David Reinbacher (born 25 October 2004) is an Austrian professional ice hockey defenceman for the Laval Rocket of the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract to the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected in the first round, fifth overall, by the Canadiens in the 2023 NHL entry draft, making him the highest-drafted Austrian player in NHL history along with Thomas Vanek twenty years prior in 2003.[1][2]
Playing career
As a youth, Reinbacher played in Switzerland with EHC Rheintal and EHC Bülach, before moving to EHC Kloten at the U15 level. Initially appearing within the team's junior ranks, he made his professional debut with the club in the Swiss League (SL), the second tier of the Swiss league system, midway through the 2021–22 season. Reinbacher managed one goal and 10 assists in 27 regular season appearances.[3] He then played in 14 postseason games, which culminated in Kloten securing promotion to the National League (NL), Switzerland's top league.[4][3]
In the 2022–23 season, Reinbacher established himself a regular on Kloten's blueline, attracting attention for doing so as an 18-year-old player, and seeing his average ice time rise from six minutes per game to over 20. He recorded three goals and 19 assists in 46 games during the regular season, and two further points in three postseason games.[4] He would go on to win the league's award for the best young player of the year.[5]
Reinbacher initially had a low profile among evaluators prior to the 2023 NHL entry draft, with some European evaluators identifying him as a potential second-round selection.[6] By November 2022, he was receiving attention from major North American publications, with The Hockey News naming him to their "All-Sleeper Squad" of players who should be considered for the first round.[7] At the time of the draft in June, Reinbacher was mooted as a top ten selection by many, and generally considered likely to be the first defenceman taken during proceedings.[8][9][10][11] Ultimately, he was selected fifth overall by the Montreal Canadiens, with team general manager Kent Hughes describing him as "a diamond in the rough with a lot of potential."[1] This made Reinbacher the highest-drafted Austrian skater in NHL history, alongside Thomas Vanek, who was also drafted fifth overall 20 years earlier.[4] The Canadiens' decision was controversial due to their passing over Matvei Michkov, considered by many to be the most talented player still available at the time, who was subsequently taken by the Philadelphia Flyers. Criticism on social media attracted sports media coverage, notably due to reported abusive messages directed at Reinbacher himself.[12][13][14][15]
On 5 July 2023, the Canadiens signed Reinbacher to a three-year, entry-level contract.[16][17] After what was generally considered a positive appearance at the Canadiens' training camp in the autumn of 2023, he was sent back to EHC Kloten for the 2023–24 NL season.[18][19] In the midst of a difficult campaign for the team overall, Reinbacher produced one goal and ten assists in 35 appearances, having missed sporadic time due to injury.[20] Following the end of the NL schedule, he was assigned to the Laval Rocket, the Canadiens' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, on 18 March 2024.[21] He made his AHL debut thereafter on 22 March in a 3–2 overtime win versus the Belleville Senators, recording a goal.[22] In eleven games with Laval, he registered two goals and three assists along with a plus–minus differential of +6.[23]
While competing with the Canadiens in exhibition play against the Toronto Maple Leafs on 28 September 2024, Reinbacher exited the game after a hit by Leafs defenceman Marshall Rifai. Days later, it was announced that he had undergone knee surgery, and would miss five-to-six months of the 2024–25 season.[24] He would make his season debut with the Rocket on 19 February 2025 versus the Manitoba Moose.[25]
Personal life
Reinbacher's father, Harald, is a former professional hockey player for EHC Lustenau of the Alps Hockey League (AlpsHL).[26] He has one sibling, a brother named Tobias, who also plays professionally for the Pioneers Vorarlberg of the ICE Hockey League.[27]
International play
Internationally, Reinbacher first represented the Austrian under-18 national team at the 2022 IIHF World U18 Championship.[28] Shortly thereafter, he was named to the Austrian junior national team for the annual World Junior Championships.[29] In November 2022, Reinbacher made his debut with the Austrian senior national team at that year's Deutschland Cup,[30] capturing a silver medal.[31]
The following year, he averaged over 26 minutes of ice time per game at the 2023 World Junior Championships, and had two assists in his team's final tournament game, which saw them relegated following two consecutive losses to Latvia.[32][33] At the ensuing IIHF World Championship, he would suffer an MCL injury in Austria's second game against Sweden and subsequently miss three games. Despite this, Reinbacher returned to play 23 minutes in the final group stage game against Hungary and help his country avoid relegation.[12]
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2020–21 | Kloten U20 | U20-Elit | 25 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2021–22 | Kloten U20 | U20-Elit | 23 | 9 | 13 | 22 | 12 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 2021–22 | EHC Kloten | SL | 27 | 1 | 10 | 11 | 4 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | ||
| 2022–23 | EHC Kloten | NL | 46 | 3 | 19 | 22 | 26 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 2023–24 | EHC Kloten | NL | 35 | 1 | 10 | 11 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2023–24 | Laval Rocket | AHL | 11 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NL totals | 81 | 4 | 29 | 33 | 44 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | ||||
International
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Austria | U18 D1B | 5th | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2022 | Austria | WJC | 10th | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | |
| 2022 | Austria | DC | 
|
3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2023 | Austria | WJC | 10th | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2023 | Austria | WC | 14th | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Junior totals | 14 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 4 | ||||
| Senior totals | 7 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | ||||
Awards and honours
| Award | Year | Ref |
|---|---|---|
| Swiss League | ||
| Swiss League championship | 2022 | [4] |
| National League | ||
| Young Player of the Year | 2023 | [5] |
References
- ^ a b Galanopoulos, Chris; Stephens, Rick (29 June 2023). "Kent Hughes Grabs a Diamond in the Rough for the Canadiens". The Hockey News. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
- ^ Maher, Sarah Jean (28 June 2023). "Canadiens make David Reinbacher highest-drafted Austrian defenceman ever". The Athletic. Retrieved 7 March 2024.
