Before the ICE made its way to Winnipeg, Sam Reinhart led the Kootenay ICE for parts of five seasons. During that time, two WHL awards along with a CHL award and multiple Gold Medals. With 319 points in 250 games, he leads the ICE franchise in assists and is second in points to this day.
After a short stint with the club in 2010-11, Reinhart made the jump full-time in 2011-12, scoring 28 goals and adding 62 points in 67 games. During the season, he was invited to play not just at the U17 but also on the U18 team. He would win the WHL Rookie of the Year, becoming the second player to win the award in ICE history (Dan Blackburn 1999-00).
In his second season, Reinhart was given an “A” despite only being 18. That season, he improved on his rookie campaign by scoring 35 goals and registering 85 points in 72 games. He was once again selected to Team Canada at the U18s, where he captained them to Gold. He also captained them at the Ivan Hlinka Memorial tournament to a Gold as well. Lastly, he was named to the WHL East Second All-Star Team. While his second season was great, it does not compare to year three.
During the 2013-14 season, Reinhart was named captain and exploded for 105 points in 65 games. He was selected to Team Canada’s World Junior team as well as the CHL Subway Super Series team. Not only was he dominant in the regular season, but he also registered 23 points in 13 playoff games. For his efforts, he was awarded the Four Broncos award as WHL Player of the Year, the WHL Most Sportsmanlike Award, WHL East First All-Star Team and the CHL Sportsman of the Year. Arguably, the best season in ICE history.
In Reinhart’s final WHL season, he once again captained the ICE to a playoff spot with 65 points in 47 games. Once again, he was named to the WHL East Second All-Star Team for the second time in his career. While he performed well in the WHL, it was the World Juniors where he dominated, putting up 11 points on way to a Gold Medal. Not only was he named part of the All-Star Team, but he also scored the Golden Goal for Canada. Unfortunately, the ICE were eliminated in the first round that season-ending his WHL career.
Reinhart put up an astounding 1.28 points per game while in the WHL and showed the hockey world he was one of the most talented junior players of the 2010s. Few come close to his success on the ice, which is why he makes the Best of the 2010s list.
