Sam
Rinzel
D · CHI · Balanced · Very poor
- PAL
- 9
- WAR
- -0.3
- Value
- 22
- PTS
- 14
2025-26№ 273 / 325
Sam Rinzel (Chicago Blackhawks) stats and profile: offensive production, ice time, advanced stats, WAR and PAL rating.
Sam Rinzel
HEIGHT : 193 cm · WEIGHT : 91 kg · SHOOTS : R
Born : June 24, 2004 · Chanhassen, United States
Drafted : 2022 · CHI · round 1, pick #25
Contract : $941,667 · 2024-25 → 2026-27 · Entry-Level Contract · RFA (10.2) · Signing bonus $95,000
NHL record
| Year | Team | GP | G | A | PTS | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 | Chicago Blackhawks | 17 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 10 |
| 2025-26 | Chicago Blackhawks | 54 | 4 | 10 | 14 | 44 |
| 2024-25 | Chicago Blackhawks | 9 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 0 |
| NHL totals | 80 | 5 | 19 | 24 | 54 | |
Sam Rinzel: our analysis
2025-26 season: 54 GP, 4 G, 10 A, 14 PTS, -7 +/-, 18:16 TOI. WAR -0.3 (273rd of 325) · PAL 9, very poor.
In 2025-26, Sam Rinzel, 22, posts a PAL Rating of 9 out of 100 (very poor), and his WAR of -0.3 ranks 273rd among 325 regulars, in the bottom quarter.
His strengths: shooting (67, above average). On the other hand, possession (6, among the weakest in the league) and power play (11, among the weakest in the league) hold him back.
Breaking down his WAR (goals above average), no component is positive; the costliest: penalties (-1.9).
His WAR went from -0.1 in 2024-25 to -0.3.
Contract-wise, his Value score of 22 (very poor return) weighs his output against what he costs: 50 is what that salary should buy.
Sam Rinzel's story
Growing up in Minnesota, Rinzel skated through the state’s development system and played for Chaska school teams before stepping into junior hockey. From 2018 to 2021 he moved through Minnesota’s youth ranks, building the positional habits and puck skills that would carry him onward.
He spent the 2021–22 season with the Waterloo Black Hawks in the USHL, a season that preceded his selection in the NHL Entry Draft. Ahead of 2022 the NHL central scouting listed him 19th among North American skater prospects; the Chicago Blackhawks then picked him 25th overall. He enrolled at the University of Minnesota and completed three collegiate seasons while continuing his progression.
Rinzel left college hockey after his junior year and signed a three-year entry-level deal with Chicago on 29 March 2025. He appeared in nine NHL games in 2024–25, recording five assists. Early in the 2025–26 campaign he scored his first NHL goal on 11 October 2025 against the Montreal Canadiens; on 8 December he was sent to the Rockford IceHogs, Chicago’s AHL affiliate, after posting eight points in 28 games.
Internationally, he was named on 16 December 2023 to the United States junior squad for the 2024 World Junior Championship. He had also taken part in the 2021 Hlinka-Gretzky Cup, where the U.S. finished fifth.
On the ice, Rinzel is defined by reliable defensive positioning and a preference for clean puck movement out of the defensive zone. His game emphasizes steady outlet passes and situational awareness — traits that smoothed his transition from junior to college and into pro minutes in North America.
Facts drawn from Wikipédia, told in our own words.
Advanced stats
- TOI/GP
- 17:15
- PP TOI/GP
- 0:57
- SH TOI/GP
- 0:05
- Pts/GP
- 0.29
- EV points
- 4
- Hits
- 13
- Blocks
- 16
- Takeaways
- 9
- Corsi % (SAT)
- 48.0 %
- Off. zone starts
- 35.3 %
Stats and photos: NHL (NHL.com)
2026-27 projection
Projected points
20between 9 and 30 (80% range)
- Goals
- 5
- Assists
- 15
- Games
- 65
So far: 5 pts in 17 games. The team has played 18 of 84 games. Projected pace: 0.31 pts per game (last season: 0.26).
