Montreal Canadiens Pick Reinbacher 5th Overall At The 2023 NHL Draft

The Montreal Canadiens have made their long-awaited first-round pick at the 2023 NHL Entry Draft. There’s been much ink spilled as to their intentions, with the drama slowly escalating in the days prior to the draft.

With Connor Bedard, Adam Fantilli, Leo Carlsson, and Will Smith chosen with the first four picks, the Canadiens were left with a few interesting options, including Matvei Michkov, Ryan Leonard, David Reinbacher, and Zach Benson.

They also had the option to trade down, given that several teams were reportedly interested in acquiring the Canadiens’ 5th overall pick.

But the Canadiens opted to make a choice, selecting defenceman David Reinbacher.

Reinbacher is a very talented defenceman with a well-rounded skill set. He was not originally considered a top prospect at the 2023 Draft, but he quickly jumped up the rankings in the second half of the season. He is the highest-drafted Austrian in the history of the NHL Draft.

He spent the entire season with Kloten in the Swiss league, which means he’s adept at playing professional hockey. In 46 games, the defenceman scored 3 goals and 19 assists.

We’ll publish an in-depth report on his strengths and weaknesses very shortly, stay tuned!

More to come…

The Montreal Canadiens moved two of their best picks this draft, the 31st and 37th overall picks, in exchange for Alex Newhook, which means they will not make any picks in the second round of Thursday’s draft.  Newhook, 22, is joining the Canadiens from the Colorado Avalanche. He should serve as a depth forward for the team, however, given his age and style of play, there could be significant potential left to tap.

With the two picks removed from their draft list, the Canadiens have eight picks remaining in the 2023 NHL Draft: the 69th, 101st, 110th, 128th, 133rd, 144th, 165th, and 196th overall picks.