Canadiens Top Prospect David Reinbacher Receives Award In NL

There’s no doubt about it, Montreal Canadiens prospect David Reinbacher has had a busy summer.

Drafted fifth overall at the 2023 Draft by the Habs, Reinbacher has since been thrust into the spotlight, doing multiple interviews, team engagements, and various other events that come with being a Canadiens draft pick.

And now, the 18-year-old defenceman has been named the ‘Youngster Of The Year’ in the Swiss League (NL). He was competing against Noah Delémont (HC Biel) and Simon Knak (HC Davos).

It was Reinbacher’s second season in the NL, where he features as one of EHC Kloten’s top defencemen. He earned three goals and 19 assists in 46 games, finishing the season as the second-highest-scoring defenceman on the team. It was a significant improvement over his previous season in which he scored one goal and 10 assists in 27 games.

It’s an encouraging sign for the young defenceman, though not totally unexpected. The accolade further cements the concept that Reinbacher has plenty of potential left to tap.

It’s also worth noting that Reinbacher immediately jumped to the front of the line in our Montreal Canadiens Summer Prospect Rankings, ahead of top prospects such as Lane Hutson, Joshua Roy, Owen Beck, Logan Mailloux, Adam Engstrom and Filip Mesar,

Looking Ahead

Seeing as he’s a first-round pick from Europe, Reinbacher is not held to the archaic CHL-NHL agreement, which means he is free to join the Laval Rocket in the AHL.

However, as it stands, there are only two options for Reinbacher next season

Either he returns to the NL to play a third season with EHC Kloten, or he makes earns a roster spot with the Canadiens following their training camp. In all likelihood, given the lack of ice time available on the blueline for both the Canadiens and the Rocket, Reinbacher will return to Europe to continue his steady development,

Information via The Swiss Ice Hockey Federation