NEWS
More NHL Ice Time? Reinbacher Impresses in Montreal
The 21-year-old made his first NHL appearances towards the end of last season. Why he could have his breakthrough this year:
Alongside Marco Rossi and Marco Kasper, a third Austrian player is hoping for an NHL breakthrough this season: David Reinbacher.
The 21-year-old from Vorarlberg wants to earn a regular spot with the Montreal Canadiens. "My goal is to make the team and play in the NHL every day," he said in an "ORF" interview.
In mid-April, the right-shot defenseman celebrated his NHL debut. Two days later, he made his second and most recent appearance for the Canadiens before returning to the Laval Rocket in the AHL.
Convincing Start to Preseason
Reinbacher wants to make his case for a roster spot in Montreal on the ice. "Why I'm ready? You'll see that in the games this weekend," he told the NHL website a few days ago.
And that's exactly what he did in the preseason opener against the Toronto Maple Leafs: 22 minutes of ice time, three solid body checks, and a blocked shot. While Reinbacher remained offensively quiet (no shot on goal), he still received praise from his coaching staff.
"He was one of our best defensemen. He defended very well and never put himself in a difficult situation. It was a very good game from him," said Associate Coach Derek Lalonde.
A Rare Profile
Reinbacher, who described himself as a "shutdown defenseman," backed up his own assessment with his performance. As such, his main task is to break up attacks and make it as difficult as possible for opposing forwards.
His chances for more NHL ice time are likely to increase not only for this reason. With Kaiden Guhle, a defenseman is sidelined for at least another month after adductor surgery. Furthermore, Reinbacher is one of the few right-shot defensemen on Montreal's blue line.
