Rinzel has recently played two more games for Waterloo, in which both he and his entire team struggled. I didn't get to watch either game. But if you want to watch him, the USHL games are all televised on the HockeyTV website, though you must pay to watch the games. I have a subscription, so I'll be sure to watch him again and write up my observations for you.
Rinzel has gained a bit of draft helium lately, and his consensus ranking seems to be in the #40-#45 overall range. As a 6'4 RD with great skates, he's likely to go higher, and the Devils would likely have to take him with their 2nd round pick as the draft order stands today.
Here's a re-paste of my Rinzel write-up, for those who aren't familiar:
2022 Draft Profile:
RD Sam Rinzel, Chaska High MN USHS
Here we have the extremely raw, but huge and fast defenseman who will be all over draft boards as people watch him and ask "what if?" He's currently 6'4-180, and his skating is not the trope of "good for a big man" -- Rinzel is flat out a very good skater with surprising agility for his size who can reach formidable top speeds in open ice. He's also a classic two-way player who is a blanket defensively at his level, and he also is very adept at rushing the puck up ice and creating scoring opportunities in the offensive zone. Although we also must factor in that he's spent most of his season playing at an extremely low level, he's played three games for Waterloo of the USHL and impressed in all of them.
Rinzel is a player you're probably going to have to draft in the 2nd/3rd rounds, because players who mix his size and skating are quite infrequently found. And then you're going to have to wait -- he's got a ton of development to go, both filling out his lanky frame to the 200+ neighborhood and refining positioning, gaps and fundamentals, all of which show promise but need work. Rinzel is committed to the University of Minnesota, but not until the 2023-24 season, and we can probably expect to see him in the USHL next year. He's probably four years away from realistically competing for an AHL, much less NHL role.
But what can you have your hands on if his development goes well? Rinzel is a smart kid with good awareness both offensively and defensively, and he plays hard. I'd like to see more physicality out of him, he uses his size more for reach and wing-span and puck protecting than to knock opposing players around, which he is obviously quite capable of. But he's certainly got a lot of defensive potential as a guy you can't skate around and is very tough to get through. If his gaps and positioning improve, he'll be a very strong defender.
I'd say Rinzel is even better offensively, though we will have to wait and see how that progresses at higher levels of play. He's a strong passer and his shot shows a ton of promise. He can bobble pucks and needs a bit of work there, but his calm and cool under pressure are extremely impressive and very tough things to teach. He can potentially blossom into a real transition asset and perhaps even a two-way, all-situations mid-pairing NHL defender. But again, there's a long way to go before he's there.
Sam Rinzel should interest the Devils scouting team, as the organization sorely needs RD prospects in the pipeline and GM Tom Fitzgerald seems to greatly prefer defensemen with both size and mobility. He's a real finger-crosser with the Devils early 2nd round pick, but I feel he's the kind of high-upside pick in the 3rd round which can potentially make the Devils front office look quite brilliant a half decade or so down the line. The risk is that he's also a guy who has played mostly at lower levels, and thus is more of a product of extreme size/speed advantages than actual play. The team which picks Sam Rinzel is going to have to really believe in his potential and have a lot of patience, but clearly the possible payoff is significant.
