Blackhawks send D Sam Rinzel and F Landon Slaggert to the minors

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CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Blackhawks assigned struggling defenseman Sam Rinzel to the minors on Monday.

Back at home after a lackluster road trip, Chicago also sent forward Landon Slaggert to Rockford of the American Hockey League.

Rinzel, 21, is regarded as one of the team's best prospects. But he is off to a tough start after making a successful NHL debut last season.

He has one goal and seven assists in 28 games. He is averaging 16 1/2 minutes of ice time after he logged almost 23 1/2 minutes per game during his short stint with the Blackhawks at the end of last season.

The 6-foot-4 Rinzel was selected by Chicago in the first round of the 2022 draft. He made his Blackhawks debut on March 30, finishing with no goals and five assists in nine games.

Chicago (12-11-6) has dropped eight of 10 going into Wednesday night's game against the New York Rangers. It was outscored 13-1 in its last two games on a 1-2-1 road trip.

Slaggert, 23, has one goal and no assists in 10 games with Chicago this season. He was a third-round pick in the 2020 draft.

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