Mitch Reinke
Mitch Reinke made some waves when the Blues signed him directly out of college, having wrapped up his career with Michigan Tech. Reinke only played in one NHL game in 2018, but the team seemed high on him.
He is now giving them something to think about. Reinke’s contract kicked in last season since he played immediately.
That means this season is the final one on his entry-level deal. The Blues will now have to decide whether to bring him back on a two-way deal next year or even a one-way deal if Reinke wants to bet on that kind of negotiation. Time will tell for that.
What we do know about him is that he has blossomed as a good offensive defenseman in the AHL. Reinke ranks fifth of all the team’s prospects in scoring. He only ranks behind Kyrou in terms of pro scoring too.
Through 67 games, Reinke has 11 goals and 43 points. That would be fantastic at any level and he is doing it in the AHL in his first year of professional hockey.
We knew Reinke could do some damage on the offensive end. He has been a steady scorer in both the USHL and NCAA. Apparently, he just needed those few extra games to get himself into double-digits.
Now, how he holds up defensively is another matter. He currently sits at minus-6 in plus/minus, but almost the entire Rampage roster is a minus right now so that does not tell you much.
Really, as long as he takes care of the puck and does not turn it over in bad areas, he could fit in with this franchise. The Blues need more puck movers in their system as other guys age and possibly move out.
The one thing going against him is he is right handed. You are not going to supplant Alex Pietrangelo or Colton Parayko in the top four anytime soon. Generally, you like a little more physicality from your third line D-men, but we shall see what he’s got. Or maybe we won’t. Free agency will let us know in the summer.