David Reinbacher

David Reinbacher (born 25 October 2004) is an Austrian professional ice hockey defenceman for EHC Kloten of the National League (NL) as a prospect to the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted fifth overall by the Canadiens in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft.[1]

David Reinbacher
Born (2004-10-25) 25 October 2004
Hohenems, Austria
Height 6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Weight 187 lb (85 kg; 13 st 5 lb)
Position Defence
Shoots Right
NHL team (P)
Cur. team		 Montreal Canadiens
EHC Kloten (NL)
National team  Austria
NHL Draft 5th overall, 2023
Montreal Canadiens
Playing career 2022–present

Playing career

Reinbacher played as a youth in Switzerland with EHC Rheintal and EHC Bülach, before moving to EHC Kloten at the under-15 level. Appearing within Kloten junior ranks, Reinbacher made his professional debut with the club in the Swiss League, the second tier of the Swiss league system, midway through the 2021–22 season. Reinbacher managed 1 goal and 10 assists in 27 regular season appearances.[2] He then played in 14 playoff games, which culminated in Kloten securing promotion to the National League, Switzerland's first tier.[3][2]

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 6 minutes per game to over 20. He recorded 3 goals and 19 assists in 46 games during the regular season, and two further points in three playoff games.[3] He received the league's award for the best young player of the year.[4]

Prior to the 2022–23 season, Reinbacher had a low profile among evaluators for the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, with some European evaluators identifying him as a potential second-round selection.[5] 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.[6] By 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 in the draft.[7][8][9][10] At the draft in Nashville, Reinbacher was selected fifth overall by the Montreal Canadiens, with the team's general manager Kent Hughes describing him as "a diamond in the rough with a lot of potential."[1] This made him the highest-drafted Austrian skater in the history of the NHL, alongside Thomas Vanek, taken at the same ordinal twenty years earlier.[3] 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.[11][12][13][14]

On July 5, 2023, the Canadiens announced that Reinbacher had signed a three-year entry-level contract with the organization.[15] After what was generally considered a positive appearance at the Canadiens' training camp in the autumn of 2023, Reinbacher was sent back to the National League for the 2023–24 season.[16]

International play

Reinbacher represented Team Austria at the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship.[17] He averaged over 26 minutes of ice time per game, and had two assists in the team's final game, which saw them relegated following defeat at the hands of Team Latvia.[18] Months later he made his debut with the senior national team at the 2023 IIHF World Championship. After suffering an MCL injury in Austria's second game against Team Sweden, Reinbacher missed three games, but returned to play 23 minutes in the final group stage game against Team Hungary and help Austria avoid relegation.[11]

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
NL totals 46 3 19 22 26 3 1 1 2 2

International
Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2022 Austria U18 D1B 21st 5 0 1 1 0
2022 Austria WJC 10th 4 0 2 2 4
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 4 0 1 1 2

Awards and achievements
Award Year Ref
Swiss League
Swiss League championship 2022 [3]
National League
Young Player of the Year 2023 [4]

References
  1. Galanopoulos, Chris; Stephens, Rick (June 29, 203). "Kent Hughes Grabs a Diamond in the Rough for the Canadiens". The Hockey News. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
  2. Maciag, Joe (November 16, 2022). "2023 NHL Draft Player Profile: David Reinbacher". Recruit Scouting. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
  3. Maher, Sarah Jean (June 28, 2023). "Canadiens make David Reinbacher highest-drafted Austrian defenceman ever". The Athletic. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
  4. Lefrançois, Guillaume (August 4, 2023). "Un honneur pour Reinbacher" [An honour for Reinbacher]. La Presse (in French). Retrieved August 5, 2023.
  5. Novotny, Marek (6 February 2023). "Central European Stock Watch: David Reinbacher surging up NHL Draft rankings". EP Rinkside. Retrieved 13 February 2023.
  6. Ferrari, Tony (November 20, 2022). "NHL 2023 Draft Team of the Month: All-Sleeper Squad". The Hockey News. Retrieved February 13, 2023.
  7. Kimelman, Adam; Morreale, Mike G. (June 27, 2023). "Final Mock 2023 NHL Draft: Intrigue after 1st 4 picks". National Hockey League. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
  8. Bukala, Jason (June 26, 2023). "Jason Bukala's 2023 NHL Mock Draft: What happens after Bedard goes first?". Sportsnet. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
  9. Murphy, Bryan (June 28, 2023). "NHL Mock Draft 2023: Connor Bedard goes to Blackhawks; Matvei Michkov falls out of top 5 in final projections". The Sporting News. Retrieved June 20, 2023.
  10. Weekes, Kevin (June 27, 2023). "2023 NHL mock draft: Projections for every first-round pick". Sportsnet. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
  11. Ellis, Steven (June 28, 2023). "The Montreal Canadiens are betting big on David Reinbacher". Daily Faceoff. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
  12. Engels, Eric (June 29, 2023). "Canadiens' Hughes confident Reinbacher will make his name unforgettable in Montreal". Sportsnet. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
  13. Ashbourne, Nick (June 30, 2023). "Canadiens fans' reaction to controversial draft pick may affect development plans". Yahoo!Sports. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
  14. Kelly, Brendan (June 29, 2023). "Habs fans not thrilled that the CH picked Reinbacher". Montreal Gazette. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
  15. "Canadiens sign David Reinbacher to three-year, entry-level deal". Sportsnet. July 5, 2023. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
  16. Engels, Eric (October 1, 2023). "Reinbacher returns to Swiss league, leaves Canadiens impressed with cerebral play". Sportsnet. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
  17. Potvin, Blain. "5 Draft-Eligible Prospects for Canadiens Fans at the 2023 WJC". The Hockey Writers. Retrieved 13 February 2023.
  18. Bell, Josh (January 7, 2023). "World Juniors 2023: Jiri Kulich, Ryan Ufko among prospect risers; Brad Lambert's stock falls". The Sporting News. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
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