Martin St-Louis made a statement that says a lot about the Canadiens' fifth overall pick
PUBLICATION
Elie Tarabie
September 22, 2023 (8:03 PM)
It's no secret to anyone, many Canadiens fans wanted the organization to select a forward in the last draft. However, management instead turned to the young Austrian defenseman, David Reinbacher, who has been silencing his critics since the start of training camp.
Indeed, without being flashy on the ice, Reinbacher greatly impresses with his exceptional decision-making for someone his age. Furthermore, his excellent skating and his ease with puck possession make him a very complete defenseman who might potentially surprise and thus force the management to grant him a spot with the main team this season.
The 18-year-old has earned praise from several teammates and even from his head coach, Martin St-Louis, due to his efficiency in the intrasquad games held yesterday and today. One thing's for sure, the more we get the chance to see him in action, the clearer it becomes that this defenseman has a hugely promising future in the NHL, and he's far from having finished his development.
He has a lot of composure for an 18-year-old. The decision-making he's showing right now is elite. That's a very important skill to succeed in this league, and he already has it. - Martin St-Louis
Wow! Let's just say it's very encouraging to hear such a statement coming from a head coach, but especially from a former player like Martin St-Louis who has faced hundreds, if not thousands of defensemen throughout his career.
It's clear that David Reinbacher has incredible talent, and we strongly hope he will continue to develop, possibly becoming the future anchor on the Canadiens' blue line. It will be very interesting to assess the rest of his training camp, where he should get the chance to match up against several NHL players in the coming weeks.
The young man himself admitted that he had some challenges during the rookie tournament because he sometimes wanted to do too much due to his fifth overall pick status. However, he quickly realized that what brought him so much success throughout his career was playing his own style and relying on the assets he had.
Yes, it certainly wasn't easy [asked if it was hard being selected fifth overall]. However, I made myself comfortable, I tried to be myself, as I always have been. I didn't change because I was picked fifth." - David Reinbacher
A realization that seems to have done him a world of good!
At 18 years old, David Reinbacher will try to secure a spot in Martin St-Louis' lineup by the end of training camp, otherwise, he might return to the first division in Switzerland with HC Kloten. The Austrian defenseman performed very well last season, scoring a total of 3 goals and 19 assists in 46 games, notably winning the title of best rookie.
| POLL |
22 SEPTEMBRE | 103 ANSWERS Martin St-Louis made a statement that says a lot about the Canadiens' fifth overall pick How many games will David Reinbacher play in the NHL this season? |
| None | 43 | 41.7 % |
| 9 or less | 34 | 33 % |
| Between 10 and 20 | 13 | 12.6 % |
| More than 20 | 13 | 12.6 % |
| LIST OF POLLS |
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