Canadiens Top Prospect Reinbacher Available To The Organization

You may have noticed certain Montreal Canadiens fans paying attention to a Swiss League semi-final game on Friday afternoon.

While the game itself did not feature top prospect David Reinbacher, it did have important implications when it comes to his arrival in North America.

It’s a somewhat complicated situation, but simply put, if Olten beat the GCK Lions, Reinbacher would have to stay in Switzerland rather than join the Laval Rocket.

If the Lions won, Reinbacher would no longer have to feature in the playout between his team, EHC Kloten, and the last-place team in the NL, Ajoie.

Before we get to the actual results, I’d like to invite all Canadiens fans to look at Thibaud Chatel’s analysis of Reinbacher’s season in Kloten. Few people have watched more Reinbacher footage than Thibaud, and he’s not prone to dramatic statements or emotional responses, which is always a plus when evaluating hockey players.

I won’t spoil his article, but let’s just say there’s a lot more at play than just a few shifts you may have caught on social media.

Click here to take a look at the deep dive on Reinbacher’s season with Kloten.

Swiss League Semifinal Results

The GCK Lions started the game in style, pulling away with a well-deserved 2-0 lead early in the first period. Olten proceeded to call their timeout in a desperate attempt to calm their troops.

It paid off, as Olten slowly started to take over the momentum, scoring their opening goal with less than 10 minutes left in the second period. They tied the game less than a minute into the third period, putting Reinbacher’s arrival in Canada at risk of being delayed.

But that’s when the Lions woke up and started to roar.

They scored three goals in the last frame, putting the game out of reach, eliminating Olten, and liberating Reinbacher in the process.

With the Lions winning 5-4 and eliminating Olten, there is no need for a playout round between Kloten and Ajoie, which essentially means Reinbacher’s time playing hockey in Switzerland has come to an end, and he can make his way to Canada.

What’s Next

Now that Reinbacher is available, expect him to make his way to the AHL to join the Laval Rocket as they push for a playoff spot.

The top five teams in the North Division will qualify for a playoff berth. As it stands, Laval is just one point behind the Toronto Marlies for fifth place, however, the Marlies have three games in hand.

With that in mind, we should also expect Laval to take their time inserting Reinbacher into the lineup. He hasn’t played since the final game of the National League season, which took place on March 5.

Rocket head coach Jean-Francois Houle likes to give his new arrivals a little time to study the playbook and adapt to their surroundings before throwing them into the fray.

We also have to be mindful that Reinbacher had a very, very busy year. From being drafted by the Canadiens, to his injury, to the many coaching changes he endured in Switzerland, he’s had to deal with a series of issues that can be difficult to navigate as a 19-year-old. It wouldn’t be surprising if the Canadiens brought Reinbacher to Montreal for a few days to give development coach Adam Nicholas a chance to catch up with one of the most important prospects in the organization.

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On sait pas quand, mais dès qu’on le sait vous allez le savoir 😉

We don't know when, but as soon as we do, you'll know.

— Rocket de Laval (@RocketLaval) March 15, 2024

With Logan Mailloux absorbing the bulk of the first-pairing minutes in Laval, Reinbacher is likely to slot onto the second pairing once he does make his AHL debut.

Adam Engstrom Watch

While we wait for Reinbacher to make his way across the pond, we can start focusing on the next top Montreal Canadiens prospect who is expected to make his way to North America soon: Adam Engstrom.

His team, Rogle, is currently playing in the SHL playoffs, where they have a 1-0 series lead over Timra. The eighth-finals series only lasts three games, after which the winning team will face top-ranked Farjestad in a seven-game quarter-final series.

Once Rogle is eliminated from the playoffs, we can expect Engstrom to sign his entry-level contract with the Canadiens.