Montreal Canadiens: Three Players Who Will Stand Out At Rookie Tournament

The Montreal Canadiens management team will have a keen eye on their games during the six-team rookie camp in Buffalo, and it will mark the first viewing of a nice crop of prospects playing other NHL clubs’ best young players.

A strong performance during the outing won’t be the principal determining factor in earning an invite to the Canadiens main training camp, but it will help. Most of the players will go back to their respective leagues, and some will head to Laval, but there is a trio of guys that I believe could shine during the rookie tournament.

A major factor that will have the Canadiens faithful swooning, is the fact that the organization has been able to stockpile some high picks and add some nice pieces through the draft over the last handful of years. Most fans are already chomping at the bit to get a live viewing of the famous Canadiens sweater being donned again for the 2023-24 campaign.

So, it’s a safe bet that the attendees will be looking to make a great impression right away, and a pair of defensemen, along with a winger should be right at the top of everyone’s viewing list.

With solid depth at most of the positions in the NHL, the right side of the blueline stands out as an area that is wide open for a young guy or two to grab a spot. That will be particularly exciting news for the two defenders that I believe will be most impressive out of the bunch that attend camp since they both shoot right. Rounding out the trio is a left-shot winger, whose brilliant shot and strong offensive awareness make him a great option to fill a role in the Habs top-nine, and be an immediate contributor on the power play.

So, without further ado, we will dive into the three players who will impress during the rookie games, and prove they are more than ready for their first NHL training camp.

David Reinbacher

David Reinbacher, unlike many of his Canadiens colleagues, has an advantage, because he has a season of professional play on his resume. The smooth-skating, 6’2′ Austria native has an impressive package of good size, strong skating mechanics and high defensive acumen, with some offensive upside that he is just scratching the surface.

He skated a bit and played some inter-squad games, but he will have his first opportunity to show everybody his full toolkit against some of the league’s best young talent on North American ice.

Reinbacher won’t have his good buddy Lane Hutson, as he is ineligible to play due to his NCAA commitment, but don’t think for one second that he will look a step behind or out of place at all. He was selected fifth overall for a reason, and with a summer to train and prepare, he should show up in Buffalo looking a step quicker and physically stronger.

His mind will continue to be his best asset, and I think he will continue to play his poised style and show an improvement in his offensive game all-around.

He will be one of the youngest out of the 27-player group, but I fully expect him to stand out as one of the top two defensemen of the group, and potentially outshine an older, and more physically mature right-shot defender. He was the top-ranked defenseman in the 2023 NHL draft, and he will be an integral piece for a blueline that will look to compete for a Stanley Cup by 2026-27 (in the interest  of not trying to rush anything.)

With his draft pedigree will come high expectations, but he has the mental makeup and maturity to grab the opportunity by the horns and threaten to play with the big club come October.

Emil Heineman

Emil Heineman was acquired in the deal that saw Tyler Toffoli depart for the Calgary Flames, and while he might not have been the piece that the Canadiens requested originally, he could be just what they need.

He came over from Leksands IF in the SHL towards the end of the 2022-23 campaign after they were eliminated from the playoffs, and made an immediate impact with the Laval Rocket. His shot and offensive mind are two big parts of his game that stood out from the get-go, and he used those tools to post seven goals and two assists through 11 games with the Rocket before the season ended.

While he showed just a small sample size, it was more than enough for the Canadiens development staff to work with, and if he had a good summer in preparation for the upcoming season, he could be a real threat to crack the Canadiens roster. With that said, the rookie games will come first, and I fully expect him to be an impactful presence on the ice.

Whether that translates to the scoresheet or not, is yet to be determined, but I believe even if he isn’t scoring, his shot will keep goalies guessing, which will earn his linemates scoring opportunities.

The only pure goalscorer that the Canadiens have right now is Cole Caufield, and perhaps Jesse Ylonen, although it’s yet to truly take centre stage for the latter. So there is definitely a spot for Heineman and his great shot, which should burn goalies during the Canadiens rookie games. Losing Toffoli wasn’t fun, but watching Heineman, who is younger and fits better with the core rip pucks past goaltenders should ease the blow.

The Habs are young and hungry for success, and while the obvious core players will keep pushing the team towards better days, these three players will start their ascension to the NHL club in Buffalo.

They should ideally be standouts, and give Habs fans just what they’ve been wanting, a young, fast and exciting brand of hockey. Martin St Louis, Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton are all on board with achieving this style of hockey with the Canadiens, and they will be watching this trio of players closely during the rookie games.

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