Olympic Break Top 10 Habs Prospects: #4 David Reinbacher

It’s an understatement to say the development path for Reinbacher since he became a 5th overall pick has been a challenge. However, he was drafted with the mindset that he could be the steady defensive partner of Lane Hutson in the future, and the potential is still there even after all these injuries. With that being said, when he can string together a bunch of games without getting hurt, he is showing signs that he can be a strong defensive presence in his own zone. He particularly specializes in cutting off opposing forwards along the boards and pinning them to stop any offensive chance from happening.

After taking huge steps in his progression during the 2025 AHL Playoffs, where he started to look like a man amongst boys, being a dominant force on both ends of the ice. This season has been a roller coaster, due to unfortunate injuries and streakiness on the offensive side of the puck. Reinbacher is actually just coming back from an upper-body injury where he missed 2 weeks and the last 5 games. He will be playing his 2nd game back since returning on Friday night against the Hershey Bears. During his first game back last Saturday, he had a good overall game where he registered an assist alongside a +2 rating and 4 penalty minutes (double-minor for high-sticking and roughing) in the Laval Rocket’s 4-1 victory against the Cleveland Monsters.

Now that he’s officially back, it’s about him staying healthy and not getting hurt again. While many may say he’s injury-prone, this season that isn’t the case, but rather it was two very bad luck situations. Reinbacher started the season with a broken finger that required surgery because of a blocked shot in the preseason, and then for his second injury, he took a high hit that shouldn’t have even been thrown by Calgary Wranglers forward Martin Frk.  With that being said, it’s nothing that would make him vulnerable to getting injured again; it’s now about his luck changing so that he can continue to finally get the momentum from playing consistently in the AHL, which should lead to him playing in the NHL.

Reinbacher may not be as flashy as Adam Engstrom or Bryce Pickford, but his defensive awareness, skating, and size do give him an edge in the potential department, as he still has the ability to become a defensive minute muncher at the NHL level. As a result, we shouldn’t give up on Reinbacher just yet, as he still has a very hopeful future ahead of him.

Only time will tell if Reinbacher can put all his tools together and become a successful defensive force that eats up huge minutes for the Canadiens, but if he can stay healthy, there should be no reason why he shouldn’t be able to do so. Reinbacher will remain the 4th best prospect for now, but there are other guys that are breathing down his neck, and he will need to show more progression between now and the end of the season to keep his current positioning.

Where would you rank David Reinbacher in your version of the Habs prospect pool?

Check out yesterday’s article on #5 Canadiens prospect Adam Engstrom.