- ^ a b Maciag, Joe (16 November 2022). "2023 NHL Draft Player Profile: David Reinbacher". RecruitScouting. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
- ^ a b c d Maher, Sarah Jean (28 June 2023). "Canadiens make David Reinbacher highest-drafted Austrian defenceman ever". The Athletic. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
- ^ a b Lefrançois, Guillaume (4 August 2023). "Un honneur pour Reinbacher" [An honour for Reinbacher]. La Presse (in French). Retrieved 5 August 2023.
- ^ Novotny, Marek (6 February 2023). "Central European Stock Watch: David Reinbacher surging up NHL Draft rankings". EPRinkside.com. Retrieved 13 February 2023.
- ^ Ferrari, Tony (20 November 2022). "NHL 2023 Draft Team of the Month: All-Sleeper Squad". The Hockey News. Retrieved 13 February 2023.
- ^ Kimelman, Adam; Morreale, Mike G. (27 June 2023). "Final Mock 2023 NHL Draft: Intrigue after 1st 4 picks". NHL.com. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
- ^ Bukala, Jason (26 June 2023). "Jason Bukala's 2023 NHL Mock Draft: What happens after Bedard goes first?". Sportsnet.ca. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
- ^ Murphy, Bryan (28 June 2023). "NHL Mock Draft 2023: Connor Bedard goes to Blackhawks; Matvei Michkov falls out of top 5 in final projections". The Sporting News. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
- ^ Weekes, Kevin (27 June 2023). "2023 NHL mock draft: Projections for every first-round pick". Sportsnet.ca. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
- ^ a b Ellis, Steven (28 June 2023). "The Montreal Canadiens are betting big on David Reinbacher". Daily Faceoff. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
- ^ Engels, Eric (29 June 2023). "Canadiens' Hughes confident Reinbacher will make his name unforgettable in Montreal". Sportsnet.ca. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
- ^ Ashbourne, Nick (30 June 2023). "Canadiens fans' reaction to controversial draft pick may affect development plans". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
- ^ Kelly, Brendan (29 June 2023). "Habs fans not thrilled that the CH picked Reinbacher". Montreal Gazette. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
- ^ "Three-year, entry-level contract for David Reinbacher". Montreal Canadiens. 5 July 2023. Retrieved 5 November 2023 – via NHL.com.
- ^ "Canadiens sign David Reinbacher to three-year, entry-level deal". Sportsnet.ca. 5 July 2023. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
- ^ "David Reinbacher kehrt zum EHC Kloten zurück" [David Reinbacher returns to EHC Kloten] (in Swiss High German). EHC Kloten. 1 October 2023. Archived from the original on 5 November 2023. Retrieved 5 November 2023.
- ^ Engels, Eric (1 October 2023). "Reinbacher returns to Swiss league, leaves Canadiens impressed with cerebral play". Sportsnet.ca. Retrieved 2 October 2023.
- ^ Bexell, Patrik (18 March 2024). "Grading David Reinbacher's 2023-24 season". SB Nation. Retrieved 5 October 2024.
- ^ @CanadiensMTL (18 March 2024). "Les Canadiens ont prêté le défenseur David Reinbacher au Rocket de Laval.
The Canadiens have assigned defenseman David Reinbacher to the Laval Rocket.
#GoHabsGo" (Tweet) – via Twitter. - ^ Galanopoulos, Chris (23 March 2024). "David Reinbacher Shakes off Nerves to Impress Laval Teammates". The Hockey News. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
- ^ Basu, Arpon (24 April 2024). "David Reinbacher's time in Laval will benefit his transition to Montreal in many ways". The Athletic. Retrieved 15 January 2025.
- ^ "David Reinbacher out five to six months". Montreal Canadiens. 1 October 2024. Retrieved 15 January 2025 – via NHL.com.
- ^ Book, Jared (19 February 2025). "David Reinbacher sent down, will make his season debut Wednesday in Laval". SB Nation. Retrieved 19 February 2025.
- ^ Basu, Arpon (29 September 2023). "David Reinbacher's NHL dream being realized through the eyes of his father Harald". The Athletic. Retrieved 20 February 2025.
- ^ "Finale Bausteine fixiert" [Final building blocks fixed] (in Austrian German). Pioneers Vorarlberg. 19 June 2024. Retrieved 20 February 2025.
- ^ "IIHF - Austria - 2022 IIHF ICE HOCKEY U18 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, Division I, Group B" (PDF). International Ice Hockey Federation. 1 May 2022. Retrieved 10 February 2025.
- ^ Kimelman, Adam (8 August 2022). "2022 World Junior Championship rosters". NHL.com. Retrieved 16 January 2025.
- ^ "Roster für Deutschland-Cup steht" [Roster for Germany Cup is ready] (in Austrian German). Österreichischer Eishockeyverband. 27 October 2022. Retrieved 20 February 2025.
- ^ "AUSTRIA FINISHES SECOND AT THE "DEUTSCHLAND CUP" | ITALY CELEBRATES TOURNAMENT VICTORY". ICE Hockey League. 13 November 2022. Retrieved 20 February 2025.
- ^ Potvin, Blain (24 December 2022). "5 Draft-Eligible Prospects for Canadiens Fans at the 2023 WJC". TheHockeyWriters.com. Retrieved 13 February 2023.
- ^ Bell, Josh (7 January 2023). "World Juniors 2023: Jiri Kulich, Ryan Ufko among prospect risers; Brad Lambert's stock falls". The Sporting News. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
External links
- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Eurohockey.com, or The Internet Hockey Database