Canadiens bring a young prospect to North America for Laval’s playoff push
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Cimon Asselin
Apr 15, 2026 (10:50)
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Photo credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images
Vinzenz Rohrer is officially on his way to Canada, and the Montreal Canadiens now have full control over where his career goes next.
Reporter Marco D'Amico broke the news Wednesday morning, confirming that Rohrer's group had indicated the move was coming and that it is now official.
The 21-year-old right wing will join the Laval Rocket on Friday for his first practice, as confirmed by the Rocket themselves on X.
Because Rohrer has a valid entry-level contract in effect, the Canadiens can assign him to Laval without needing an amateur tryout agreement. The paperwork is already done.
This is a permanent move to North America. Rohrer's contract with Zurich SC expires this summer, which makes the timing straightforward.
He was selected 75th overall by Montreal in the 2022 NHL Draft, a third-round pick out of the OHL's Ottawa 67's who went back to Switzerland and spent three seasons at the professional level.
What the Rocket are getting from Rohrer
According to hockeydb.com, he posted 12 points in 41 games with Zurich SC this season in the Swiss-A league.
His best professional season was 2024-25, when he put up 25 points in 52 games for Zurich, including 15 goals.
At his peak in the OHL, he recorded 49 points in 54 games for Ottawa in 2022-23. That's the version of Rohrer that Montreal drafted.
D'Amico described him as a player with a relentless motor and great speed. Whether that translates quickly to the North American pro game is the real question.
His numbers in Switzerland were modest. But the Swiss-A league is not a developmental league, it's a professional circuit with veterans in their prime, so producing points there at 21 isn't nothing.
Still, the gap between Swiss professional hockey and AHL-caliber competition is real. Rohrer will need time to adjust to the smaller ice surface and the pace.
Martin St-Louis and GM Kent Hughes wrap up a regular season in which the Canadiens finished 48-24-10 for 106 points, third in the Atlantic Division.
The regular season is done for Montreal. Laval's playoffs are where Rohrer starts his North American chapter, and the organization now owns his development path entirely.
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