NHL combine roundup: Top-ranked defensemen David Reinbacher, Axel Sandin Pellikka turning heads in deep forward draft

BUFFALO, N.Y. — In this year’s draft cycle, a crop of talented forwards have dominated the early first-round conversation, including Connor Bedard, Adam Fantilli, Matvei Michkov, and Leo Carlsson. But while the forward pool may be deep, highly touted defensive prospect David Reinbacher asserted that the group of blueliners available in the draft is buzzworthy, too.

“There are so many good defensemen here, like [Axel Sandin] Pellikka, [Cameron] Allen, the Russian guy [Mikhail Gulyayev],” Reinbacher said. “So I would say we’re a good group of defensemen who can show the forwards where [to] go.”

Perhaps no one is as buzzworthy among the defensemen as the 6-foot-2, 185-pound Reinbacher himself. NHL Central Scouting’s fifth-ranked European skater, the highest placement of all the draft-eligible defensemen, Reinbacher stands out with his ability to break the puck out of his own zone, his transition game, his poise with the puck, and his active stick.

Reinbacher injured his MCL while representing Austria at the World Championships in May. Although he said he is still experiencing some pain, he underwent physical testing at the combine and anticipates that he’ll be fully healed in two to three weeks. He interviewed with 23 teams at the combine, including the Flyers.

While Reinbacher is expected to be the first defenseman off the board, Sandin Pellikka likely will be selected second. Sandin Pellikka, who is NHL Central Scouting’s seventh-ranked European skater, is an undersized defenseman at 5-11 and 176 pounds. But the Swede sets himself apart from the pack with his offensive prowess, racking up 16 goals and 20 assists in 31 games with Skellefteå AIK’s J20 team.

“I don’t really care that much what people think,” Sandin Pellikka said of his size. “Obviously, there’s a lot of guys that are not that big in NHL. Especially Quinn Hughes, though, he is one guy I look up to. And watch him play with his skating. And puck handling skills, he can still handle himself well in the NHL.”

» READ MORE: Flyers assistant GM Brent Flahr on upcoming NHL draft, Cutter Gauthier, and more

Will Smith has been Snapchatting Cutter Gauthier, and he’s trusting his word that they’ll be teammates next season.

Gauthier, whom the Flyers picked at No. 5 overall last year, and Smith, who is projected to go in the top five this draft, were part of USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program and planned to reunite at Boston College in the fall when Smith starts as a freshman. Gauthier led the Eagles last season as a freshman but decided, in concert with the Flyers, to return for his sophomore season.

Then Gauthier represented Team USA in the IIHF World Championships. As the second-youngest player on the team, he tied the team lead for goals (seven) and was third for points (nine). But, according to Smith, Gauthier’s success hasn’t changed his plans for the fall.

When Gauthier was playing for NTDP, Smith and his teammates accompanied the older team to Germany. There, they learned from Gauthier and the older players what it takes to win gold and to prepare for a professional career. Smith looks forward to continue learning from him next season as he and five other NTDP teammates begin their NCAA careers at Boston College.

“He wants to win; I want to win; and I know the whole team wants to win,” Smith said. “I think it’s going to be nice having him come back and already been through college for a year. So gonna help us guide our team.”

Slovak forward prospect Dalibor Dvorský has played center and on the wing with AIK of the Allsvenskan, Sweden’s second-tier pro league.

But one of the biggest questions surrounding Dvorský, Central Scouting’s third-ranked European skater, will be whether or not he can play center at the NHL level. The 6-1, 201-pound Dvorský boasts a strong two-way game, but he’s still working to achieve a sense of consistency. He had a decent, but not dominant, season in the Allsvenskan, collecting six goals and eight assists in 38 games.

The position question has come up throughout the week in interviews with teams at the combine. Dvorský has been honest about where he envisions himself playing when he makes the leap to North America.

“Almost every team asks me where I feel most comfortable, and I feel most comfortable as a centerman,” Dvorský said on Saturday.

Dvorský isn’t the only prospect fielding similar inquiries from teams here. Moose Jaw Warriors center Brayden Yager said “pretty much every team” has discussed whether he projects as a center in the NHL.

“I think I’m going to play wherever my coach puts me,” Yager said. “But at the same time, I like center. I think it’s something that I’ve developed over the past two years, being able to use my skating ability. I think that up the middle, there’s a lot of responsibility. And I think that I’m capable of taking on those responsibilities.”

Yager, Central Scouting’s 11th-ranked North American skater, is relatively undersized for a center at 5-11 and 166 pounds. But what he lacks in size he makes up for with a diligent 200-foot work ethic, which pairs strong skating and a deceptive shot well. While he didn’t capitalize on many of those shots this season, scoring 28 goals in 67 games, he racked up 50 assists on a solid Moose Jaw team.

However, Yager understands that he has improvements to make in his game if he wants to stick at the position long-term.

“Puck possession is so important in today’s game,” Yager said. “I think if you can win a faceoff, that’d be huge. Obviously, I think it starts with the strength and playing against guys that are a lot older and bigger than you. So I think if I can put on a little bit of weight, I’ll be able to win faceoffs first, and then, obviously, when you get stronger, you get faster.”