Xhekaj Ends OHL Season – Laval Bound?
April 8, 2024
By Grant McCagg
Florian Xhekaj’s OHL season came to a close yesterday in a 6-1 loss to the Ottawa 67s in Game 6 of their first-round OHL series.
The 2023 fourth-round pick was one of the few Bulldogs who showed up for the contest, and Hamilton’s best player by a fair margin. If Hamiltin had dressed six Florian Xhekajs, it’s a different outcome.
The 6-2, 180-pound center played a solid, physical two-way game, and served notice to the Canadiens that there is yet another promising young pivot in the pipeline to go along with Owen Beck and Oliver Kapanen.
Xhekaj played 23:57, had three shots, won 57 percent of his faceoffs and threw three hits. He was on the ice for one empty-net goal against when the game was out of reach, and he was not the culprit on the goal. Xhekax averaged 24 minutes a game in the series, had three goals and two assists, touched the puck more than 100 times per game, and won 55 percent of his draws.
He was Hamilton’s first-line center and tasked with being the puck carrier on zone entries on the first power-play unit. Xhekaj was on the ice for an average of 2.5 goals against per 60. The Bulldogs’ goals against average in the series was 4.5. A two-goal differential per 60 is astronomical, and a clear indication of just how important he was to Hamilton on the defensive end.
Xhekaj skates well for a 6-2 center that still needs 20 pounds of muscle, and once he fills out, he should only have a more powerful stride. His pace and ability to use his long frame effectively along with his competitive edge serve him well away from the puck. He is also an intelligent player, and it all adds up to a prospect who, at the very least, has fourth-line NHL upside.
Xhekaj has enough skill to carve out an NHL career. He has a smooth stride and quick first steps he anticipates the play well, is sound at boxing out opposing centers and competes hard away from the puck. He is a physical net-front presence at both ends and scores a lot of his goals in the crease area. He has decent puck skills and a heavy shot.
Much like his older brother Arber, Xhekaj has seen a significant improvement in his game after the age 9f 18. Passed over in his first year of eligibility as he had yet to crack the OHL, Xhekaj made the Bulldogs last season and showed some flashes offensively in the second half but still only managed 13 goals and 12 assists. This year, he improved that total to 34 goals and 31 assists while going from -17 to +17, so the advancements in his game were tangible at both ends.
Xhekaj has yet to sign an NHL deal but I’d suspect that the club will be chatting to his agent today and looking to sign him to some form of contract. He is a solid NHL prospect, and may well be able to come in and help Laval try to make the playoffs down the home stretch. The Rocket aren’t exactly brimming with 6-2 physical two-way forwards, so the expectation is that he will join the club.
The Canadiens don’t have to sign him to an NHL deal right away to get him to Laval. He may sign an Amateur Try Out contract with Laval, and return to Hamilton for his overage season if the Canadiens feel that he’s not ready to play pro hockey next season. Given that he’s only played two seasons in the OHL, that’s a possibility. There is no rush to sign him at this point.
Here are clips from his game last night: