The PDA Newsletter | Sam Reinhart Case Study
Most players chase the play... Reinhart arrives before the play even exists.
When you watch Florida’s star forward Sam Reinhart, nothing jumps off the page immediately…
He doesn’t undress defenders 1-on-1.
He doesn’t overpower players with physical force.
He doesn’t have blazing speed.
But the longer you stay with him, the clearer it gets…
He’s early to space.
Early to loose pucks.
Early to broken coverage.
He’s not just reacting to plays as they happen.
He’s arriving to them before anyone else.
By the third shift, you stop tracking his feet and hands.
You start tracking his reads.
Let’s break it down…
Crafted for Control
You could tell Reinhart grew up around the game…
Not just in rinks, but in conversations. In explanations. In detail.
The son of former NHL defenseman Paul Reinhart, with two brothers who also reached the league, hockey in his house wasn’t casual. It was dissected. Plays were broken down. Decisions were debated. The “why” always mattered.
From junior hockey to his eventual career in the pros, he stood out not with flash and flair, but with vision, timing, and an innate feel for the flow of the game.
He processed pressure before it arrived. Delayed when others rushed. Found soft ice before it opened.
By the time he reached Kootenay in the WHL, NHL scouts were already talking about his defensive maturity, about how rarely he chased, how quickly he sorted threats, how comfortable he looked without the puck.
That’s unusual for a junior forward.
He didn’t defend because he had to.
He defended because he understood how.
And now, years later, that same awareness has him finishing top five in Selke voting in back-to-back seasons.
Not because he changed, but because the league finally started paying attention.
When the Game Finally Fit
After years of steady production in Buffalo, Reinhart arrived in Florida to a very different environment.
In Buffalo, he was asked to be consistent.
In Florida, he was asked to be a game-changer.
With the Panthers, the talent level was higher, led by Barkov, Tkachuk & Ekblad. The expectations were sharper. Games meant more. Shifts mattered more.
It was a room built to compete, and a system built to reward players who could think the game.
For Reinhart, it was a natural fit.
The reads that once kept plays alive now created advantages.
The patience that once stabilized shifts now tilted them.
The habits that once survived now had leverage.
And the results followed…
A career-best 57-goal season in 2023–24.
Franchise records.
Selke votes.
Stanley Cup championships.
Not because he became a different player, but because he was finally in a place where his game could fully register.
Big Games, Bigger Impact
In back-to-back Stanley Cup Championships with the Panthers, Reinhart’s value became impossible to ignore…
He logged major minutes. Scored clutch goals. Killed penalties. Is a staple on the power play.
In Game 6 of the 2025 Final, he delivered a signature moment: a four-goal performance to clinch the Cup — the first time that’s happened since Maurice Richard.
That’s who Reinhart is. Not loud, not showy.
Just lethal when it matters most.
“He doesn’t just play the game,” said head coach Paul Maurice. “He understands it.”
A quote that underscores that the best players don’t just lead with their skill, they lead with intelligence.
The Player He’s Become
Sam Reinhart has evolved into one of the NHL’s most complete and trusted forwards:
2x Stanley Cup Champion (2024, 2025)
57 goals in 2023–24 — a Florida Panthers franchise record
Four goals in a Stanley Cup Final-clinching game
Top 5 in Selke Trophy voting in 2023–24 and 2024–25
Trusted on both special teams and in late-game defensive situations
Signed long-term in Florida as a franchise cornerstone
Key piece to the Canadian Olympic Roster
His game isn’t loud or in your face like a MacKinnon or a McDavid, but he’s just as impactful.
Reinhart’s game isn’t just a burst of brilliance, it’s sustained impact through intelligence and a deep understanding of how the game works at the highest level.
What Players Can Learn from Reinhart
Play with purpose, not just pace.
Reinhart thrives by thinking faster, not skating harder.
Consistency earns opportunity.
He became elite not through spikes in production, but through dependable impact on both sides of the puck.
Value comes from versatility.
Power play, penalty kill, five-on-five — Reinhart adds value in every situation.
Your mind is your multiplier.
His reads, habits, and anticipation aren’t instincts — they’re trained tools that you can develop too.
Concluding Thoughts
Most players spend their shifts reacting; adjusting to pressure, chasing space, trying to recover position. Reinhart plays ahead of all of it.
He reads the sequence before it unfolds, arrives before the lane opens, and settles the game before it slips.
That’s why he’s trusted when margins are thin and moments matter. Not because he’s louder. Not because he’s faster. Because he’s already there.
Actionable Advice
Are you trying to be noticed or trying to be useful?
Because the game doesn’t always reward the loudest player.
It rewards the one who understands what’s coming.
The players who last are the ones who see pressure before it arrives, who don’t rush decisions, who let the play settle before they move.
Train your brain the same way you train your body.
Pay attention. Learn patterns. Notice what repeats.
Because over time, the players who think the game well don’t just fit in, they become the ones everyone relies on.
Talon Mills
