The 2023 NHL Draft’s first day is complete, and there were some surprises, but the one that has gotten the most traction online so far has been the Montreal Canadiens’ choice at fifth overall, right-handed defenseman David Reinbacher.
Related: Montreal Canadiens 2023 Draft Coverage
There will be some second-guessing, especially when general manager (GM) Kent Hughes didn’t sell the player as the best player available (BPA) at fifth. This will bring up questions as to why he didn’t trade back, get more assets and select their guy later.
Instead of selecting the high-risk, high-reward prospect in Matvei Michkov, Hughes went with a safer pick. But that doesn’t mean that this player won’t become something special down the road.
So what exactly did Hughes add to the Canadiens’ prospect pool? Here we will take a deeper look at the young defender.
Canadiens’ Newest Prospect
Reinbacher is an offensively capable, two-way defender. The 18-year-old had a strong start to his season playing for EHC Kloten in the Swiss National League (NL), the top-tier professional league in Switzerland. He played a top-four pairing role with time on the power play (PP) scoring three goals and 22 points in 46 games played. The 6-foot-2, 187-pound right-hander was also a key component for Team Austria at the 2023 World Junior Championship (WJC) in Halifax. While he could not keep his nation from being relegated, he provided scouts with a glimpse of the type of player he could become.
His game doesn’t rely solely on skating; however, he is a very strong skater with excellent mobility. He lacks the high-end speed that could be used to generate separation in transition or to allow him to take risks offensively while remaining capable of doubling back to cover any errors. However, he is more than capable of keeping pace with the world’s top players of his age group as well as the professionals he competes against in Europe. Reinbacher was able to provide Blain Potvin of The Hockey Writers some insight into his skating style:
“I like to watch Roman Josi, he’s a pretty calm player, he came from a small town in Switzerland, worked hard. He’s a model for every player. Looking up to him is pretty nice”
-David Reinbacher
Roman Josi is an excellent player to try to emulate, as Josi is one of the premier two-way defenders in the game today. Reinbacher will need to work on improving his core strength for a more explosive first step and top speed, but that will come as he fills out his NHL-sized frame. He has excellent mobility and does very well in using his hips and a quick one-step crossover to complete his pivots in a defensive posture on the rush.
Defensively, Reinbacher is highly reliable and does bring some good instincts and skills that can be built upon as he transitions his game to North America. At the WJC he demonstrated an ability to identify his weaknesses and follow a path to address them, that in itself will be a strength he will need to exploit as he develops his style.
“I think it will help me in the defensive zone. The guys are so good at the stick, moving the puck so fast. Everyone has a good shot and knows where to put the puck. Take this home and try to play like here (WJC) and I think it will be a good season for me.”
– David Reinbacher
The 18-year-old has excellent gap control instincts. He is adept at keeping attacking forwards within his long reach and then using that reach and his size to funnel forwards to the outside as he keeps pace with them and closes the boards off physically. However, the physical aspect of his game is not his main focus, he uses his size and reach with his impeccable positioning to defend. When in open-ice one-on-one battles, his long reach and active stick are very difficult to avoid. When opposing forwards play a dump-and-chase style, Reinbacher quickly identifies the opportunities to step up on him or to use angles to win the foot race as he uses body positioning as a screen before clearing the puck out quickly and under control.
Reinbacher’s Offensive Potential
While Reinbacher lacks that one high-end or elite skill set that allows other defenders in this class to stand out offensively, instead, he does a little bit of everything necessary to generate offense well. That being said, there is untapped potential offensively, and he will need more time and puck touches to build this skill set. The good news is that he has already played top-four minutes and was a PP quarterback for EHC Kloten in 2022-23, and did it as a first-time draft-eligible defender. He described his offensive style after his final game of the WJC:
“Moving the puck, using my long stick, playing the body try to create something in the offensive zone. Be calm. That’s what I try to do every game”.
– David Reinbacher
While he does try to emulate Josi and his style, there is work to do before he can produce offensively like him. It is unlikely he will ever become a 90-point defender like the captain of the Nashville Predators.
Not everything in hockey is just about skill, sometimes the largest determining factors are found off the ice. Work ethic, intelligence, desire, and attitude all fall into that category. Having those attributes along with skill is a good indication of a pro with the upside to be an impact player in the NHL. Reinbacher has that determination. His goal is to be an NHL player, so much so that he moved to Switzerland at 14 years of age. That usually means some homesickness would follow, but as he told The Hockey Writers’ Blain Potvin, he also has good support, “It wasn’t hard to move to Switzerland at 14 because my dad moved with me, and my brother was also there,” said Reinbacher. “New friends, new team… it’s always special.”
When he arrived in Halifax for the WJC, he was set to be a key piece of Austria’s game plan. The WJC is the biggest stage he has been on so far in his career, and in this year’s tournament, he left feeling disappointed in his performance, admitting that he wanted to do more. Unfortunately, he was ill throughout the entire tournament, even missing one game: “I wasn’t 100%,” said Reinbacher during the tournament. “I’m feeling sick again but I try to give my best and try to help my team.”
Reinbacher finished the tournament with two assists in five games played while averaging 21:46 in ice time per game. In his post-game interview following Austria’s relegation game loss, he confirmed that he was bedridden when not playing, requiring fluids before and after each game. Being able to perform that well, and to sacrifice for his team, does give a view of a player that will be capable of making a positive and consistent impact for the Canadiens in the future.