Montreal Canadiens Select David Reinbacher Fifth in NHL Draft

After a strange moment at the podium courtesy of team legend Carey Price at the NHL Entry Draft, Montreal Canadiens GM Kent Hughes came to the rescue and announced that Austrian defenceman David Reinbacher would be wearing the team’s colours next season.

Suspense, laughs, and a look toward what the team hopes is a brighter future.

Montreal Canadiens Draft Defencemen Reinbacher

The six-foot-two defender made a name for himself in Switzerland’s top league with EHC Kloten, so much so that when it came right down to it, Montreal felt they had found their next star. There had been plenty of chatter about the Canadiens possibly trading their fifth overall pick for assets, even on the day of the draft. But the opportunity to bolster the defence with Reinbacher was too good to pass up.

However, it took a while for the public to know who Montreal had selected. Literally. Carey Price was given the honour of making the announcement, did his best to utter the decision in French and, after revealing the player’s given name, paused with a confused look on his face and looked around at Habs brass. Hughes swooped in and clarified the matter, jokingly adding that it was all staged.

As one does.

In any event, David Reinbacher is now a member of the Canadiens. 18 years old, a right-handed puck handler, weighing in at 194 pounds, the club hopes that the Austrian’s presence and skill will boost Montreal’s defence. The club overall wasn’t very good in 2022-2023, and it was sometimes hard to know what was worse, the attack or the defence. They conceded the fifth most shots, the fourth most goals against, and had the fourth-worst penalty killing unit. Looking at those statistics, drafting a quality defenceman sounds like a good idea.

The NHL Entry Draft’s subsequent rounds continue today in Nashville.