Eric Bolte-Imagn Images

Vinzenz Rohrer: 'I didn’t expect to be cut back so soon'

Originally posted on Dose.ca | Last updated Oct 11, 2025 12:02 PM ET

If there’s one young prospect we really didn’t expect to see at the Montreal Canadiens’ latest practice camp, it was Vinzenz Rohrer. Having been drafted in the third round (75ᵉ overall) in 2022, Rohrer was never a name that stood out in the Habs’ prospect rankings, especially since he’s been developing in Switzerland with Zurich.

Despite all this, Rohrer arrived in Montreal for his first NHL training camp with great confidence, and left a very good impression. Indeed, the 21-year-old Austrian looked very good throughout the camp, which really put his name in the spotlight, even going so far as to talk about him as a candidate to start the season in Montreal. In the end, Rohrer was sent back to Switzerland a week before the end of the camp, which surprised many.

The Austrian himself said he hadn’t expected to be cut so soon.

Vinzenz Rohrer looks back on his missed appointment with Montreal https://t.co/w0Hq6aFQ9Z –

SwissHabs (@SwissHabs) October 11, 2025

This is what Rohrer explained in an interview with Maximilian Girschele of the LAOLA1 website.

The Habs prospect said he would have liked to stay longer in Montreal to gain more experience, but that in the end, he wasn’t too sad to return to Switzerland. Rohrer really would have thought he’d stay longer with the Habs during practice camp, especially considering he stood out, but the Austrian understood the reasons for his swift return to Switzerland:

“They told me I had a good camp and left a good impression, but they want to see me progress further. There’s no hurry, I’ve only just turned 21.”

–

Vinzenz Rohrer

Understandably, the Canadiens see Rohrer as a long-term plan, and therefore prefer to see him play a third season in the Swiss professional league, before bringing him to North America, either with the Habs or the AHL’s Laval Rocket.

The Austrian just turned 21 on September 9, so he remains an interesting prospect for the Habs, as he’s an energetic player, quite comparable to Brendan Gallagher. We could see Rohrer taking Gally’s place one day, when the latter reaches the end of his contract,so it’s an interesting case to follow, as so far Rohrer hasn’t scored a point in four games since joining the Zurich Lions.

[

With free agency already thinned out by the likes of Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel, demand for top players will vastly outweigh supply – and players such as Adrian Kempe and Alex Tuch could hit the jackpot.@lukefoxjukebox dives into that and more in this week’s Quick Shifts…. –

Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) October 11, 2025

– To read.

“He eats his leftovers the next day and could melt into your garage league without you ever knowing what he does for a living” https://t.co/9Sr8q8XtDn–

TVA Sports (@TVASports) October 11, 2025

– Bravo!

Three goals in his first game, not bad isn’t it? In his NCAA debut with the University of Maine, Québécois Justin Poirier distinguished himself with a hat trick, including a superb powerplay goal.

What a debut for the 19-year-old forward! #hockey #ncaa #poirier pic.twitter.com/JgoYsJatGB– BPM Sports (@BPMSportsRadio) October 11, 2025

– Interesting.

I spoke about the Habs and the draft last night in my latest HabsCast – two subjects, fair to say, that are “in my wheelhouse.”

I ranked Dobson in the top six in his draft year, and I would likely rank him there today as well.

FULL PODCAST HERE: https://t.co /MnnnqOMjZb pic.twitter.com/xufpXQHrAE– Grant McCagg (@grantmccagg) October 11, 2025