Cal Dietz has an interesting theory about Blackhawks defenseman Sam Rinzel.
Dietz, the head strength coach for the University of Minnesota’s hockey programs, has spent the last three summers training Rinzel, helping him evolve from an 18-year-old fresh out of high school into a 21-year-old preparing for his first full NHL season. In Dietz’s mind, however, those ages don’t tell the full story.
“They drafted him at 18, but he might’ve been biologically 16 or 17,” Dietz said this week. “If he’s a couple years behind, he’s going to be developing longer. So what you have this year and next year I don’t feel is going to be the limit. It’s going to be three to five years down the road.”
What he means is Rinzel’s rapid development over the past few years — which has transformed him from someone many scouts considered a reach with the 25th pick in 2022 into a budding star who might be a top-10 player from that class — suggests he’s not close to his physical peak yet.
Dietz frequently encounters the reverse situation, in which 18-year-olds are biologically more like 20 or 21 — closer to their physical peak than anyone realizes — and they plateau once they get to college. That’s always a bummer. But Rinzel’s potential gets him excited.
“‘Soon to ripe, soon to rot,’ is the rule that I have,” Dietz added. “He’s a late bloomer…[and] what I’ve seen from late bloomers is there’s a longer career because there’s more upswing time.”
Strength training has been a critical ingredient in Rinzel’s development because he was such a raw, lanky specimen at first. It has taken much effort to fill out his 6-4 frame.
He took a big step forward with that this summer, going from 180 pounds at the end of last season to 195 pounds entering Hawks rookie camp this week. Rinzel said protein shakes were one key to that: “It’s always easier to drink the calories.”
Hard work in the gym was another key.
“Sam had to realize he had to get strong, especially with his long legs,” Dietz said. “A lot of guys will joke around and have fun while they’re [working out], but he was all business. He went from one thing to the next. I like that. He’s goal-oriented.
“I didn’t think he would put another level of strength on like this, but he did.”
By the end of the offseason, Rinzel was lifting over 800 pounds with a single-leg squat bar, for example, which is 200 pounds more than average. He also excelled in terms of lateral speed, which is often a challenge for taller guys.
Dietz believes Rinzel’s eventual ideal weight might be around 200 to 205 pounds, based on his height and bone size. But 195 pounds at least puts him in the right range for a pro athlete.
“If you look at him, it’s good weight,” Dietz said. “On top of those 15 [extra] pounds, now those 15 pounds are moving faster. And he’s more agile, too.”
On the ice, Rinzel said he worked this summer on his shot, altering his stick angle to find holes through traffic when shooting from the point, as well as being “harder to play against” in the defensive zone.
External expectations for his NHL rookie season, based on his stellar play while handling 23 minutes per night during his nine-game cameo in April, have gotten almost too high. The Athletic recently ranked him fifth in a list of Calder Trophy candidates.
But as crazy as that sounds, it does genuinely seem justified. If he impresses during main training camp, Rinzel may well open the season on the Hawks’ top power-play unit and the first defensive pairing, giving him plenty of opportunity to prove himself as an organizational cornerstone for the long haul.