The Montreal Canadiens have signed Slovakian skater Martin Reway to a three year, two-way contract.
Reway is the second Habs prospect from Europe to be recently signed along with Arturri Lehkonen, who was also given a two-way deal. Reway’s rights with the Canadiens expired in June of this year. Last year Reway had an issue with his coach in Sparta Praha in the Czech League due to his ice-time and despite leading the team in scoring, was sent down to their secondary club. With his decision to skip the Canadiens rookie camp and once posting an Instagram photo suggesting the Canadiens trade him to the Tampa Bay Lightning for Jonathan Drouin, many felt that Reway had no desire to be on the Habs.
On the ice, Reway has a very high offensive ceiling. As discussed by Ben Kerr in Top Shelf Prospects as the Habs sleeper pick:
“Reway has absolutely outstanding stickhandling, with quick, soft hands that can dangle in a phone booth. Reway has a hard, accurate shot and a quick release which makes him extremely dangerous as a goal scorer. He also has good vision and passing abilities.
He also is a very quick and agile skater. He has good top end speed and acceleration and he is shifty and slippery making him extremely hard to contain off the rush, or even off the cycle game in the offensive zone. He has good balance and is strong on the puck for his size.
While Reway is an offensive dynamo, he does need some work on his defensive game. He has a tendency to fly the zone early, looking for a long breakaway pass. His lack of size also means that he can get beat by bigger players in his own end.”
Martin Reway was one of Last Word on Sport’s Top Shelf Prospects to watch in 2012-13 for the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League for his play with the Gatineau Olympiques.
PRESS RELEASE
MONTREAL – Montreal Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin announced on Wednesday that the team has agreed to terms on a three-year, two-way contract (2016-17 to 2018-19) with forward Martin Reway.
“We are very pleased to have reached an agreement with Martin Reway. A young forward with tremendous offensive skills, Martin has the potential to become a very good player. He enjoyed success during his two seasons in North America with the QMJHL’s Gatineau Olympiques before turning professional in Europe and playing in the Czech Republic and Switzerland the past two years. Our scouting personnel had the opportunity to see him play several times, including at the international level during the World Juniors and the World Hockey Championships, and we are glad to have him join a group of young prospects who will be competing for a spot with our team at training camp in September,” said Bergevin.
Reway, 21, completed the 2015-16 season with Fribourg-Gotteron in the Swiss National League A, recording 21 points (8 goals, 13 assists) in 19 games. The 5’9’’ and 173 lbs winger began the season with Czech Extraliga’s Sparta Praha, and registered 15 points (5 goals, 10 assists) in 14 games. A native of Prague, Reway amassed 73 points (22 goals, 51 assists) and 74 penalty minutes in 67 regular season games since making his pro debut in Europe in 2014-15. He added seven points (1 goal, 6 assists) in seven playoff contests. At age 19, in his first professional season in Europe, Reway ranked third for Sparta Praha in scoring with 37 points in 34 games (9 goals, 28 assists).
Reway produced 112 points (42 goals, 70 assists), 104 penalty minutes and a plus-12 differential in 90 regular season games with Gatineau (2012 to 2014). He also recorded 27 playoff points (6 goals, 21 assists) over these two seasons, leading the Olympiques in playoff scoring twice.
On the international stage, Reway was selected to Slovakia’s national team on three occasions for the World Junior Championships (bronze medal in 2015), as well as twice for the World Championships (2014 and 2016). He led the Slovak team in goals (4), assists (5) and points (9) at the World Juniors in 2015.
Selected in the fourth round, 116th overall in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft, Reway participated in the Canadiens’ Development Camp in July 2013.
