By Russ Cohen
David Reinbacher will soon be playing for the Laval Rocket in the AHL. The fifth overall pick in 2023, finished his season in the Swiss League and now he’s ready to conquer North America. His 11 points in 35 games isn’t outstanding but he’s 19 and playing against men.
With Kloten HC, he was averaging 18:46 of ice time. That’s significant. He was getting power play time and some penalty kill according to InStat. His 52% is ok winning puck battles against men and his hits per game were down but he may have been playing a role.
His passing on the power play was very good. His hits should rise in the AHL. His straight line speed has improved.
I think he’s a can’t miss. top four defensemen. I don’t think he has more offense in his game than Noah Hanifan as an example, but the physicality and skating should make up for that. Habs fans should be excited. Let’s remember he’s only 19 and will get stronger as time goes on.
