Samson Reinhart (born November 6, 1995) is a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice h ...

player for the Florida Panthers of the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

(NHL). Reinhart was selected second overall by the

Buffalo Sabres The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. The Sabres compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team was established in 1970, along w ...

in the

2014 NHL Entry Draft The 2014 NHL Entry Draft was the 52nd NHL Entry Draft. The draft was held on June 27–28, 2014 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The top three selections were Aaron Ekblad, Sam Reinhart and Leon Draisaitl, going to the F ...

. Reinhart was selected 15th overall by the

Kootenay Ice The Kootenay Ice (officially stylized as ICE) were a major junior ice hockey team based in Cranbrook, British Columbia, and competed in the Western Hockey League (WHL). The team played its home games at Western Financial Place. The franchise w ...

in the 2010

WHL Bantam Draft The WHL Bantam Draft is an annual outing, in which the teams of the Western Hockey League select players who have graduated from bantam. The draft's order of selection depends on where the team finishes in the league standings. The teams that mi ...

. Reinhart was a member of the

Ed Chynoweth Cup The Ed Chynoweth Cup is an ice hockey club championship trophy awarded to the playoff champion of the Western Hockey League (WHL). Originally called the President's Cup when the league was founded in 1966, the trophy was renamed in 2007 to honou ...

-winning team in the 2010–11 season. He was awarded the

Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy The Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy is presented annually to the Western Hockey League player selected as the most proficient in his first year of competition. The award is named after Jim Piggott who was the founder of the Saskatoon Blades, as well as ...

in 2011–12, having been the league's top rookie that season. Along with Max and Griffin, he is one of three hockey-playing brothers, and are the sons of former

(NHL) All-Star

Paul Reinhart Paul Gerard Reinhart (born January 6, 1960) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played for the Atlanta Flames, Calgary Flames and Vancouver Canucks in the National Hockey League (NHL). He featured in the 1986 Stanley Cup F ...

. Reinhart was ranked fourth on

NHL Central Scouting Bureau The NHL Central Scouting Services (CSS) is a department within the National Hockey League that ranks prospects for the NHL Entry Draft at specific times during the hockey season. Players are ranked based on how well they will translate to the profe ...

's 2014 midterm rankings for North American skaters. Reinhart has represented Canada at five

International Ice Hockey Federation The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF; french: Fédération internationale de hockey sur glace; german: Internationale Eishockey-Föderation) is a worldwide governing body for ice hockey. It is based in Zurich, Switzerland, and has 83 ...

(IIHF) sanctioned events, two at the under-18 level, two at the world junior level, and one at the IIHF Men's World Championship. He won gold in

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...

, gold in 2015 and bronze in

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...

at the under-18 level. Additionally, Reinhart represented Canada Pacific at the 2012 World U-17 Hockey Challenge and Canada at the 2012 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament.

Early life

Reinhart was born in North Vancouver to Theresa and

. His father, Paul, was a

(NHL)

defenceman Defence or defense (in American English) in ice hockey is a player position that is primarily responsible for preventing the opposing team from scoring. They are often referred to as defencemen, D, D-men or blueliners (the latter a reference to ...

, and is now a stock market

financier An investor is a person who allocates financial capital with the expectation of a future return (profit) or to gain an advantage (interest). Through this allocated capital most of the time the investor purchases some species of property. Type ...

and promoter. Reinhart wore jersey number 23, the same number that his father wore in the NHL, while in Buffalo. He now wears number 13 for the Florida Panthers. Sam has two brothers: Max and Griffin. Max was selected in the third-round in

2010 NHL Entry Draft The 2010 NHL Entry Draft was the 48th NHL Entry Draft, held on June 25–26, 2010 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, home arena of the Los Angeles Kings. This was the first time Los Angeles hosted the NHL Entry Draft. An unofficial re ...

by the Calgary Flames and plays in their organization. Sam played alongside Max on the Ice's

-championship team in the

2010–11 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. ...

Western Hockey League The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a major junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitutes the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) as the highest level of junior h ...

(WHL) season as well as the 2011–12 season. Griffin was selected fourth-overall in the 2012 draft by the New York Islanders, and has played against Sam's Ice with the

Edmonton Oil Kings The Edmonton Oil Kings are a major junior ice hockey team based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, that play in the Western Hockey League. As of July 2008, they are owned by Daryl Katz's Oilers Entertainment Group, which also owns the Edmonton Oilers ...

in the WHL since 2011–12. Growing up in

West Vancouver West Vancouver is a district municipality in the province of British Columbia, Canada. A member municipality of the Metro Vancouver Regional District, West Vancouver is to the northwest of the city of Vancouver on the northern side of English Ba ...

, Reinhart attended

Collingwood School Collingwood School is an independent, non-denominational, co-educational, university-preparatory school founded in 1984. Located in West Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, it delivers the British Columbia Ministry of Education curriculum from Ju ...

