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Montreal Canadiens Prospect Profile: Florian Xhekaj
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- Montreal Canadiens Prospect Profile: Florian Xhekaj
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As we continue our in-depth profile series of the top Montreal Canadiens prospects, as voted on by Habs fans, we've reached one of the most interesting young players in the organization: Laval Rocket forward Florian Xhekaj.
N.B.: To qualify for the project, prospects must be 23 years old or younger and currently playing outside the NHL. In other words, even though Canadiens players such as Lane Hutson , Juraj Slafkovsky , and Ivan Demidov are young enough to qualify, they've already established themselves as NHL players and are no longer considered prospects.
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Previously Published Montreal Canadiens Prospect Rankings
Canadiens Prospects Who Just Missed the Cut
Canadiens Prospects Ranked 20-16
Canadiens Prospects Ranked 15-11
No.10 – Towering Hayden Paupanekis
Florian Xhekaj
9. LW/Centre, Shoots Left, 21, Laval Rocket (NCAA), 6'4″, 205 lb. Picked 101st overall in 2023.
Many eyebrows were raised when the Montreal Canadiens picked Florian Xhekaj early in the fourth round of the 2023 NHL Entry Draft.
Statistically speaking, a player who only produced 25 points in 68 OHL games is not worthy of a draft pick, nor is he expected to ever make his way to the NHL.
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But as we've come to know in Montreal, the Xhekajs don't conform to expectations.
For example, Florian's brother Arber was the only defenceman in modern NHL history to leap straight from the OHL to the NHL after being passed over in the draft.
It was a sign of things to come, as Florian didn't just defy expectations, he blew them out of the water following his first season of professional hockey.
Xhekaj managed to score 24 goals and 11 assists in 69 games as a rookie, while spending most of his time on the Laval Rocket's fourth line. This was not just an impressive feat, it set a franchise record for goals from a rookie skater.
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Of course, we do have to be realistic about his inflated shooting percentage, which ran at 25% throughout the year, but the fact remains that Xhekaj did not just prove the doubters wrong, he quickly propelled himself up the Montreal Canadiens prospect list due to his unique combination of skill and pugnacity.
The goals have been a little harder to come by in his sophomore season, as his shooting percentage has normalized to a certain extent, to the tune of 12.5%. Xhekaj also spent some time in Montreal after a call-up by the Canadiens, adding yet another hurdle when it comes to maintaining a certain level of consistency.
During that call up Xhekaj only played five games with the Habs, limiting his opportunities to make an impact, but it's fair to say he did not look out of place in the NHL, especially when we consider he's yet to complete two full years of professional hockey.
Strengths
Even though players who do not hesitate to engage in fisticuffs are generally labelled as goons or one-trick ponies, that is certainly not the case for Xhekaj.
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Just ask the reigning AHL Coach Of The Year, Pascal Vincent.
He uses Xhekaj when the Rocket need a goal, when he wants to protect a late-game lead, on the powerplay, on the penalty kill, and every other possible situation that may occur in a hockey game.
He's truly the team's Canadian-Albanian-Kosovan-Czech army knife. And that knife turns into a hammer whenever an opposing player takes liberties with one of Xhekaj's teammates.
He will score most of his goals by carving out precious ice in the offensive zone, capitalizing on rebounds or putting himself in a good position to deflect a point shot, though he has scored several times by beating goalies with a clean shot.
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Once again, versatility is clearly one of his greatest strengths.
Weaknesses
Xhekaj is an old-school player in a new-school sports landscape, which tends to lead to a bevy of penalties. In fact, he led the AHL in penalty minutes during his rookie season, with 175 PIMs to his name. It's par for the course when discussing a rough-and-tumble player, and Xhekaj would not be as effective if he played a more restrained brand of hockey, but there is always a learning process when it comes to adapting to the officiating in various leagues.
A certain lack of discipline may fly in the AHL, but it's one of the least desirable traits in the NHL. Xhekaj will have to pick his spots a little more carefully going forward.
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There's some work left to be done when it comes to his skating mechanics, though I'd argue he's not a bad skater, per se. Rather, he has an awkward first few strides, which gives the perception that he's not moving very fast.
Xhekaj could also stand to improve his overall shot rate, to avoid relying on an inflated shooting percentage. On that note, he's taking 1.7 shots per game this year, which is a significant uptick on the 1.3 shots per game he took during his rookie season.
What To Expect From Xhekaj Moving Forward
After reading his profile, you may be wondering why Xhekaj is not currently playing in the NHL.
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It's true that he's done much better than anyone could have reasonably expected, however, we should guard against rushing Xhekaj into the Canadiens lineup. He's done everything the team has asked of him, and more, but there is something to be said about allowing players to develop with some semblance of consistency in their usage.
The AHL is a perfect developmental league for a player such as Xhekaj, at least for the time being, even if he's already well ahead of the usual curve when it comes to his NHL aspirations.
His playing style, impressive work ethic, and well-rounded skill set should eventually earn him a long-term role in the NHL, most likely on the fourth line, though we are not quite at that stage yet.
All Montreal Canadiens prospect statistics via Elite Prospects .
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