One of the worst-kept secrets in the Chicago Blackhawks world finally came to light on Saturday morning. Following the ending of the Minnesota Golden Gophers’ season on Thursday night, the clock started to tick down on when both Oliver Moore and Sam Rinzel would turn pro. Frank Seravalli of Daily Face-off and Scott Powers of The Athletic reporting both 2022 first-round pick Rinzel and 2023 first-round pick Moore both signed their entry-level contracts and are expected to make their NHL debuts soon, possibly as early as Sunday’s game against Utah. According to PuckPedia, both deals are three-years with an AAV cap hit of $942,000.
Moore was selected 19th overall by the Blackhawks in the 2023 NHL Draft. Widely regarded as the b best pure skater in the draft class, he has spent the last two seasons with the Golden Gophers as one of their top players up-front. In two seasons, Moore tallied 66 points in 77 NCAA games with Minnesota and was a two-time World Junior Championships Gold Medalist with Team USA in 2024 and 2025, recording eight points in 14 combined games. His speed and playmaking ability are top-tier, while his goal-scoring ability has been underwhelming at times but will now all be tested at the professional level.
Rinzel was the third first-round pick by Kyle Davidson in the 2022 NHL Draft, a pick used after acquiring it from the Toronto Maple Leafs along with Petr Mrázek. Originally thought to be a project pick that could take three or four years before being ready for the professional game, Rinzel made leaps and bounds in his development over his two seasons with Minnesota. In 79 NCAA games, Rinzel tallied 60 points and was named the 2025 Big Ten Defenseman of the Year this past season. He also was a Gold Medalist with Team USA at the 2023 World Junior-A Championships and the World Junior Championships in 2024 alongside Blackhawks prospect teammates Gavin Hayes, Frank Nazar, and Moore.
The Blackhawks have their next two games at home as they face the Utah Hockey Club on Sunday afternoon at the United Center and the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday night.
