by J.T. Toth
Photo of David Reinbacher courtesy of Canucks Army.
The 2023 NHL Draft will be here before you know it, and Draft 412 will preview some of the prospects who will be probable first round picks. Draft 412 will go over the strengths and weaknesses of each prospect and where they should land in the NHL Draft.
Name- David Reinbacher
Pos- D (RH)
Team- Kloten HC
HT/WT- 6’2” 185 lbs
Born- 10/25/2004
Home – Hohenems, Austria
In a draft class that does not have the normal defensive depth at the top end, David Reinbacher should be the best defenseman on most teams' draft boards. Reinbacher could end up being a big storyline during the draft with defensive challenged teams trying to move up to acquire him.
The defensive IQ of Reinbacher is what teams will fall in love with. He has a gameplan each time an offensive player skates towards him. He uses angles well to take skaters right out of the play and finishes them off with good quality checks. Reinbacher aggressively moves opponents out of the slot or from in front of his net. His defensive positioning is precise, and he won’t chase a hit to jeopardize his positioning.
Reinbacher is not an elite skater by any means, but with his positioning and hockey IQ he doesn’t need to be. He uses his edges well and has enough speed to beat potential dump-ins. Reinbacher appears to always play under control, rarely makes mistakes in his own end.
Reinbacher is not a dynamic offensive player, but as we stated before does enough to be very efficient. At times he pinches well, finds good angles to get point shots through to the net. He’s a good passer who can help with a team's transition game by making good, quick passes out of the defensive zone and into the attack.
Final Analysis
Reinbacher is a solid, safe pick. If I was to compare him from what I saw, it would be a mix of Ryan McDonagh and Moritz Seider. Reinbacher should go top 10. Though with such high quality forwards in this year's draft, a slide out of the top 10 would not surprise me.
Round 1- Top 10/ #8 on Draft 412’s big board
Headshot of David Reinbacher.
--- Regular Season --- ---- Playoffs ----
Season Team Lge GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
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2021-22 Kloten HC Swiss 27 1 10 11 4 14 0 0 0 10
2022-23 Kloten HC Swiss 46 3 19 22 26
2022-23p Kloten HC Swiss-A 3 1 1 2 2