{"id":158965,"date":"2025-09-15T17:57:07","date_gmt":"2025-09-15T17:57:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/158965\/"},"modified":"2025-09-15T17:57:07","modified_gmt":"2025-09-15T17:57:07","slug":"five-takeaways-from-blackhawks-rookie-camp-sam-rinzel-dominates-aj-spellacy-bruises","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/158965\/","title":{"rendered":"Five takeaways from Blackhawks rookie camp: Sam Rinzel dominates, AJ Spellacy bruises"},"content":{"rendered":"

ST. PAUL, Minn. \u2014 Blackhawks<\/a> brass got their first 2025-26 look at a number of notable prospects during rookie camp this past week.<\/p>\n

The Hawks beat the Blues 3-2 and lost to the Wild 3-2 in the Tom Kurvers Prospect Showcase over the weekend. Ahead of main training camp \u2014 which starts Thursday \u2014 here are five takeaways from rookie camp:<\/p>\n

Some NHL hopefuls dominate<\/p>\n

Elite prospects should dominate in this tournament, and that\u2019s exactly what defenseman Sam Rinzel<\/a> and forward Oliver Moore did Saturday before sitting out Sunday.<\/p>\n

Rinzel and Moore\u2019s speed and IQ allow them to basically skate circles around lesser competition. Rinzel made an absurd play and pass to set up a goal and cleaned up countless messes in the defensive zone, while Moore generated a bunch of scoring chances before finishing his last one<\/a> in overtime.<\/p>\n

Rockford coach Jared Nightingale compared Rinzel to All-Star defenseman Alex Pietrangelo in that his \u201cheart rate never gets up,\u201d even in intense situations.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, forward Nick Lardis<\/a> played in both games and was also impressive. He was involved \u2014 either as the playmaker or the shooter \u2014 in a large percentage of the Hawks\u2019 scoring chances. Lardis has some Connor Bedard in him, even though they\u2019re not comparable talents, in terms of how he sees the ice and how he can make sly passes to relieve pressure. <\/p>\n

Lardis used his quick hands to make clever defensive plays, too, stripping opponents on a few occasions. He said he worked on his defensive game this summer.<\/p>\n

Other hopefuls look rusty<\/p>\n

Defenseman Artyom Levshunov<\/a> characteristically turned in an up-and-down performance that started rough and improved as it went. Defensively, there were low lows (blown positioning on a goal against) and high highs (chasing down and nullifying a breakaway). Offensively, he was dynamic.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been really impressed with [Levshunov\u2019s] compete,\u201d Nightingale said. \u201cHe has his poise. He\u2019s still that young defenseman [who has to] learn less is more sometimes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Forward Ryan Greene scored a pretty off-the-rush goal Sunday yet turned the puck over at the offensive blue line numerous times. Entering camp, Moore might have a leg up on Greene for an NHL roster spot.<\/p>\n

Rule change on the radar<\/p>\n

Up until now, Canadian junior players weren\u2019t eligible for the AHL until they turned 20, but the new NHL collective bargaining agreement will allow teams to place one 19-year-old CHL product in the AHL per year. <\/p>\n

Possible immediate implementation of that rule is reportedly being negotiated, and if it happens, forward AJ Spellacy could be a candidate.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s no doubt Spellacy\u2019s aggressive, physical playing style would fit seamlessly into the AHL. He\u2019s a \u201cwrecking ball\u201d who constantly makes his presence felt, including some crushing hits, after-the-whistle scrums and one full-fledged fight over the weekend.<\/p>\n

“[Spellacy] played to his identity: tough to play against,\u201d Nightingale said. \u201cHe plays with emotion\u2026and [he\u2019s] not bad with the puck. He loves to take it to the net.\u201d<\/p>\n

Forward Marek Vanacker would also be eligible, but another junior season would likely benefit him. He wasn\u2019t as noticeable this weekend as a first-round pick should be, and even when he was noticeable, it wasn\u2019t always for good reasons.<\/p>\n

Impressive first glimpses<\/p>\n

None of the Hawks\u2019 three 2025 first-round picks were in attendance \u2014 because college players aren\u2019t eligible and Anton Frondell\u2019s SHL season has already begun \u2014 so third-round forward Nathan Behm was the highest 2025 selection<\/a> present.<\/p>\n

Behm was more noticeable than expected for his draft position, adding to the preexisting narrative he might\u2019ve been a steal. Nightingale praised his ability to \u201cdeceivingly get around guys.\u201d<\/p>\n

Goalie Stan Berezhnoy, an undrafted prospect just signed out of Russia, was solid in his first North American action. He moves well for a 6-4, 218-pound goalie, inspiring Nightingale to compare him to Arvid Soderblom. He\u2019ll likely back up Drew Commesso in Rockford this season.<\/p>\n

Older prospects work toward AHL roles<\/p>\n

Time is not on the side of 23-year-old defenseman Taige Harding or forward Aidan Thompson as they try to fulfill NHL dreams after spending a while in college.<\/p>\n

If they want to make it, they\u2019ll need to do so relatively quickly. Based on their usage this weekend, they both appear set to at least inherit large roles in Rockford\u2019s lineup right away.<\/p>\n

Harding is towering at 6-7, 236 pounds, and has finally developed the physicality to match. Nightingale said he took \u201cbig strides the last couple years\u201d at Providence.<\/p>\n

Thompson is undersized at 5-11, 181 pounds, but has a feisty side. He has improved his shot.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"ST. PAUL, Minn. \u2014 Blackhawks brass got their first 2025-26 look at a number of notable prospects during…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":158966,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[66],"tags":[385,99],"class_list":["post-158965","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nhl","tag-nhl","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/158965","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=158965"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/158965\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/158966"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=158965"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=158965"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=158965"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}