The Habs Top 10 Prospects: #10 Florian Xhekaj

  Florian brought much more offensive flair to his game alongside the toughness that was already there, the year after being drafted. Xhekaj put up 65 points in 63 games for the Brantford Bulldogs, improving his previous season total by 40 points. As a result, he managed to be arguably the Habs’ most improved prospect in the 2023-24 season. This came as no surprise to Canadiens Director of Amateur Scouting, Nick Bobrov, who said that Florian is a true unicorn and nobody knows his exact potential, in scouting meetings ahead of the 2023 NHL draft.   

  What came this past season in Laval nobody could have expected, Xhekaj managed to finish tied for 2nd on the team in goals with 24. This feat is even more impressive when you realize he scored those goals with no power-play time. He even finished tied for 4th in the entire AHL for shorthanded goals with 4. The fact that he did this as a rookie makes it even more impressive. He also led the entire AHL in penalty minutes with 175. No AHL in the AHL has put up 24 goals and 175+ penalty minutes in the same season since David Ling did it back in 1995-96 with the Saint John Flames. However, Xhekaj is also a bigger player who can translate better to the NHL as a whole.    Normally, a player projected to be an NHL fourth liner wouldn’t be a part of a top 10 prospects list for a team with so much depth. Still, Florian is a special player who can grow into something great on the penalty kill in the future, as well as help create a tough line identity for the team’s 4th line in the future.   

It will be interesting to see how Xhekaj fares in his second season with the Laval Rocket, although with the way he plays, he may not be far off from playing on the Habs’ fourth line. His former teammate Logan Mailloux, who he played with the Rocket last year, said on the Sick Podcast with Tony Marinaro, that he loves his style of play and thinks that Florian should be in the NHL as of next season. The fact that Mailloux holds him in high praise is a great sign, as it shows Florian’s play style was rubbing off on his teammates.  

  It shouldn’t be that surprising, as last year at Canadiens Rookie Camp, along with Luke Tuch and Tyler Thorpe, he formed likely the most lethal line in their two-game set against the Toronto Maple Leafs’ prospects. The trio was big with each of them being 6’3 200 LBS or bigger, allowing them to bully their way to the net, which led to multiple scoring chances. Given that none of the three guys have cracked the NHL roster, we will likely get another glimpse of this line on September 13th and 14th at the Bell Centre vs. the prospects of the Winnipeg Jets and the Ottawa Senators.   

Expect another impressive season from Xhekaj as he just continues to get better every year. He truly is a unicorn.