Scout's Analysis: Analyzing Canadiens prospect David Reinbacher

Managing a prospect through his development is rarely a straight forward strategy. Each player is different. Defencemen and goalies historically have taken longer to develop compared to forwards.

Player development is not an exact science and every team has its own process. Some clubs have had more success than others, but positive results ultimately come down to the player's buy-in combined with a consistent message from the NHL team.

Years ago, when I started my NHL career scouting for the Nashville Predators, our GM, David Poile, preferred that our prospects spend time in the AHL. Some of the names that developed playing in Milwaukee for the Admirals, included Shea Weber, Patric Hornqvist, Roman Josi and Pekka Rinne.

Fast forward to my time with the Florida Panthers, where I worked with GM Dale Tallon. Dale was the first ever Vancouver Canucks draft pick, going second overall in 1970. One of my takeaways from Dale, from a player development perspective, was his view that it takes defencemen at least two full seasons in the NHL before they are completely comfortable. It’s a process that involves patience.

Which brings me to Montreal Canadiens prospect David Reinbacher, who will join the AHL's Laval Rocket.

Reinbacher was selected fifth overall in last year’s draft. He’s a 6-foot-2, 194-pound, right shot defenceman. Reinbacher recently completed his second year playing for Kloten in the Swiss National League, but his season was shortened due to an early injury that kept him out of the lineup for a long stretch. Reinbacher ended up producing one goal, 10 assists and a minus-15 in 35 games.

Compared to last season, when he scored three goals, 19 assists and was a plus-7 in 46 games, Reinbacher took a step back statistically.

I’ve been hearing some concern about this coming from Canadiens fans. With Reinbacher now arriving in North America to suit up for the Rocket, I thought I would take a moment to present my observations on the state of his game and try to separate fact from fiction.

After breaking down several of Reinbacher’s games in Switzerland this season, here’s what I have concluded:

THIS YEAR'S STATS IN CONTEXT

• The first thing everyone should be aware of is that Kloten as a team had a down year, to say the least. Last season Kloten finished with a record of 24-22-3-3 record, and ninth overall with 73 points. This season, Kloten struggled to a 13th place finish with a record of 12-29-5-6 and 52 points.

• Reinbacher logged between 19 and 21 minutes of ice time. He was used in a variety of roles throughout the season including even strength, penalty kill, power play, and 4-on-4.

• Kloten, as a team, had a difficult time producing offence this season. Jonathan Ang was their leading scorer with 11 goals and 18 assists in 52 games. For perspective, Ang also led the club in scoring last season with 20 goals and 29 assists.

• Reinbacher averaged .49 points per game last season, but that dropped to .32 this season, which lines up with the lack of offence from the whole team.

SCOUTING REPORT AND OBSERVATIONS

Here’s my pre-draft scouting report on Reinbacher from last June:

“Highly coveted right shot defenceman who has the skill set to be deployed in a variety of roles. Brings size and skill. Active taking away time and space with his reach and stature. Jumps to the half wall to kill plays on the PK. Times his gaps well defending his blue line. Like any young defenceman he has room to improve his angling and recoveries when pucks spill past him down the boards. Leans distributor more than shooter on the power play, but has a heavy shot that can beat goalies from distance. Shoots quickly and accurately. High end IQ. NHL top pairing defenceman is possible in time."

And this was my observation from his first training camp with Montreal last fall:

“His first NHL training camp went as well as could be expected. Didn’t look out of place on the smaller ice. Played to his identity. Sound three zone awareness. Sees the ice. Absorbed contact to make plays and outlets. Pinched down appropriately in the offensive zone. Size and length is an asset. Generally keeps opponents to the perimeter. Big, strong and smart. Has time on his side since Montreal has depth at the defence position with its prospects. Should be used in all situations again with Kloten in the Swiss National League. Top pairing NHL upside continues to be possible in time."

Here's a highlight from Reinbacher’s pre-season game versus New Jersey last fall. It’s a simple example of his offensive zone vision and playmaking ability:

WHAT TO EXPECT IN LAVAL

Reinbacher will take some time to adjust to the smaller ice in North America and it will be most evident in the defensive zone. With less space to operate, plays develop much quicker at the AHL and NHL levels. He will be tested defensively, but he has the size and length to kill plays along the boards and keep opponents to the perimeter. His gap control will be something monitor when opponents are attacking his zone with speed through the neutral zone. He will have to play more aggressively, sooner, in the AHL.

Offensively, I expect Reinbacher to take advantage of time and space when it's available. He has great feet, which brings opportunity to escape his zone with the puck on his stick or join the rush as an extra layer. When his group works off the cycle in the offensive zone, low to high, he will direct pucks on net quickly and accurately.

To show you how I'm coming to some of my conclusions on where Reinbacher is in his development, I'll share a few clips here and explain the sequences I'm seeing.

These first two clips are examples of what Reinbacher needs to improve on as he works towards being an NHL defenceman:

• In the first clip he’s far too passive in his defensive zone. He doesn’t front his check and assert himself with proper body positioning.

• In the second clip I would prefer Reinbacher to gap up and take away the zone entry sooner. He does adjust well, however, by boxing out his check below the goal line before moving him up the boards and out of danger. Once the puck is turned over, Reinbacher does what he does best and takes advantage of open space to lead the escape on his own, resulting in an offensive zone entry for his group.

The next three clips display Reinbacher’s skating, playmaking, and shooting ability:

• This next clip shows Reinbacher leading a zone entry, dropping a pass to his support forward, then making a play from below the offensive goal line by absorbing contact, distributing and heading to the net:

• And here is another example of Reinbacher recognizing his forward has control of the puck in his own zone. He joins the rush as an extra layer, resulting in a quality scoring chance:

• The final clip is simple, but important. Reinbacher identifies an opportunity to direct a puck on net from distance in the offensive zone. He sets himself and shoots the puck hard and accurately through a screen. His quick release doesn’t allow his opponent to front him to block his shot.

FORECAST

I still believe Reinbacher has the upside of one day challenging for a top-pairing role and the potential to become a two-way, transitional NHL defenceman. But we have to remember that it’s going to take time, perhaps a couple years, before he settles in to the North American game. But he has all the tools and let's also not forget he's a coveted right shot defender.

For all the Canadiens fans who are worried that Reinbacher took a step back this year, my advice is to take a pause and not over-react to where he is in his development. Reinbacher, like all prospects, just needs time.