The projection follows last season's pace. Tested on 2,265 player seasons (2022-23 to 2025-26): average miss of 9 points over 82 games; for players at 0.9 points per game and up, it ran 5 points high on average.
This is only a projection. It knows nothing about injuries, trades or role changes; one player in five finishes outside the range.
Player ratings, 2025-26
All ratings →Fourteen ratings from 0 to 100 drawn from data, never by hand: 75 = established NHL player, 95+ = elite.
OV · OverallConfidence 52 %
60
Depth
- SK
- Skating
- 76
- Confidence 57 %
- ST
- Strength
- 71
- Confidence 58 %
- EN
- Endurance
- 74
- Confidence 50 %
- DU
- Durability
- 57
- Confidence 57 %
- CK
- Checking
- 76
- Confidence 58 %
- FG
- Fighting
- 77
- Confidence 27 %
- DI
- Discipline
- 61
- Confidence 58 %
- FO
- Faceoffs
- —
- PA
- Passing
- 67
- Confidence 52 %
- SC
- Scoring
- 76
- Confidence 52 %
- DF
- Defense
- 60
- Confidence 47 %
- PS
- Penalty shot
- 76
- Confidence 0 %
- EX
- Experience
- 42
- Confidence 100 %
Why these ratings?Hide details
SK — Skating76
- Top speed (35 %)34.9 · 68
- Bursts > 20 mph /60 (30 %)1.819 · 74
- Distance /60 (20 %)15 · 93
- Speed consistency (15 %)34 · 67
ST — Strength71
- Contact absorbed /60 (50 %)4.557 · 70
- Body mass (50 %)0.165 · 74
EN — Endurance74
- Ice time per game (45 %)18.6 · 74
- Total ice time (20 %)972 · 67
- Shift length (15 %)50.2 · 83
- Lowest recent ice time per game (15 %)17.8 · 76
- Special-teams time per game (5 %)2.396 · 75
DU — Durability57
- Share of games played (100 %)0.661 · 57
CK — Checking76
- Hits /60 (70 %)3.215 · 75
- Lowest seasonal rate (20 %)3.043 · 77
- Season volume (10 %)3.912 · 74
FG — Fighting77
- Fights per 82 games (100 %)0.869 · 77
DI — Discipline61
- Net penalty value /60 (50 %)-0.08 · 61
- Penalties taken /60 (30 %)0.865 · 64
- Penalties drawn /60 (20 %)0.392 · 76
PA — Passing67
- Primary assists /60 (40 %)0.339 · 72
- Secondary assists /60 (20 %)0.393 · 74
- Offensive creation (RAPM) (20 %)-0.018 · 72
- Power-play points /60 (10 %)2.609 · 42
- Assist consistency (10 %)0.285 · 79
SC — Scoring76
- Goals /60 (25 %)0.24 · 77
- Individual xG /60 (20 %)0.251 · 81
- Finishing (goals − xG per shot) (20 %)0.13 · 72
- High-danger chances /60 (15 %)0.046 · 58
- xG per shot (10 %)0.034 · 75
- Shot attempts /60 (10 %)11.7 · 83
DF — Defense60
- RAPM defense /60 (35 %)-0.022 · 70
- Relative xG against (20 %)0.11 · 67
- On-ice xG against /60 (15 %)2.922 · 49
- Penalty kill /60 (10 %)-0.024 · 70
- Takeaways − giveaways /60 (10 %)-2.852 · 51
- Shot attempts against /60 (5 %)60.9 · 59
- Blocked shots /60 (5 %)4.065 · 70
PS — Penalty shot76
- Shootouts (60 %)32.7 · 76
- Penalty shots (40 %)26.7 · 76
EX — Experience42
- Career regular-season games (65 %)59
- Career playoff games (25 %)0
- NHL seasons (10 %)37
OV — Overall60
- DF · Defense (30 %)60
- PA · Passing (22 %)67
- SK · Skating (12 %)76
- SC · Scoring (12 %)76
- EN · Endurance (9 %)74
- ST · Strength (6 %)71
- DI · Discipline (5 %)61
- CK · Checking (4 %)76
The bars show confidence (sample size), not player quality. — : not enough data, not a zero. Engine version 1.0.
