The Montreal Canadiens drafted Vinzenz Rohrer in the third round of the 2022 NHL Draft. He was a bit of an unknown commodity at the time, but had an impressive season with the Ottawa 67’s.
The Austrian native scored 19 goals and 49 points in 54 games, and added another 12 points in 11 playoff games for Ottawa last season. He was scoring at an even higher rate, with 32 points in his first 26 games of the OHL season.
Rohrer was then knocked out by a questionable hit that sent him cartwheeling through the air before slamming his head on the ice. He was out of the lineup for about a month before returning and he finished the season with 17 points in his final 28 games.
His impressive performance in the playoffs showed he had recovered and was back to his point per game pace for the 67’s. It really must have given them confidence that the 18 year old had an incredible 19 year old campaign on the horizon. Unfortunately for Ottawa, Rohrer has decide not to play in the OHL next season.
The 5’10” and 161 pound forward has signed with the Zurich Lions in Switzerland and will play his 19 year old season there. Though he is from Austria, he played a lot of his hockey in Switzerland growing up and will likely join the Lions NLA team which is the top pro league in the country.
This will give him a chance to play pro as a teenager, which could help expedite his development. Another season in the OHL would have been just fine as well, but nothing compares to playing in an actual professional league where players are older and more mature.
This is not the usual route for a player that comes over from Europe to play in the CHL, especially players who find success right away. Rohrer played two seasons with the 67’s and scored 25 goals and 48 points as a 17 year old OHL rookie, leading his team in scoring.
There is no reason he can’t find the same level of success in Switzerland. He could also still sign his entry-level contract at any time with the Canadiens and have it slide through next season while he is a teenager and begin during the 2024-25 season.
Perhaps the team will wait on that one, but if he plays well at the pro level next season, you can bet the Canadiens will get him signed after that.
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