. He also played

tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...

in high school, and still plays the sport in the offseason. Besides ice hockey and tennis, Reinhart played

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

lacrosse Lacrosse is a team sport played with a lacrosse stick and a lacrosse ball. It is the oldest organized sport in North America, with its origins with the indigenous people of North America as early as the 12th century. The game was extensiv ...

and soccer, and considers himself a huge soccer fan.

Playing career

Minor

Reinhart played

minor ice hockey Minor hockey is an umbrella term for amateur ice hockey which is played below the junior age level. Players are classified by age, with each age group playing in its own league. The rules, especially as it relates to body contact, vary from c ...

at the Hollyburn Country Club in West Vancouver. He started out as a defenceman, but eventually ended up as a centre. From there, he went on to play for the Vancouver Northwest Giants of the BC Hockey Major Midget League (BCMML). In his first and only full season with the Northwest Giants, Reinhart tallied up 38 goals along with 40 assists. With the Northwest Giants, Reinhart won the 2010–11 BCMML championship and finished fourth in the 2011 Telus Cup. In the Telus Cup, he received the Top Scorer and Top Forward awards. Reinhart also participated in the

2011 Canada Winter Games The 2011 Canada Winter Games were held in Halifax, Nova Scotia, from Friday, 11 February 2011, to Sunday, 27 February 2011. Bids Four bids (all from Nova Scotia, as it was that province's turn) were made for the games, and eventually Halifax was ...

midway through the 2010–11 season, winning gold with the British Columbia U16 team. Sam Reinhart - 2014 Top Prospect

Junior

The

selected Reinhart 15th overall in the 2010

. He was selected three rounds ahead of oldest brother Max when he was drafted in 2007 and was selected 12 positions behind as Griffin when he was drafted third-overall in 2010. Reinhart joined the Kootenay Ice for four games in the 2010–11 season. In his first WHL game, he scored the game-winning goal against the

. That was also the first WHL game in which all three Reinhart brothers were playing. Reinhart suited up for seven WHL playoffs games, registering zero points in the process, as part of the Ice's

championship team. He played one game for the Ice in the

2011 Memorial Cup The 2011 Memorial Cup was a four-team round-robin format ice hockey tournament played from May 20–29, 2011 in Mississauga, Ontario. It was the 93rd annual Memorial Cup competition and determined the major junior ice hockey champion of the Ca ...

. In the 2011–12, Reinhart registered 62 points, which put him behind only his brother Max in team scoring. His 28 goals tied for the Ice lead, and were the most by any 16-year-old rookie in the WHL, while his 62 points put him fourth among all WHL rookies in that category. Due to his excellent play in his first full season, Reinhart was awarded the

as the top rookie in the WHL. In his second full WHL season, Reinhart was selected to represent the WHL for one game in his hometown

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

for the annual 2012 Subway Super Series against Russia; he scored the game-winning shootout goal. Reinhart scored his first

hat-trick A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three. Origin The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three wic ...

on January 27, 2012, against the

Prince Albert Raiders The Prince Albert Raiders are a major junior ice hockey team in the Western Hockey League. The Raiders play in the East Division of the Eastern Conference. They are based in the city of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, Canada. The team plays its hom ...

. He finished his second full WHL season leading the Ice in goals (35), assists (50) and points (85). He was named into the WHL Eastern Conference Second All-Star Team. On April 2, 2013, Reinhart was named captain of the Ice for the 2013-14 WHL season. On October 9, 2013, Reinhart registered an assist in a game against the

Lethbridge Hurricanes The Lethbridge Hurricanes are a Canadian major junior ice hockey team currently members of the Eastern Conference (Central Division) of the Western Hockey League (WHL). The team is based in Lethbridge, Alberta, and play their home games at the ...

, which tied him with

John Negrin John Negrin (born March 26, 1989) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player. Negrin was a third round pick of the Calgary Flames, 70th overall, at the 2007 NHL Entry Draft; he played only three games with them and has spent the majority of hi ...

for the Ice' franchise record for most consecutive games with an assist (8). Reinhart played in the 2013 Subway Super Series for the WHL, and was the captain for the latter of the two games. In his second Subway Super Series, he registered one assist. Reinhart had a goal and an assist in the 2014

CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game The CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game is an annual event in which forty of the top NHL Entry Draft eligible prospects in the Canadian Hockey League play against each other in an all-star game environment. Players are able to boost their draft ranking w ...

while playing as captain for Team Cherry; Team Cherry lost to Team Orr 4–3. Reinhart's father Paul was one of the assistant coaches for Team Cherry.

Professional

Buffalo Sabres

Reinhart was selected with the second pick of the

by the

. On July 12, 2014, he was signed to a three-year entry-level contract with the Sabres. Reinhart made the Sabres' opening day roster in the 2014–15 season. He scored his first NHL point on October 25, 2014, assisting on a goal by Nicolas Deslauriers in a 2–1 victory over the

San Jose Sharks The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference, and are owned by San Jose Sports & Entertainm ...

