After struggles with injuries had delayed his development, David Reinbacher has made his NHL debut.
Reinbacher took his rookie lap as the Montreal Canadiens took on the New York Islanders on Sunday.
He finished the game with one assist and skated 11:17 in a 4-1 win for the Canadiens.
The Austrian blueliner, selected fifth overall by the Canadiens in 2023, replaced Noah Dobson, who was ruled out for at least two weeks with an upper-body injury.
Reinbacher was recalled from the Laval Rocket, the club's AHL affiliate, earlier on Sunday.
The 21-year-old had five goals and 19 assists in 57 games with the Rocket this season. Over his three seasons in the AHL, he has nine goals and 25 assists in 78 regular-season games.
He has dealt with numerous injuries in recent seasons. He missed most of the 2024-25 campaign after suffering an injury to his left knee in pre-season and returned to action late in the year. He also missed four weeks at the start of this year with a broken hand.
