Blackhawks' Rinzel Will Skip the AHL Entirely

Sam Rinzel and Oliver Moore might have been part of a losing effort in their debuts for the Chicago Blackhawks against the Utah Hockey Club, but they impressed, especially Rinzel.

Right away, Rinzel looks like a defenseman that is fully capable of stepping right into the NHL and not playing a single game in the AHL, and that is likely what will happen. He was arguably the most impactful defenseman for the Blackhawks in his first NHL game and head coach Anders Sorensen said, "I think Rinzel had a real attack mindset. I think he had four grade A chances offensively. Did a lot of good things."

He looked smart, shifty, and creative, all what is going to make him a strong top pairing d-man for a long time in the NHL. While it may seem like this is jumping the gun, the 20-year-old was drafted in the first round and has only gotten better at a great rate since joining the Blackhawks' organization.

Frank Seravalli also shares the same sentiment towards Rinzel, mentioning that, "Sam Rinzel will not play a single game in the AHL... he projects to be a top pair NHL defenseman."

This is a different situation than with past high drafted defensemen such as Kevin Korchinski and Artyom Levshunov. The Blackhawks had to make a choice on Korchinski and he wouldn't have gotten the right development in the CHL again, so after playing out his first season in the NHL, he took a step back for better development in the AHL for a chunk of this season. Levshunov played a year in the NCAA and dominated, but he is still two draft years later than Rinzel and along with an early injury and a roster a bit too full of veterans, there wasn't the space.

Rinzel got a couple of years playing against men in college and excelled. The Blackhawks' youth movement is also in full effect as the veterans have been pushed out.

Rinzel has the capability of being the most impactful defenseman for the Blackhawks, but will have competition, which is great for the team long-term. He has a handful of games left this season to showcase himself for next season, and I don't anticipate anything keeping him from earning the spot in the NHL in training camp next season and sticking.

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