The most important thing to understand about Sam Rinzel, whom the Chicago Blackhawks selected with the No. 25 pick in the first round of the 2022 NHL Draft, is that his development is going to require patience.
Virtually every scouting report available on the right-handed blue-liner from Minnesota tells a similar tale: the skill set of a future NHL defenseman is there, but it’s going to take time for those abilities to be translated to the NHL level.
The most obvious skills for Rinzel, who turned 18 on June 25, involve his size and his skating ability.