Sam Rinzel is a raw, but talented two-way blueliner who has a very impressive set of skills. He’s big, strong, he can skate and has great puck skills, He has the potential to be a very effective NHL defenseman but needs to figure out how to blend all his skills together. Individually, there’s a lot of diverse skill in his game. He just needs to learn how to incorporate them together more frequently. Defensively, he relies on his size and skating ability to make his presence felt. He can use his body and long reach to angle defenders away from the center lane and then use his skating to close them out and pin them to boards. In the defensive zone, his ability to get his sticks into the passing lanes and break up high danger passes stand out. Offensively, he likes to push the pace of play as a puck-carrier. He was effective at running his team’s breakout and creating successful zone exits and zone entries for his team. In the offensive zone, he’s effective at carrying the puck from high to low, allowing passing lanes to open. He can effectively exploit these passing lanes with his high-quality vision and passing ability. Like any raw prospect, the biggest issue for him is finding a way to put everything together on a regular basis. He split time between high school and the USHL. At times, Rinzel looked like one of the most dominant players on the ice for his team, but there were times where he disappeared or was a detriment to his team. He has all the tools to be an all-situations top-four defenseman at the NHL level, but needs more reps and playing time against high-level competition before Rinzel can truly figure out who he is as a player. He will likely go way earlier than expected because of the high ceiling he has.

– FCHockey’s 2022 NHL Draft Guide