It was basically a formality, now it’s done. The Canadian has announced that it has agreed for three years with defender David Reinbacher, the team’s first choice (fifth overall) in the last draft.
It is a three-year contract, a duration provided for in the collective agreement for 18-year-old players signing their first contract in the National League.
This contract will take effect this fall if Reinbacher spends the season in Laval or Montreal. If he instead plays with the Kloten club in Switzerland, the agreement will be suspended and will begin when the young man makes the jump to North America.
The Austrian has just participated in the Canadian development camp in Brossard. Last year, he had 22 points (3 goals, 19 assists) in 46 games in Kloten, in the Swiss National League. The 6-foot-2, 195-lb defenseman also represented Austria at the World Junior Championships in 2022 and 2023, as well as the Senior World Championships in 2023.
Reinbacher is the second player in the 2023 draft to sign with his new team, the other being Adam Fantilli, the third overall pick, with the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Kent Hughes continues in the same vein as last year by getting along quickly with his first-round picks. Last year, the first round took place on July 7, and the GM of the Canadian had agreed with Juraj Slafkovsky on July 13, and the next day with Filip Mesar.
It is common practice for top draft picks to get along quickly with their teams, with the exception of those playing in the NCAA, since they lose the right to play there as soon as they sign a professional contract. Last year, Simon Nemec (second overall) and Shane Wright (fourth) signed their contracts on July 14 and 13 respectively. The other two top-5 picks, Logan Cooley and Cutter Gauthier, play in the college ranks.
