Hawks Send Rinzel, Slaggert To IceHogs

By CoachFrenchy / December 8, 2025

The Chicago Blackhawks made two roster moves today, sending defenseman Sam Rinzel and forward Landon Slaggert to the Rockford IceHogs of the American Hockey League. This is a development-focused decision for both players, and it gives the Hawks some roster flexibility while allowing Rinzel and Slaggert to take on bigger minutes in Rockford.

Rinzel’s First NHL Stretch Shows Promise

Sam Rinzel, 21, leaves Chicago after playing 28 games this season and showing steady progress in his first year as a full-time NHL defender. He produced eight points (1G, 7A) while bringing value in areas that coaches appreciate: 29 blocked shots, tied for fifth among all NHL rookies, and 26 hits, which ranks fifth on the Blackhawks.

Rinzel’s offensive game is still growing at the NHL level, but his poise with the puck and ability to recover on plays have been noticeable. In total, he now has 13 points (1G, 12A) in 37 career NHL games, all with Chicago.

A stint in Rockford should give him a chance to run the power play, tighten his defensive reads, and regain confidence after a demanding first half of the season.

Slaggert Brings Energy but Needs More Minutes

Landon Slaggert, 23, played 10 NHL games this season, scoring once and bringing his usual intensity. He put up 16 hits, four blocked shots, and averaged 9:04 of ice time per game. In the AHL, he has one goal in three games with Rockford.

Slaggert’s challenge in Chicago has been opportunity. He competes hard and plays a straight-line game, but he needs more minutes and more touches to develop the offensive side of his game. Rockford gives him that platform.

What This Move Means for Chicago

This is not a punishment — it’s timing and development.

Rinzel has shown NHL flashes but needs consistency and heavier usage.
Slaggert needs minutes, special teams time, and a chance to find rhythm.
The Blackhawks also have roster decisions ahead, and this opens flexibility as injuries and call-ups continue through December.

Expect both players to play important roles in Rockford immediately. If they respond well, they’ll be back in Chicago later this season.

This topic has 2 replies, 3 voices, and was last updated 23 hours, 59 minutes ago by Metalhead.

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December 8, 2025 at 5:04 pm #53676

CoachFrenchy
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The Chicago Blackhawks made two roster moves today, sending defenseman Sam Rinzel and forward Landon Slaggert to the Rockford IceHogs of the American
[See the full post at: Hawks Send Rinzel, Slaggert To IceHogs]

December 8, 2025 at 11:43 pm #53732

Steve from Glencoe
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What is Rinzel? Is he an offensive D man who is going to produce enough points that the coach will put up with his bad defense or is he a guy who is going to struggle to gain the coach’s confidence until he learns how to be more dependable in his own zone? Let’s hope he goes to Rockford and Nightingale molds him into a solid D man who brings offense when it’s there. My guess is we have seen the last of him at the NHL level for the season. With the playoffs slipping away, it is time to find out if KK, Allen, and Del Mastro can play or need to be traded away. Duncan Keith played 99 AHL games and turned out OK, Rinzel can spend a season or 2 in the AHL.

December 9, 2025 at 9:46 am #53770

Metalhead
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Steve from Glencoe wrote:

Duncan Keith played 99 AHL games and turned out OK, Rinzel can spend a season or 2 in the AHL.

I’ve used Keith as an example for years when it comes to developing defensemen.
No, these youngsters are not likely to become a Hall Of Famer who gets ranked among the best 25 or 30 D-men of all time.
Yes, most of these youngsters (except EDM?) were drafted higher than Keith, which would point to a quicker development.
Duncan Keith played his first ever NHL game 3 months after his 22nd birthday.
KK has been around “forever” it seems. If he stays in RFD and only comes back to the NHL at the beginning of the 26/27 season,
he will still only be one month older than Keith, when Keith made his NHL debut.
And Keith was *not* a finished product even at that point. He still had growing pains.

Hjalmarsson: He came up part time during his 20 and 21 year old seasons, but did not stick until his 22 year old season.
Vlasic: Got 15 games at age 20 and 6 games at 21 before coming up for good at…. age 22.
Kaiser got 32 NHL games at age 21 but still split 57 NHL / 17 AHL last season, at 22.

Seabrook and Leddy are the only home grown D-men of recent memory who came up younger and stayed.
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