nine points, 30 PIM, 48 shots, 28 hits and 36 blocks in 31 outings in 2025-26. Rinzel might be in the lineup when Chicago's schedule resumes Feb. 26 in Nashville, especially after Kaiser was placed on IR. However, Korchinski is competing with Rinzel for the same spot.
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Blackhawks' Sam Rinzel: Sent to minors
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Rinzel was reassigned to AHL Rockford on Thursday.
Rinzel potted a goal in his recent three-game stint with Chicago, averaging 22:52 of ice time. Overall, the 21-year-old has two goals, seven assists, 28 hits and 36 blocked shots over 31 NHL appearances this season. Rinzel should be recalled when the NHL returns to action after the Olympic break.
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Blackhawks' Sam Rinzel: Finds twine Monday
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Rinzel scored a goal on three shots and added two PIM in Monday's 6-3 win over the Sharks.
Rinzel is getting a chance to play in a top-four role and on the power play while Artyom Levshunov sits out to work on his skills outside of game action. This was Rinzel's second game back in the lineup after he was demoted to AHL Rockford in early December. The 21-year-old is up to two goals, nine points, 45 shots on net, 33 blocked shots, 26 hits and 30 PIM over 30 appearances in the NHL this season. It's unclear if Rinzel will hold onto a regular role following the Olympic break, though he may be able to down the stretch if the Blackhawks deal away defensemen at the deadline.
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Blackhawks' Sam Rinzel: Called up from minors
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Rinzel was promoted from AHL Rockford on Friday.
Rinzel will likely provide some emergency coverage for the Hawks' blue line, which currently has only six defensemen on the roster. In 28 appearances for Chicago this season, the 21-year-old blueliner has generated one goal on 39 shots, seven assists and 26 hits while averaging 16:32 of ice time.
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Blackhawks' Sam Rinzel: Trio of helpers in AHL win
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Rinzel had three assists in AHL Rockford's 7-3 win over Manitoba on Saturday.
Rinzel's getting his groove back in the AHL, and it's going well so far. He's racked up seven helpers and nine shots on net, as well as a plus-1 rating, over four appearances. Rinzel seems likely to get another look with the big club this year, though it may take another blueliner needing a stint in the minors for him to earn a call-up.
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Blackhawks' Sam Rinzel: Sent to minors
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Rinzel was demoted to AHL Rockford on Monday, Charlie Roumeliotis of WGN Radio reports.
Rinzel is currently stuck in a five-game point drought, during which he has generated a meager six shots on goal to go with five hits and two blocked shots. The move leaves the Blackhawks without a seventh defenseman, so it's possible the team will bring somebody else up from the minors ahead of Wednesday's game versus the Rangers. That move could be for Kevin Korchinski, who leads the IceHogs in blue-line production.
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Blackhawks' Sam Rinzel: Manages two assists in loss
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Rinzel recorded two assists, three blocked shots and a minus-3 rating in Friday's 9-3 loss to the Sabres.
Rinzel has three helpers over three games since he was made a healthy scratch last Saturday versus the Maple Leafs. The 21-year-old blueliner has operated as the Blackhawks' seventh defenseman, resulting in a large drop in ice time from where he was at early in the season. He's up to six points, 29 shots on net, 26 blocked shots, 18 hits, 22 PIM and a plus-2 rating through 20 appearances. Rinzel has the talent to play a larger role, but he'll need to string together some good performances to stake a claim to more ice time.
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Blackhawks' Sam Rinzel: Hands out helper
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Rinzel notched an assist, 10 PIM and a plus-2 rating in Tuesday's 5-2 win over the Flames.
The helper snapped a 10-game point drought for Rinzel, who was a healthy scratch Saturday versus the Maple Leafs. The 21-year-old defenseman started the season as a top-pairing option, but he's now operating as the seventh blueliner when the Blackhawks choose to dress seven defensemen. Fantasy managers who were banking on Rinzel being the next big thing will either have to be patient or look for a replacement, as his current role isn't fantasy-friendly. He's at four points, 27 shots on net, 18 hits, 22 blocked shots, 22 PIM and a plus-4 rating over 18 appearances, and he still has plenty of long-term appeal for managers in dynasty formats.
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Blackhawks' Sam Rinzel: Nets first NHL goal
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Rinzel scored a goal on two shots and blocked three shots in Saturday's 3-2 loss to the Canadiens.
The second-period tally was Rinzel's first point of the season and the first goal of his NHL career. This was his 12th appearance, and he's quickly established himself as one of the Blackhawks' top blueliners. Through three outings this year, he's picked up a goal, five shots on net, seven blocked shots and a minus-1 rating while skating with Alex Vlasic on the top pairing.
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Blackhawks' Sam Rinzel: Adds power-play assist Tuesday
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Rinzel notched a power-play assist and two shots on goal in Tuesday's 4-3 overtime win over the Senators.
Rinzel hit the ground running at the NHL level, earning five assists over his first nine games. His last three helpers came on the power play. The 20-year-old University of Minnesota product should have an inside track to an NHL job, including top-four minutes and power-play time, to begin 2025-26. Fantasy managers in redraft formats should consider him a sleeper option -- if he quarterbacks the top power-play unit, he'll get enough offense to be useful.
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Blackhawks' Sam Rinzel: Earns first NHL assist
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Rinzel notched an assist, two shots on goal and a plus-2 rating in Sunday's 3-1 win over the Penguins.
Rinzel needed four games to earn his first NHL point. The 20-year-old defenseman has immediately stepped into a top-pairing role alongside Alex Vlasic. Rinzel has added 11 shots on net, seven hits, three blocked shots and a plus-2 rating over four appearances since signing out of the University of Minnesota, where he had 32 points in 40 contests as a sophomore this season.
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Blackhawks' Sam Rinzel: Inks entry-level contract
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Rinzel signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Blackhawks on Saturday, per PuckPedia.
The Blackhawks selected Rinzel 25th overall in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. The 20-year-old defenseman had 10 goals and 22 assists across 40 games with the University of Minnesota during his 2024-25 sophomore season. He could make his NHL debut against Utah on Sunday.
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