All you had to do was stay in order to be kept in Montreal Canadiens fans’ minds, Vinzenz. A prospect moving back to Europe is a story many know All too well. However, Rohrer chose a daring path forward. Instead of staying in North America, he went back to his Junior club in Europe to try to crack the club’s professional team, the Zürich Lions in the National League (Switzerland), the team with the biggest budget in continental Europe. His chances didn’t really improve as the Lions signed Denis Malgin just before the season started.
In a mid-season conversation with Zürich coach Marc Crawford, he said that Rohrer is “easy co coach, eager to learn, and he forced his way into the team by being too good to be sent to another team.” While not playing on either top line, Rohrer sometimes got the chance to play on the power play, and points trickled in with a slow but steady pace.
Mr. Crawford also let it be known in that same interview that Rohrer is a smart young man. “You have to tell him things one time, and then he gets it. There are other players you have long meetings with, but Rohrer’s meetings are short and to the point. He gets it.”
The forward got the chance to play on the Lions’ second line and the power play unit due to injuries. When the injured players returned, Rohrer was moved down to the third line, but earned time on the second power-play unit. In the end, he finished the season with 19 points (7G, 12A) over 49 games.
He also received the chance to play with the Austrian national team in some of the minor tournaments during the season which led to two assists in six games. Most importantly though, he finished the year as a National League champion, easily the best day of Rohrer’s short career.
From the Canadiens fan perspective, he has become the Brendan Gallagher replacement, and there are many similar things in their style of play. They both play with tenacity and speed and definitely play a bigger game than their stature suggests. They are the same size and the will go to the dirty areas despite being outmuscled. Both are fearless in that regard, and that made Rohrer a fan favourite in Zürich after only one season.
It will be a cruel summer as Rohrer aims to improve his physique, along with the fact that he will go to NHL development camp in the middle of it.
Credit: NLIceData
In the data above, one can see that he isn’t really the setup man; he either finishes the play — more often than not from the high-danger area — or he starts the play with a zone entry that maybe generates a secondary assist. At the moment, he doesn’t have that passing skill to really set up the goals.
Strengths
Previous evaluations have pointed out his struggle against bigger competitors, but this year saw him adjust and attack the professional players in the National League. He hits different, his balance has gotten better, and it seems that he has lowered his centre of gravity in order to stay on his skates in battles where he previously struggled.
Interestingly, this hasn’t affected his skating, which remains strong. He will keep his legs working at all times, and will cause havoc for defences with his speed and movement, often drawing penalties against a defender that holds on a bit too long.
Coaches love to talk about hockey IQ, and it is something that Mr. Crawford came back to in our short conversation. Rohrer understands the game of hockey, and the style you need in order to play it at a high level. While his shot and hand-eye coordination are good, it will be his skating and IQ that will get him an NHL chance down the line.
Weaknesses
While he has proven that he can play professionally, it is his size, both length and width, that can hold him back. He needs to build up over the long term though, improving in small steps and doing it right, rather than a huge step and causing problems down the line. Slow and steady progress is better for his development.
Personally I haven’t seen his passing improving in the NL on the bigger ice. This might depend on the fact that the pace has improved in the professional game as well as the players being a lot better than in Junior hockey. It’s something I hope to see him improve up on when the new season starts in September.
Grade: A+
No one who knows about European hockey expected him to stay up with Zürich over the full season. Many, myself included, expected him to play a few games with Zürich’s B team in the Swiss league. He never needed that, and in the end he played a full season in one of Europe’s best leagues, on one of the best teams. It is sweeter than fiction to have been wrong about this. In the end, there is nothing but an A that can be given. However, the expectation on Rohrer for next year has changed, and it will be difficult for him to maintain the grade.
Credit: NLIceData
The data indicates that he took a step forward this season while changing to a professional league, all while getting a different role on the team, and adjusting to the bigger Olympic-sized rink. The interesting thing will be what he can do next year. The Swiss teams have already started to sign players from other leagues in Europe as it seems poised to take another step forward in quality. The top teams, such as Rohrer’s Zürich Lions, would undoubtedly go deep into the playoffs in the SHL, but the National League has struggled with top-to-bottom competitiveness, whereas the SHL is a more even league throughout. The numbers indicate that he always takes a step forward, but that challenge will be great in 2024-25.
He is in a good position to take the next step in his career, even if it will be tough to best the season. There is no rush to sign him and bring him over to North American pro ranks, and he was adamant in his interview with us that he spoke with Montreal before making the decision to go back to Europe. Montreal keeps his rights until he is 22 as he was drafted out of Europe.
