The Chicago Blackhawks lost to the Utah Hockey Club 5-2 on Sunday afternoon, but that is far from the main story. This rebuilding team hasn't been in the playoff race once this season, and that's not what they are thinking about now.
All they care about is the development of the organization from top to bottom. Right now, more than half of the roster is 25 years old or younger. The NHL team is a developmental team at this point.
Oliver Moore and Sam Rinzel are the latest additions to the group. After losing with the Minnesota Golden Gophers in the NCAA Tournament last week, they decided to turn pro. On Sunday, they made their debuts together as a pair.
"It's unbelievable, having to do it with a buddy." Sam Rinzel said about making his debut alongside his college teammate in Moore. "It means the world. It brings a level of [comfort] to you, it adds to your confidence, I think for sure."
Rinzel was incredibly noticeable in his first NHL game. He had a handful of grade-A scoring chances that will eventually go in as his timing and awareness improve. After the game, he admitted that "scoring is hard".
"I felt good. Honorable." Rinzel said when asked how he felt about his debut as an individual. "It was so fun, guys are great."
The Blackhawks have a young room with a lot of players within the same age bracket. They are all there to grow and learn together.
"It was obviously really fun," Oliver Moore said of his NHL debut. "Definitely something I'll never forget. Right from the national anthem and on, something I'll never forget."
Moore knows that winning is the most important thing, but he was also clearly over the moon about making his NHL debut.
"At the end of the day, I just want to play hockey. That's what I'm here to do." Moore continued. "I think trying to play your game, trying to help the team win in any way you can out there."
It is not going to be easy for these guys every single night once they get going in their NHL careers. It is hard to recreate the jubilation of your first NHL game, so now they need to adjust to playing hockey at the highest level night in and night out.
"I felt good. I think Fliggy and Veleno did a really good job of helping me, just talking to me. You know, it's a different game than college. It's a lot bigger." Moore said when asked about what he learned from his first game that he can improve on going forward.
The Blackhawks put him on a good line with two other forwards at different stages of their careers who can help him along the way. They did something right, as Moore praised them the first opportunity he got.
Neither of them collected their first career NHL goal or point in the loss, but they both made an impact. Rinzel had a handful of high-quality scoring chances that will go in if he continues to go at that pace. Moore created a breakout for Artyom Levshunov and Nick Foligno that resulted in a Joe Veleno goal as well. His speed was noticeable as well.
There are eight more games for the Chicago Blackhawks. These two will likely skate in all eight of them as they prepare for a summer of NHL prep. If all goes right, they have as good of a chance as anyone to make the opening night roster. Like their NHL debut, they'd like to do that together too.
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