Rinzel, a defenseman with Chaska (Minn.) High School, is
No. 19 in the final ranking
.
"I would say Colton Parayko of St. Louis is probably the closest comparison I have in my mind," Rajanen said on the latest edition of the "NHL Draft Class" podcast. "He's a big guy, fluid skater, and has some offense to his game. He just needs to be a two-way player moving forward."
The right-handed shot (6-foot-4, 177 pounds) scored 38 points (nine goals, 29 assists) in 27 games with Chaska, and also scored 10 points (two goals, eight assists) in 21 games with Waterloo of the United States Hockey League. He's committed to the University of Minnesota in 2023-24.
"He's just a junior in high school so he's definitely going to play for Waterloo next season," Rajanen said. "There was some talk of him accelerating at the University of Minnesota, but he's not doing that. He's going to the USHL to play another year there."
Rajanen also provided interesting thoughts on a number of other top USHL players, including two with Chicago, right wing Nicholas Moldenhauer (5-10, 170), who is No. 39 in Central Scouting's final ranking, and defenseman Jake Livanavage (5-9, 157), who is No. 54.
"Moldenhauer is a guy that can play up and down your lineup and has a high-end compete level, solid battle level along the wall and in the contact areas," Rajanen said. "I think Livanavage has a chance to move up on draft day. He's quick, elusive, shifty with the puck and he's sneaky physical where he's a smaller player, but plays bigger."
"NHL Draft Class" co-hosts Adam Kimelman and Mike G. Morreale also discussed the upcoming NHL Scouting Combine scheduled to be held at KeyBank Center and HarborCenter in Buffalo from May 30-June 4.
The podcast is free, and listeners can subscribe on all podcast platforms, including iTunes, Spotify and Google Podcasts. It also is available on
NHL.com/multipmedia/podcasts
and the NHL app.
Photos: Stephanie Lyn Photography
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Listen: New episode of NHL Draft Class