. He was returned to Kootenay after appearing in nine games with the Sabres and joined the

Rochester Americans The Rochester Americans (colloquially known as the Amerks) are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League; the team is an owned and operated affiliate of the Buffalo Sabres. The team plays its home games in Rochester, New York, ...

after the Ice's season ended. Reinhart scored his first career NHL hat-trick on January 10, 2016, against the

Winnipeg Jets The Winnipeg Jets are a professional ice hockey team based in Winnipeg. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference, and is owned by True North Sports & Entertainment, p ...

in a 4–2 victory. On September 19, 2018, Reinhart re-signed with the Sabres to a two-year contract worth $7.3 million. On October 25, 2020, Reinhart signed a one-year, $5.2 million contract with the Sabres.

Florida Panthers

On July 24, 2021, Reinhart was traded by the Sabres to the Florida Panthers in exchange for Devon Levi and a

2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretariat; The global monkeypo ...

first-round pick. On August 11, Reinhart signed a three-year, $19.5 million contract with the Panthers.

International play

Reinhart competed for Canada Pacific in the 2012 World U-17 Hockey Challenge, but failed to medal. Later that year, he was selected to join Canada's under-18 team for the

2012 IIHF World U18 Championships The 2012 IIHF U18 World Championship was the 14th IIHF World U18 Championship and was hosted in Brno, Znojmo and Břeclav, Czech Republic. It began on 12 April 2012 with the gold medal game played on 22 April 2012. Brno and Znojmo were originally ...

in the Czech Republic. The team lost to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

in the semi-finals, but won the bronze medal game against

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

in overtime. Reinhart then captained the under-18 team at the 2012 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament as Canada won its fifth consecutive gold medal in the event. Reinhart again captained the U18 team at the

2013 IIHF World U18 Championships The 2013 IIHF U18 World Championship was the 15th IIHF World U18 Championship and was hosted in Sochi, Russia. This was also a test event for the facilities to be used in the 2014 Winter Olympics. It began on 18 April 2013 with the gold medal ga ...

in Sochi, Russia. Reinhart scored three goals and four assists to help Canada win the gold, ending the United States' record of four consecutive championships. Moving up to the U20 level, Reinhart earned a spot with the national junior team for the 2014 World Junior Championships. His brother Griffin also made the team, and they became the third pair of brothers to play for Canada at the World Junior Championships. Reinhart and

Aaron Ekblad Aaron Ekblad (born February 7, 1996) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman and alternate captain for the Florida Panthers in the National Hockey League (NHL). Ekblad was selected first overall in the 2011 Ontario Hockey League (OHL) e ...

were the only two players on the Canadian roster eligible for the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. Reinhart registered two goals and three assists in the first three games of the tournament, but was held scoreless for the remainder of the tournament. Canada lost the bronze medal game against Russia 2–1 and finished fourth. Sam Reinhart also represented Team Canada at the 2015 World Junior Ice Hockey Championship. The team won gold as Sam served as one of two alternate captains for the team, the other being

Connor McDavid Connor Andrew McDavid (born January 13, 1997) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre and captain of the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Oilers selected him first overall in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. McDavid spen ...

. Reinhart scored the game-winning goal against team Russia in the gold medal game, which was his fifth of the tournament. Reinhart finished with a total of 5 goals and 11 points leading all players in goals and points. Reinhart represented Team Canada at the

2016 IIHF World Championship The 2016 IIHF World Championship was the 80th such event hosted by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), being held from 6 to 22 May 2016 in Moscow and Saint Petersburg, Russia. Canada entered the tournament as the defending 2015 ...

helping win Gold and finishing the tournament with four assists in 10 games. On April 29, 2019, Reinhart was named to the Team Canada roster for the 2019 IIHF World Championship held in

Slovakia Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...

. Reinhart helped Canada progress through to the playoff rounds before losing the final to

to finish with the Silver Medal on May 26, 2019. He finished the tournament posting 3 goals and 5 points in 10 games.

Personal life

In an interview on WGR Sports Radio 550AM, Reinhart stated he prefers to be called "Samson" as opposed to "Sam". Samson's nickname with the Sabres (and 2015 WJC linemate

Max Domi Maxwell Johannes Domi (born March 2, 1995) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player for the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected by the Phoenix Coyotes in the first round, 12th overall, of the 2013 NHL En ...

) is "Reino." He chose the number 23 as his jersey number for Buffalo, the same number his father

wore during his NHL tenure.Coller, M. (2014, June 30). adio broadcast Buffalo: Simon H., White J..

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

Awards and honours

Records

franchise record; most consecutive games with an assist – 8 (tied with

)

References

External links

*
Sam Reinhart's player profile
a
Western Hockey League
{{DEFAULTSORT:Reinhart, Sam 1995 births Living people Buffalo Sabres draft picks Buffalo Sabres players Canadian ice hockey centres Florida Panthers players Ice hockey people from British Columbia Kootenay Ice players National Hockey League first-round draft picks People from North Vancouver Rochester Americans players