Rinkside Roundup: David Reinbacher gearing up for AHL playoff run

Playoff races are in full throttle from the junior leagues to the NHL and young stars have delivered noteworthy and game-breaking performances when it matters most. 

This year’s playoff pushes have seen a wide range of storylines. While certain players like Tynan Lawrence are creating dynamic offence night after night, raising their future draft stocks, others like David Reinbacher are fighting their way back from lengthy absences and surgery. 

Under the big lights of the NHL, Will Smith has found chemistry and confidence in a young San Jose Sharks lineup, delivering creative offensive performances regularly in recent weeks. Elsewhere, Fabian Wagner has suddenly found his scoring spark in the AHL for the Manitoba Moose following a goal-less start to the campaign.

David Reinbacher, RD,  Laval Rocket (Montréal Canadiens)

Season Stats: 1G, 2A, 3PTS

Last Week Stats: 0G, 0A, 0PTS

Ever since being selected fifth overall by the Montréal Canadiens in the 2023 Draft, David Reinbacher has failed to catch a break. A long post-draft season on a particularly weak and disjointed Kloten team in the Swiss NL was followed by a torn meniscus on his first shift in a preseason duel hosting the Maple Leafs.

The fleet-footed 6-foot-2 Austrian defenceman managed to return to play quicker than expected with Laval, suiting up in six games starting February 19. Against the Utica Comets on March 5, Reinbacher logged a goal and an assist in 20 minutes, showing the qualities that made him such a high selection.

Reinbacher’s mobility, edgework, and powerful straight-line speed remained clear strengths, allowing him to cover a large radius defensively and making up for positional miscues — which have occurred sporadically since returning. Bold off-puck activations driving the middle lane resulted in his tally: angling out the defender and swinging his stick to make contact with the pass. His decisiveness and dare on both sides of the puck remain an asset, too.

This promising return wasn’t permanent, however. Due to discomfort and a cautionary approach regarding his knee’s recovery and rehabilitation, Reinbacher has been kept out of the Rocket lineup for the past four games. Laval coach Pascal Vincent insisted that this is a decision made out of prudence rather than panic coming from the Montréal Canadiens’ front office.

With some luck, Reinbacher will be back in the lineup within a week to play some consistent minutes on the road to a playoff run with the Rocket. While he has encountered more than his fair share of developmental speed bumps, Reinbacher now finds himself on a competitive team and is approaching a clean bill of health. His standout defensive habits and mobility won’t just be key in fulfilling Laval’s postseason dreams, but they could do the same in Montréal within two years.

Tynan Lawrence, C, Muskegon Lumberjacks (2026 Draft)

Season Stats: 22G, 24A, 46PTS

Last Week Stats: 1G, 2A, 3PTS

The 2026 NHL Draft class is loaded with talent. Gavin McKenna and Viggo Björck are breaking record after record in the WHL and J20 Nationell respectively, while numerous others have put up performances worthy of top-10 pushes. One player with game-breaking skill who hasn’t seen as much of the spotlight outside USHL circles is Tynan Lawrence.

Despite being born just a month and a half before the cutoff for the 2027 Draft, Lawrence has demanded responsibilities and trust in all situations through consistent energy, intelligence, and dynamism. His confident puck-carrying was on full display against the Fargo Force, as I wrote in my report on Lawrence’s performance:

“He’s a dynamic puck carrier whose agility is a constant deceptive threat to cut around defenders as soon as they commit their weight to one side. His pass-and-move attacking combined for pacy attacking sequences that would fit right into the NHL[...] even when he was successfully pushed to the perimeter, quick hands, delays, look-offs, and explosive drives into gaps kept Lawrence dangerous. His dual-threat scoring was on full display, with consistent playmaking incursions and a beautiful goal in the 3rd period where he dug the puck out of the corner, took three quick strides toward the goal and placed the puck over the goalie’s short-side shoulder from a very tight angle.”

While it remains uncertain where precisely Lawrence will play in his draft year, his mature habits, give-and-go preference, and pacey middle-driven skill could well translate to big scoring totals and a ballooning draft stock. 

Will Smith, C, San Jose Sharks

Season Stats: 13G, 22A, 35PTS

Last Week Stats: 1G, 2A, 3PTS

While Macklin Celebrini established himself not only as San Jose’s top-line centre but also one of the league’s most torrid transition drivers and rush attackers as soon as he stepped onto NHL ice, Will Smith stumbled some more upon arrival in professional hockey. His foot speed and motor left him chasing the play, whereas his search for the perfect pass offensively was too static and predictable against physical and aggressive NHL defenders.

This has changed rather drastically. Smith has played with more pace and direct routes, jumping on chances rather than waiting for the play to come to him, which is translating to sustained offence over recent weeks. He’s been using his shot a whole lot more, leading to goals and more hesitant defenders opening passing lanes. Elite Prospects Lead Scout, David St. Louis broke down both Smith’s early-season growing pains and his recent progression in detailed video reports.

Against the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday, Smith tallied a goal and assist in a 4-2 victory, combining with new best friend Celebrini on both occasions. Smith’s change in mentality and confidence was clear on his goal, walking in and hammering the puck with precision from the high slot. His stamina has also clearly gotten better since September, working harder through his shifts and tiring less by the third period.

Will Smith’s play has gotten better week after week since January, the points are flowing, and the confidence and flair that defined his game so clearly in college have arrived in the NHL. With his high-end hockey mind, elite puck skills, and blossoming chemistry, Smith is fitting right into Mike Grier’s Sharks and should be a top-six cornerstone for the next decade-plus.

Fabian Wagner, RW, Manitoba Moose (Winnipeg Jets)

Season Stats: 6G, 3A, 9A

Last Week Stats: 3G, 0A, 3PTS

Perhaps the single biggest surprise in the AHL over the past two weeks, Fabian Wagner flicked a switch seemingly overnight. After 30 games with the Moose, Wagner totalled just two assists. In the seven games since, the Swedish forward has scored six goals and added a helper. 

Since being drafted in the sixth round in 2022, Wagner has worked on his skating, improving his motor and grown into a strong checking winger with an active stick. Alongside pacey connective play in transition and his quick processing, these checking habits will help pave the road to an NHL role. They also earned him increased minutes in the weeks leading up to his scoring boom, as he saw 14 minutes consistently for the first time in his young AHL career.

It has, however, been Wagner’s goalscoring that has stolen the headlines. The consistent thread between his half-dozen tallies was his anticipation of play ahead of opposing defenders, whether at the back post or in the neutral zone, and his subsequent driving into space. Against the Chicago Wolves, he scored a pair and showed off the improvements he’s made to his release and shooting adaptability since being drafted, firing off a hard and accurate shot in motion short-side top shelf.

While his goal-per-game run won’t be sustained, Wagner’s goalscoring has been unlocked by intelligent and projectable habits underlying improving puck skills. The sample is tiny, but Wagner is showing reasons for optimism as a potential bottom-six checker for the Winnipeg Jets a few years down the road who can chip in on offence.