David Reinbacher’s father spent a few days in Montreal, he was able to see his son in his new life, but he didn’t see his son’s last game in Montreal before he was cut from training camp.
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“My father left today (Saturday) so he couldn’t watch the game, but I was happy he could come to see where I was and how things were going,” explained the young defender, who is based in Kloten The Swiss National League will return.
“I think he’s still having a hard time understanding what’s happening. After my first game, I saw tears in his eyes. He is a very proud father and I hope I can give him back everything he has given me.”
The father only needs to read a few newspaper articles to know that his son played well in the 3-1 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs. The young man was significantly better than in his first outing last week.
Quiet
Together with Kaiden Guhle, the Canadiens’ first pick in the last draft spent 16:27 on the ice and was characterized by his confident behavior.
“He has the calmness of an older man, he played a good game,” said Martin St-Louis. This calmness represents a special level of maturity on the ice for an 18-year-old defender.”
The Austrian also played with Guhle against the New Jersey Devils last week and according to Guhle there was progress.
“In the first game I think we were both nervous. It was my first game in a long time and his first in a team jersey in this building, so the nerves were there. We kept it simple, we had fun and he played very well tonight.”
Kovacevic impressed
Veteran Jonathan Kovacevic didn’t hesitate to make a little fool of himself and praise his young teammate.
“I’m really impressed with his game. When I came back when I was 18 I found it difficult to play Junior A at Hawkesbury. I didn’t even go to college (Merrimack College) yet.”
He also observed the same qualities as everyone else in Reinbacher’s game.
“He is quiet, reads well and picks the right pieces. I’m a defender and I notice a lot of details in his game. He doesn’t look like a rookie on the ice. I feel like he already has five years of professional experience.”
Learn
Reinbacher remains humble and says he is mostly in learning mode.
“I would say things are getting better, I feel more comfortable and have more confidence. The guys helped me, which makes the job easier. Guhle talks to me a lot and that helps me a lot. It’s only two games, but it will be a long journey.
“It’s the NHL, the best league in the world, I have to be physically and mentally ready, everything happens faster than at home.”
The exercises help a lot in the simulated games, you have to make good decisions and think quickly to play well.
Guhle made sure his partner was in the right place by giving him valuable advice.
“I told him to just play hockey. There were times when I was young, and I’m sure he is too, when I thought a little too much.
Future couple
When you see Guhle and Reinbacher together, you can imagine watching them play together for several years.
“We play a pretty similar style, we saw that tonight, he used his body a few times, he plays hard and he thinks about the defensive aspect first before he thinks about the attack,” he said. Guhle said. We are not spectacular, but we play in a simple way.
Reinbacher clearly enjoys being with someone three years older than him.
“Kaiden is very calm on the ice, he reads the game well and talks a lot. In my opinion he is one of the smoothest skaters I have ever seen. It helps to have that feeling of security next to me.”
Martin St-Louis knows very well that he may have a solid pair of defenders for several years, but he has remained pragmatic.
“One is left-handed, the other is right-handed, they have good size, speed, they are intelligent and are good competitors. They are also young and therefore they will probably play together.