WAR and PAL ratings, 2025-26
How we rate →PAL Rating scores performance from 0 to 100 against players at the same position (50 = average player), starting from the player's strength, offensive or defensive. Value Rating compares that performance with what the player costs: 50 means paid what the play is worth.
WAR
-0.3
wins above replacement
273 of 325
PAL Rating
9/ 100
Performance · Very poor
225 of 250 at the position
Value Rating
22/ 100
Very poor return
0.94 M$ · expected PAL 39
ProfileBalancedNeither end dominates
- Offense
- 41
- Defense
- 7
See full detailsHide details
- Offense
- 52
- Creation
- 50
- Shooting
- 67
- Possession
- 6
- Defense
- 17
- Discipline
- 12
- Power play
- 11
- Penalty kill
- 13
From 0 to 100; 50 is the average player at the same position, adjusted for ice time.
Hockey IQ, 2025-26
Rankings and method →The quality of the player's decisions with and against the puck at 5-on-5, against regulars at the same position (50 = average). PAL measures output; IQ measures how the player plays.
Overall IQ
40/ 100
Average
better than 40% of defensemen, offense and defense combined
Offensive IQ
56/ 100
Average
passing, shots, puck
Defensive IQ
31/ 100
Below average
takeaways, discipline, own zone
Overall IQ isn't an average of the two scores: it's the player's rank with offense and defense combined, 134 of 225 defensemen.
See full detailsHide details
Offense
- Playmaking passes
- 62
- Shot selection
- 50
- Penalties drawn
- 41
- Puck management
- 76
Defense
- Takeaways
- 64
- Discipline
- 26
- Safe zone exits
- 24
Percentiles: 80 means better than 80% of regulars at the same position. Play without the puck (positioning, coverage) isn't measured: the NHL doesn't publish that data.
WAR, 2025-26
How it's calculated →Wins added to the team, compared with a replacement-level player called up from the AHL.
-0.3
wins above replacement
-0.9 to 0.6 — 90% interval
273 of 325 defensemen
-1.3 goals above replacement
Full leaderboard →See full detailsHide details
- EV offense
- -0.6
- EV defense
- -0.7
- Power play
- -0.1
- Penalty kill
- -0.0
- Shooting
- -0.2
- Penalties
- -1.9
- Average → replacement
- +2.0
In goals.
| Season | Team | GP | WAR | 90% interval | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | CHI | 54 | -0.3 | -0.9 to 0.6 | 273/325 |
| 2024-25 | CHI | 5 | -0.1 | -0.2 to 0.0 | 229/314 |
Player tracking (NHL EDGE)
League EDGE leaderboards →Speed, shot power, distance covered, time by zone: measured by chips in the puck and shoulder pads. 90th percentile = better than 90% of players.
- Hardest shot
- 137.7 km/h38th percentileleague avg. 139.7 km/h
- Top skating speed
- 33.8 km/h44th percentileleague avg. 34.0 km/h
- Bursts over 20 mph, season
- 1377th percentileleague avg. 8
- Offensive zone time
- 40.0 %32nd percentileleague avg. 42.4 %
See full detailsHide details
- Total distance, season
- 70.2 km60th percentileleague avg. 56.1 km
- Distance, single-game high
- 4.95 km46th percentileleague avg. 4.98 km
- Offensive zone at 5v5
- 40.0 %16th percentileleague avg. 42.8 %
- Neutral zone time
- 19.0 %87th percentileleague avg. 16.9 %
- Defensive zone time
- 41.0 %43rd percentileleague avg. 40.8 %
Shooting
| Shots on goal | Goals | Shooting % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| All | 2277th percentile | 172nd percentile | 4.6 %45th percentile |
| High danger | 175th percentile | 198th percentile | 100.0 %100th percentile |
| Mid range | 787th percentile | 073rd percentile | 0.0 %50th percentile |
| Long range | 1280th percentile | 077th percentile | 0.0 %67th percentile |
Shots on goal by zone
2026-2027 regular season. Measured by puck and player tracking chips; the percentile ranks the player within the league.
