Following their performances in the two pre-tournament exhibition games against Slovenia, the Montreal Canadiens’ prospects cemented their spot in the Olympic qualifier depth chart for Team Austria.
On Monday, the Austrian Ice Hockey Association announced their 25-man roster for this weekend’s upcoming Olympic qualifying tournament, and two notable names are among the players.
Montreal Canadiens prospects David Reinbacher and Vinzenz Rohrer will be in action for Team Austria. Both skaters tallied a goal in the most recent win over Slovenia. Austria played in two pre-tournament games against the same opponent, winning each contest 2-1.
The Olympic qualification tournament will start on Aug 29 and take place in Bratislava, Slovakia. At this year’s IIHF World Championship, the team finished in fifth place in the Group A table with a 2-0-1-4 record. The fifth-place result did not allow them to advance to the playoff round and Austria ended up in tenth place in the overall table. The team currently sits in 16th place in the Olympic qualification table.
Reinbacher has stated that he is looking to make the Canadiens’ opening day roster and that the bulk of his Summer training has been in preparation for NHL training camp. He was seen on the ice in Switzerland, training during the dog days of Summer and it looks as if the knee injury he suffered last campaign has healed.
In 11 AHL games last season, Reinbacher recorded two goals, and three assists for five points. While it’s unlikely that he makes the opening day roster given the plethora of blueliners in the Canadiens system, there has been speculation that, if injuries occur, the young Austrian will appear in bleu-blanc-rouge by season's end.
Rohrer appeared in 49 matches for the ZSC Lions of the Swiss National League in 2023-24, where he amassed seven goals and 19 points. The 2022 75th overall draft pick out of Rankweil put up 97 points in 118 OHL games with the Ottawa 67s between 2021 and 2023.
