Dvid Reinbacher, RHD Swiss-A

Projected top 10

David Reinbacher is a defenseman out of the Swiss-A league and had one of the most productive seasons for a draft elgible defenseman for that league. He scored 3 goals and 19 assists in 46 games and continued his success by scooring 1 goal and 2 assists in 3 playoff games. His accolades stack up against the best Swiss league draft elgibles and had even better stats than Josi in his draft year when he put up 8 points in 35 games. I am by no means saying that Reinbacher will be as good as Josi, just that their draft year production is in favor of Reinbacher. I would define Reinbacher as a really good two-way defender that has a strong one-time shot and good offensive instincts. He is also a physical defenseman that is good at gap control. Later in his season he played for team Austria at the WJC where they got smoked every game, so you couldn't really take much from it. He then played at the World Championships and produced one assist in 4 games. He played well and showed off some of his puck carrying abilities. I think when you compare Reinbacher to other top drafted defensemen in years past, he'd probably be in the middle or back of the pack. I think he is a safe bet to be a top 4 RHD with some #1-2 dman upside. As for NHL scouts, I think they see Reinbacher as a top commodity due to him being the best defenseman and right handed. So I imagine he will go in the 4-10 range. It's quite a big range, but that's because you never know with drafts and defensemen. I have him ranked as my clear #7.

At 6'2" I ranked his skating as average, but for his size, he has great mobility. He has the capability of being a puck moving defensman at the NHL level. He has good agility and a solid top speed. He uses his legs to transition well and get inside the offensive zone with control. I think he does good enough offensively to find a spot on the first or second unit of the powerplay in the NHL. He also shows a good sense of offensive instinct, but not elite. His hockey IQ is much better in the offensive zone than the defensive zone. While he does have great zone exit ability, it's his defensive awareness that I can see becoming an issue. Sometimes he will get caught puck watching or he pinches at bad times to give up prime scoring chances. His skating is good, but not good enough to cover mistakes like that in the NHL. If your team drafts Reinbacher, they are getting a mobile two-way defenseman with high potential in both the offensive and defensive areas of the game.

Below is his Elite Prospects page

Elite Prospect's page for David Reinbacher

Shooting Ability

2/4 Average

Skating

2/4 Average

Hockey IQ

3/4 Above Average

Playmaking/Puck skills

2/4 Average

Physicality/Compete

4/4 Elite

Below are some sources to look at for visual demonstration;