Canadiens sign 2023 first-rounder to entry-level contract

One week after becoming the first defenseman taken in the 2023 NHL Draft, David Reinbacher has signed his first contract with the Montreal Canadiens.

The club announced Wednesday morning that Reinbacher, 18, had signed a three-year entry-level contract. The contract carries a $950,000 cap hit.

The 6-foot-2, 195-pound defenseman is known to possess the type of well-rounded game that gives him potential to become a minute-munching No. 1 at the NHL level. Steven Ellis, Daily Faceoff’s prospect analyst, compares Reinbacher’s game to Moritz Seider’s. 

Competing in the Swiss League this past season, Reinbacher had three goals and 22 points in 46 games. Playing top-line minutes against seasoned pros in one of the world’s best leagues, Reinbacher rapidly spiked his draft stock after opening 2022-23 not necessarily even in the first-round conversation. At fifth overall, he is the highest-drafted Austrian defenseman ever and equals Thomas Vanek as the highest-drafted Austrian at any position in NHL history.

Reinbacher participated in the Habs’ development camp from July 1-4 and he joins a Habs blueline prospect pipeline that is becoming more robust by the year. The likes of Kaiden Guhle and Justin Barron have broken through to the NHL level, but maligned 2021 first-rounder Logan Mailloux is coming off a breakout offensive season in the OHL with the London Knights. And there isn’t much left to say about the dynamic Lane Hutson after his monster season with Boston University in which he piled up 48 points in 39 games as a freshman. While Mailloux and Hutson offer major offensive upside, the Habs are betting on Reinbacher to become their all-around stud to trust in all situations.

Reinbacher will be back for rookie camp in September followed by training camp. As for where he plays in 2023-24, the AHL is an option, but he’s expressed interest in spending another year playing at home.