Game log, 2026-27
CAR
TBL
FLA
COL
BOS
DET
LAK
MTL
DAL
WPG
PIT
NYI
STL
UTA
VGKSam Rinzel: frequently asked questions
How many goals does Sam Rinzel have in 2026-27?
Sam Rinzel has 1 goal and 5 points (4 assists) in 17 games in 2026-27.
How old is Sam Rinzel?
Sam Rinzel is 22 years old: he was born on June 25, 2004.
How tall is Sam Rinzel, and how much does he weigh?
Sam Rinzel is 6'4" (193 cm) and weighs 201 lb (91 kg).
Where is Sam Rinzel from?
United States: Sam Rinzel was born in Chanhassen, Minnesota, United States.
What team does Sam Rinzel play for?
Sam Rinzel plays for the Chicago Blackhawks in the NHL, at D, wearing number 6.
Is Sam Rinzel injured?
No: Sam Rinzel is not on the latest NHL injury report. This answer is updated throughout the season.
How good is Sam Rinzel?
Sam Rinzel produced -0.3 wins above replacement (WAR) in 2025-26, 273rd of 325 players at his position in the NHL. His PAL rating is 9 out of 100: very poor for his position.
How much does Sam Rinzel make?
Sam Rinzel earns $942K for the 2025-26 season. His Value Rating is 22 out of 100 (very poor return): it measures the on-field return for that salary, compared with players at his position.
When does Sam Rinzel's contract end?
Sam Rinzel's contract runs through the 2026-27 season; he will then be a restricted free agent.
Is Sam Rinzel overpaid?
Yes, his output falls short of what his salary should buy. His Value rating is 22 out of 100 (very poor return), where 50 is the output expected for his salary, compared with players at his position.
Is Sam Rinzel a top-10 player at his position?
No: by WAR, he ranks 273rd of 325 players at his position in the NHL in 2025-26. Our comparison tool puts him side by side with any other player.
How has Sam Rinzel played lately?
Over his last 10 games, Sam Rinzel has 3 points (0 goals, 3 assists).
What are Sam Rinzel's career stats?
Over his NHL career, Sam Rinzel has 80 games, 5 goals, 19 assists and 24 points. His best season: 2025-26, with 14 points in 54 games.
Where was Sam Rinzel drafted?
Sam Rinzel was drafted 25th overall (round 1) by Chicago Blackhawks in 2022.
Is Sam Rinzel better at home or on the road?
On the road: in 2026-27, he averages 0.11 points per game at home (1 in 9 games) and 0.50 on the road (4 in 8 games).
How does Sam Rinzel perform in the playoffs?
Sam Rinzel has not played in the NHL playoffs yet.
Which player is most similar to Sam Rinzel?
Adam Larsson: he is the player at his position whose PAL profile (the 0-to-100 dimensions) is closest to his in 2025-26.
Adam Larsson's page →Is Sam Rinzel a good fantasy pick?
Probably not, except in deep leagues: our projection has him at 20 points in 2026-27, or 0.31 points per game.
What is Sam Rinzel's nationality?
Sam Rinzel is American. Internationally: United States junior team — named to compete at the 2024 World Junior Championships.
Where did Sam Rinzel play before turning pro?
University of Minnesota — college ice hockey (concluded after his junior season in 2024–25).
How many points is Sam Rinzel projected to score in 2026-27?
Our projection has him at 20 points in 65 games in 2026-27 (9 to 30 points, 80% interval), based on his recent seasons, age and role.
See also: his Chicago Blackhawks teammates
Full roster →
NHL.com ↗ · Stats and photos: NHL (NHL.com)