Introduction
After making the jump to North America in the spring of 2024 and hitting the ground running, expectations were high for David Reinbacher. Fate, however, had different plans as he sustained a major knee injury on an innocuous hit against the Toronto Maple Leafs in the NHL pre-season. It cost the Austrian six months of ice time, not able to return to the Laval Rocket until late February on a limited playing schedule.
Once he got his game legs back, it looked like he hadn’t missed a beat. He took over a major role on the Rocket as they rolled into the AHL playoffs. His skating looked strong, and head coach Pascal Vincent was happy to put him in all sorts of high-leverage situations throughout the year. Despite playing just 10 regular-season games, he suited up for the entire run to the Eastern Conference Final for Laval. There were some growing pains, but it is clear why the Canadiens stuck their neck out to draft him as he has shown all the hallmarks of a solid NHL defenceman at every turn.
Now fully recovered from his knee injury, a major season lies ahead of him as he will likely step into the top defensive spot for the Rocket.
Voting
Every single vote from the panel falls between sixth and eighth, the tightest range we’ve seen so far. And from a player who hasn’t seen a minute of NHL hockey.
The peak of the community vote is about the same, though his second-most common placement was at fifth. He slotted into member ballots from second place to 21st.
Top 25 Under 25 History
Despite being the season in which he played the fewest games of the three evaluated for these rankings, Reinbacher rises up a spot after two years at seventh. Given the names set to graduate from the series and his own potential for growth, there is every chance he will continue to rise over the coming years.
History of #6
Year
#6
2025
David Reinbacher
2024
Kaiden Guhle
2023
Lane Hutson
2022
Justin Barron
2021
Ryan Poehling
2020
Cayden Primeau
2019
Victor Mete
2018
Jesperi Kotkaniemi
2017
Charlie Lindgren
2016
Nikita Scherbak
2015
Jacob de la Rose
2014
Nikita Scherbak
2013
Nathan Beaulieu
2012
Louis Leblanc
2011
Louis Leblanc
2010
Danny Kristo
Strengths
Reinbacher’s strength comes from being a versatile player, able to be deployed no matter the situation. While still a developing prospect, everything about his game is intensely polished. He plays like a 10-year veteran despite being just 20 years old.
He covers gaps well, closing down attackers while mitigating risk in the defensive zone, and rarely if ever is the one caught out of position. With less than half a season of AHL hockey under his belt over two years, it looks like he is no worse for wear as he has seamlessly adjusted to the North American game. If there were concerns about the physicality or the pace of the AHL from those who weren’t fully aware of the quality of Switzerland’s National League, those were put to rest in about his second game in Laval.
The speed was never an issue for him. Even with a serious knee injury his skating has remained smooth and steady, allowing him to cover ground easily. His hockey sense allows him to time his hits well as he closes off incoming forwards and then still gets back to retrieve the puck or assist his partner if needed. As for any concerns of him being bullied around, that wasn’t a problem at all as he was more than happy to turn around and give an offending party a stiff shot to the face if he had to.
Perhaps the most unexpected yet welcomed growth from Reinbacher last year was that he seemingly developed a heavy slapshot during his time off for his knee injury. He picks his spots to fire a shot well, and hammers them with intensity when the shooting lane opens up, making it so his shots almost always get to the goalie and aren’t blocked. While he may not be taking top power-play duties right away in Laval (that is likely Adam Engström’s spot to start with Logan Mailloux now in St. Louis), he is a more than capable QB for the man advantage both as a shooter and a distributor.
Weaknesses
He lacks some of the sizzle and shine that other players on this list have. He is plug-and-play, making him versatile, but he isn’t going to be pulling off highlight-reel moves like a Lane Hutson or Noah Dobson. His style is more that of a classic, everyday, dependable defenceman, less than some fans might have been wishing for out of a top-five pick, but he does still have the ability to contribute to the offence.
The biggest concern right now is his health as he hasn’t played a full season since getting drafted. Last summer’s injury was a complete freak accident, nothing that anyone could have predicted, but it is never good to lose almost an entire year of development as a key prospect. A full year of games, even with a few nights off here or there in a few of the weekend back-to-backs, would go a long way toward assuaging the worries of the fanbase.
Projection
Everything about Reinbacher suggests that he is an NHL player. Every bit of his game projects as NHL-calibre as soon as this season if everything goes in his favour. While the Canadiens’ defence is shaping up to be loaded thanks to the arrival of Dobson, a strong pre-season from Reinbacher at the very least forces the Montreal front office to look at all of its options more closely.
In reality, it is likely that Reinbacher will be the top defenceman on the Rocket, more than likely alongside Engström or the newly signed Marc Del Gaizo. Reinbacher’s focus should be building upon an already promising base, both defensively and with his budding offensive game. In a relatively small sample, he is producing at just under a half-point-per-game pace despite not being the top power-play option in either season. If the flashes he showed to end the year are signs of a bigger offensive toolkit, we could see him flourish with a full season.
Long-term, things seem quite clear: he is going to be a guy the Canadiens can pair with anyone in the top four on defence, and easily play more than 20 minutes a night. His skating and IQ make him an almost natural fit alongside Hutson in a role that can see him push the pace offensively and still remain defensively stable. He could also easily slide in with Kaiden Guhle to form a true lockdown pairing that frees up Hutson or Dobson to feast on easier offensive-zone minutes. There is almost no bad spot for Reinbacher in the Montreal lineup if he continues his progression as a complete blue-liner.
While injuries have altered his trajectory a touch, the 20-year-old remains one of the most promising prospects in all of hockey on defence. With the way things are shaping up, there will soon be a spot in the Habs lineup for him, and a full season with the Rocket is going to remind many fans of why that is.
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Patrik Bexell is joined on the podcast by Laval Rocket defence assistant coach Daniel Jacob on to discuss Reinbacher and the team’s young defenders.