LAVAL | It took David Reinbacher’s first training session with the Rocket for more than ten journalists from Montreal to travel to Île Jésus.
And even if it’s Jesus Island, don’t expect the 19-year-old Austrian to be the savior of the Rocket who are involved in a tough race for a playoff spot. And this even though he was the fifth pick in the first round of the last draft.
“These are high-level games because all the teams are competing for the playoffs,” warned head coach Jean-François Houle who let slip that Reinbacher should be in uniform Friday against the Senators in Belleville.
“I’m finally here and I’m very excited. It’s a great opportunity for me to finish the season in style,” said the young defender who did not flinch despite the pack that gathered around him.
And if…
When he was cut from training camp, Reinbacher returned to HC Kloten, the Swiss club he had played with the previous season.
Kloten had a season of misery and experienced two coaching changes. So it hasn’t been an easy season for Reinbacher whose production has dropped by half, going from 22 to 11 points. So, would it have been better for his development to have him play in Laval this year?
“I haven’t played here so it’s hard to say. I played a lot in the defensive zone and I was able to work on the little details that people don’t always see,” said Reinbacher, who is as skilled on his skates in front of the microphones as he is on the ice.
“We can take all the positives from this experience, I made mistakes which allowed me to progress,” he added, noting that his season had been full of ups and downs.
No expectations
Despite his 19 years, Reinbacher seems to be a serious and reasoned teenager. He has already understood that he must avoid the trap of pressure even if he arrives in a context where his team is fighting for its survival and that he must find his place within the squad.
“I try to leave expectations aside. I want to enjoy the moment and learn from each player and the coaches who are here.
That’s good because that’s also how Jean-François Houle sees things for the coming weeks.
“We don’t want him to think too much, we want him to play well defensively and keep it simple. We want him to have fun. We’re not going to talk to him too much, we want him to play freely and trust his instincts.”
A good mentor
During Tuesday morning’s training, Reinbacher played alongside Tobie Paquette-Bisson, the oldest player on the defensive squad, and that’s a good thing.
“He’s a good mentor, a good leader and for me, putting them together, Tobie can help him acclimatize in the drills. He’s a physical player, he’s having a good season and it’s a natural marriage,” said Houle.
Paquette-Bisson already has time to get a feel for his young teammate and the first impression is positive.
“It’s a role I love to have, he seemed super comfortable and he asked me lots of questions. He was well involved in practice. Usually, when the guys arrive, they are a little embarrassed, but he showed that he has character,” said the veteran, adding that his arrival did not shake the columns of the temple.
“We know what the Canadian wants, we are a training club so we want to take him under our wing and show him how it works here.”
Adaptation
Reinbacher arrives in the middle of the playoff race, but above all at the dawn of a streak of three games in three days on the road which will begin Friday.
“We can go with seven defenders, insert him or remove someone. We’re not yet sure how we’re going to insert him,” Houle said, noting that this is the kind of sequence that requires changes to the lineup.
With two games in Belleville and another in Toronto, two division rivals, Reinbacher will quickly have to get used to the physical game of the AHL and the smaller North American ice rinks.
“There is less distance to cover, which is good,” emphasizes the defender. I hope the transition goes smoothly, it went well today [mardi]. The physical aspect is part of the game, you have to be ready to deal with that kind of thing.”