David Reinbacher: Very Reassuring News About His Summer Training

IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

David Reinbacher: Very Reassuring News About His Summer Training

Originally posted on Dose.ca | Last updated Jul 28, 2026 6:48 PM ET

David Reinbacher hasn't had an easy journey since being drafted in 2023. The fifth overall pick in that draft has been plagued by injuries, which have slowed his development.

At just 21 years old, he's still pretty young… but he's nonetheless lost some crucial years in his development.

The good news is that Reinbacher has been fairly healthy in 2025–26. He played in 57 of the Rocket's 72 regular-season games and also appeared in two NHL games late in the season. He also played in four playoff games for the Rocket.

So for the first time in a long while, the Austrian is in pretty good shape. And Marco D'Amico, who spoke about Reinbacher's offseason training during an appearance on The Sheet, said he'd been told that Reinbacher had a “productive” offseason.

He finally got to enjoy a normal summer without having to deal with an injury, and that has clearly helped him.

We know that the 2026–27 season will be a crucial one for Reinbacher. The defenseman will have the chance to prove at training camp that he deserves to play in the NHL this season… and more than three years after his draft selection, the Habs would likely like to see him make the jump as well.

Seeing him go back to logging minutes in Laval wouldn't be the end of the world… but eventually, he'll have to establish himself as an NHL player. The Habs gave him a rigorous summer training plan, and he seems to have worked twice as hard to reach his goals.

It's worth noting that, according to D'Amico, Reinbacher is expected to arrive in Montreal in the coming days. He'll be spending the next few weeks in town to finish his preparation, and we can expect to see him in Brossard sometime in August.

And if Reinbacher has truly had such a strong summer that he could establish himself as an option for the big club in 2026–27, maybe the Habs will then be more willing to use guys like Adam Engström as trade bait, you know…

In a Nutshell

– News from the ÉCJ summer camp.

Some special teams work at camp today

Group 1 PP
QB: Rudolph
Flanks: Zhilkin, Reschny
Middle: Malhotra
Net front: Martin

Group 2 PP
QB: Smith
Flanks: Czata, Schmidt
Middle: Cootes
Net front: Belchetz

Coach: Lauer @TSN_Sports pic.twitter.com/yOaUZ7kh5H

— Mark Masters (@markhmasters) July 28, 2026

– What a player.

Cale Makar by season:

NCAA
2017–18 | 19 years old — 5 goals | 16 assists | 21 points in 34
games• World Juniors Gold Medalist
• World Juniors All-Star Team

2018–19 | 20 years old — 16 goals | 33 assists | 49 points in 41
games• NCAA Hobey Baker Award winner
• NCAA Hockey East Player of the Year

•… pic.twitter.com/A4sSyjUjr2

— Big Head Hockey (@bigheadhcky) July 28, 2026