Florian, the younger brother of the physically strong Habs defenseman Arber Xhekaj, is a forward in the same league as his brother.
2024 Montreal Canadiens Top 25 Under 25: #23 Florian Xhekaj
When the Montreal Canadiens took Florian Xhekaj in the fourth round of the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, it was a bit of an off-the-board pick, at least insofar as the pre-draft rankings suggested. When drafting in those later rounds, a lot of picks can seem to be out of left field as teams look for specific traits or skills that they covet, knowing full well that the more complete prospects are long gone by that point.
The younger sibling of bruising Habs defenceman Arber Xhekaj, Florian plays a similar game to his brother, albeit as a forward. That seems to be what the Habs were coveting: a menacingly physical forward who is a nightmare for opposing teams to play against. Again, much like his brother, he is a late bloomer, and didn’t debut in the OHL until he was 18 years old, joining his brother’s former team with the — then Hamilton, now Brantford — Bulldogs.
Elite Prospects
His modest draft-year production as a rookie in the OHL kept him off a lot of pre-draft lists altogether, but he showed some real potential while playing a bottom-six role and putting up 25 points. He added some sandpaper to Hamilton’s lineup, and while it didn’t generate a ton of draft buzz for him, Montreal took a flyer on him regardless of his draft rankings, hoping that he was capable of more, and so far he has proven them right on that front.
He took a big step forward last season, more than doubling his rookie point total, and crossing the point-per-game plateau with 65 points in 63 games. He earned his way into the top six, and started flashing some skills that many didn’t know he had. He impressed enough that once the Bulldogs were eliminated from the OHL playoffs, he received a three-game stint with the Laval Rocket, He’ll be coming to rookie and main camp for Montreal this season riding a pretty absurd development curve.
Voting
Seven ballots had Xhekaj inside of the top 25. Thanks in part to three ballots including that of the community agreeing on a high vote of 21, he finds himself making our official list for the first time.
The vote distribution was fairly typical for Xhekaj, notably without the trail of votes into the latter ranks you tend to see with newer draft picks.
Top 25 Under 25 History
This is a big jump for the younger Xhekaj, having debuted in our Long Shots category last year and now finding himself 22 spots higher in his second year of eligibility. Taking that big step forward in the OHL earned him a lot of favour with our panellists, as almost all of the votes last year had him in the 40s.
History of #23
Year #23
2023 Jacob Fowler
2022 Frederik Dichow
2021 Brett Stapley
2020 Otto Leskinen
2019 Rhett Pitlick
2018 Michael McCarron
2017 Lukas Vejdemo
2016 Zachary Fucale
2015 Gabriel Dumont
2014 Darren Dietz
2013 Dalton Thrower
2012 Greg Pateryn
2011 Alain Berger
2010 Andreas Engqvist
Strengths
The same things that have endeared Arber to Canadiens fans are present in Florian’s game. He has pro-ready size, is extremely physical, and does not hesitate for a second to drop the mitts when the opportunity presents itself. These traits were undoubtedly a big part of the decision to draft him, as the Habs have clearly been trying to strike a balance between skill and being tough to play against with their draft picks in recent years.
An encouraging development from last season was that he learned to use that size more to his advantage offensively, not just in board battles and fights. He’s become quite the net-front presence, sowing chaos near the opposing crease and reaping the benefits in the form of rebounds or screened looks for his linemates. But in a very interesting turn of events, standing in front of the net has become far from his only method of generating offence.
Significant improvement to his skating has helped, and he has far craftier hands than you would expect. While he does, and will likely continue to, score most of his goals near the net, he has developed the ability to really challenge defenders and create opportunities for himself rather than just parking in front of the net. These deceptive handles are somewhat of a brand-new element to his game, so he could just be scratching the surface of what he can do.
Lastly, his shot has also improved a fair bit, his one-timer in particular, using his weight transfer well to get as much velocity as he can. It is still an area he will want to improve upon as he looks to turn pro, but as evidenced by his jump from 13 to 34 goals, he’s on track to turni it into more of a strength.
Weaknesses
Again, much like his brother, the propensity for violence can and does lead to undisciplined penalties. You can quickly find yourself a target for officials when playing with that edge, so he’ll need to practise some restraint. It’s a difficult balance to strike because he’ll want to keep that mean streak that has been a hallmark of his game so far, but do so in a way that limits his time serving minor penalties.
I also don’t find he’s quite as accomplished when it comes to fighting as his brother. He keeps his chin up in the air a bit too much, and while his size gives him a massive margin for error in the OHL, that advantage all but disappears in professional hockey. He has more to offer than his fists, so ideally he will try to make that something he only does when it fits the situation.
While he has improved a lot in his skating, it is still an area he needs work on. His stride looks a little awkward, albeit powerful, and it’s just a matter of continuing to work on it so that he can compete with professional skaters. He was able to slip into pockets of space a lot last season, receive passes, and then drive the net. This was great for his production, and he’ll want to maintain that element as a pro by getting his skating to a higher level.
Projection
A big question that won’t be answered until camp this year is where he plays in 2024-25. He turned 20 back in June, so he is not required to be sent back to the OHL in the likely scenario that he doesn’t make the Habs out of camp. The development staff in Montreal will have to make a decision on whether the better path for him is to play for the Laval Rocket, or to return for an over-age year in the OHL before turning pro.
Brock Otten from McKeen’s scouting joined our podcast recently and suggested that the best place for Xhekaj to continue developing his offensive game is the OHL. Given his level of experience, this seems like the best route, as he still has fewer Junior games under his belt than most middle-round picks would have before turning pro. Gaining more confidence and increasing his scoring touch would be huge benefits to his eventual NHL projection, and the best place for him to do that is likely not going to be the AHL where he’ll have to work his way up the lineup.
That being said, he has already gotten a taste of professional hockey in Laval with three games last season, and the exponential improvement he’s shown makes it silly to doubt him. If he has found yet another level between the end of last season and training camp, he could force the organization’s hand. He has said himself that his goal is to make the Habs out of camp — a lofty objective, to be sure — so he’s clearly aiming for the stars and will try to put himself in the mix when he gets the chance.
As for his NHL potential, he has the makings of a very effective bottom-six winger. He has played some centre in the OHL, but a home for him in the professional ranks will be on the wing. Turning into a top-six producer would be a very unlikely scenario, but you need some sandpaper in the lower half of your lineup, and with the way he’s rounding out his offensive game, he could be a lot more than just a bruiser for the Habs in such a role.
