Sam Rinzel began his 2024-2025 season as a sophomore in college at the University of Minnesota. He played 40 games with the Golden Gophers and finished with 10 goals and 22 assists. He was the team's top scoring defenseman and finished the year on the All-Big Ten First Team and as the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. The Blackhawks then signed Rinzel to a three-year, entry-level contract and then made his debut the next night.
Rinzel played nine games with the Hawks and accumulated five assists over those games. He averaged over 23 minutes of ice time a night and played on the top pair with Alex Vlasic.