|
|
Post by NWTHabsFan on Jun 29, 2023 11:39:59 GMT -5
They pick Arber’s younger brother, a LW from Hamilton. Cool story.
Likely higher than anyone expected to be picked.
|
|
|
|
Post by NWTHabsFan on Jun 29, 2023 11:54:49 GMT -5
6’2” 175lbs. Tough kid. 13g 12a for only 25pts in 68 games in his first OHL season with the Bulldogs.
|
|
|
|
Post by folatre on Jun 29, 2023 11:55:34 GMT -5
They know the family's work ethic and character, so that probably propelled him a little higher than some scouting projections.
I remember reading about him a few months, but honestly I cannot recall much about what type of player he profiles to be.
|
|
|
|
Post by Willie Dog on Jun 29, 2023 11:56:35 GMT -5
6’2” 175lbs. Tough kid. 13g 12a for only 25pts in 68 games in his first OHL season with the Bulldogs. If he makes the team, the left side of the ice will not be nice for opposing teams... Florian had 7 fights last year |
|
|
|
Post by NWTHabsFan on Jun 29, 2023 13:04:54 GMT -5
101st Overall – F Florian Xhekaj, Hamilton (OHL)
Things have gone well with one Xhekaj in Montreal and the Habs have decided to double down, selecting Arber’s younger brother, a rugged winger out of the OHL.
Bio
Forward
Shoots: Left
DOB: June 27, 2004 – Hamilton, ON
Height: 6’2
Weight: 175 lbs
Scouting Reports
DraftPro Hockey: Physical, grinding winger. Has long, powerful strides allowing him to get up to good straight-line speed but has poor acceleration from a standstill. Good crossovers to generate momentum. Slows down when carrying the puck. His wrist shot has good power behind it with good enough accuracy to get in on net consistently but isn’t one to pick corners. Takes some time to release it. Very physical player. Throws the body well. Great reserve hit ability. Smart player. Has good vision. Not creative with the puck but makes good decisions. Projects as a bottom-six checking winger at the NHL level.
Elite Prospects: Around the net, Xhekaj looks like a professional player. He doesn’t just plant himself in front; he moves his feet, presents his stick, and detaches from defenders just as the puck comes through. Tricky one-timers and high-skill deflections are his scoring tools, complemented by those off-puck reads. As a draft-plus-one with little scoring, Xhekaj doesn’t have the profile of an NHL draft pick. But his development curve might interest teams late. Given the reads, off-puck game, and energy, he’s likely to become an OHL scorer next season.
Stats
Rankings
Central Scouting: 131 (NA Skaters)
Draft Prospects Hockey: 214
|
|
|
|
Post by seventeen on Jun 29, 2023 13:13:49 GMT -5
I've always thought Arber had above average hockey IQ and processed the game well (offensively at least) I like that in interviews he does not stick to standard cliches like so many players. I like players to think before answering questions and to avoid "we need to throw the puck in and forecheck hard" type of answers. I don't doubt Florian has that same intelligence and if you're going to take a flyer, why not a tough, smart kid and then support him to develop to the best of his ability?
|
|
|
|
Post by folatre on Jun 29, 2023 14:37:00 GMT -5
Little Xhekaj probably went 50-75 slots before he was projected, but I really like this pick.
There are not that many mean, edgy dudes in the NHL anymore because the skill and particularly the speed of the contemporary game is a major obstacle. But there is a need for these types of players and a real demand for them. Therefore, it makes sense to try to draft one every couple of years. Pezzetta skates way better now than he did when he was 18-20 years old. I anticipate little Xhekaj improving too.
|
|
|
|
Post by Cranky on Jun 29, 2023 14:48:07 GMT -5
If it runs in the family, I expect Little X, aka LX, to work his butt off and improve by leaps and bounds.
I also don't expect him to stay at 175 pounds for more then a few hours. I bet we will see a stout, way past 200 pound plus player faster then we think.
|
|
|
|
Post by NWTHabsFan on Jun 29, 2023 20:21:48 GMT -5
I watched a video of his fights. It is not about the size of the dog in the fight, it is about the size of the fight in the dog. The kid is tough. It must be a family thing. This pick is about grit, not Uber skill. You need a balance in any lineup.
|
|
|
|
Post by habsorbed on Jun 30, 2023 1:17:31 GMT -5
Tis the season for dreaming about potential. This guy could be our next Gally but prepared to drop the gloves and do some damage. I hate to see what happens to the guy who gives either of these bros a cheap shot while the other is on the ice.
|
|
|
|
Post by Willie Dog on Jun 30, 2023 10:48:02 GMT -5
Tis the season for dreaming about potential. This guy could be our next Gally but prepared to drop the gloves and do some damage. I hate to see what happens to the guy who gives either of these bros a cheap shot while the other is on the ice. ya but a**holes like Marchand and the Tkajerks would do this to draw penalties, cheapshot one brother to infuriate the other... There is always a time and a place for retribution.... |
|
|
|
Post by seventeen on Jun 30, 2023 12:03:05 GMT -5
Tis the season for dreaming about potential. This guy could be our next Gally but prepared to drop the gloves and do some damage. I hate to see what happens to the guy who gives either of these bros a cheap shot while the other is on the ice. ya but a**holes like Marchand and the Tkajerks would do this to draw penalties, cheapshot one brother to infuriate the other... There is always a time and a place for retribution.... I doubt Marchand or Tkachuk would try that more than once. |
|
|
|
Post by Habs_fan_in_LA on Jun 30, 2023 22:15:20 GMT -5
101st Overall – F Florian Xhekaj, Hamilton (OHL) Things have gone well with one Xhekaj in Montreal and the Habs have decided to double down, selecting Arber’s younger brother, a rugged winger out of the OHL. Bio Forward Shoots: Left DOB: June 27, 2004 – Hamilton, ON Height: 6’2 Weight: 175 lbs Scouting Reports DraftPro Hockey: Physical, grinding winger. Has long, powerful strides allowing him to get up to good straight-line speed but has poor acceleration from a standstill. Good crossovers to generate momentum. Slows down when carrying the puck. His wrist shot has good power behind it with good enough accuracy to get in on net consistently but isn’t one to pick corners. Takes some time to release it. Very physical player. Throws the body well. Great reserve hit ability. Smart player. Has good vision. Not creative with the puck but makes good decisions. Projects as a bottom-six checking winger at the NHL level. Elite Prospects: Around the net, Xhekaj looks like a professional player. He doesn’t just plant himself in front; he moves his feet, presents his stick, and detaches from defenders just as the puck comes through. Tricky one-timers and high-skill deflections are his scoring tools, complemented by those off-puck reads. As a draft-plus-one with little scoring, Xhekaj doesn’t have the profile of an NHL draft pick. But his development curve might interest teams late. Given the reads, off-puck game, and energy, he’s likely to become an OHL scorer next season. Stats Rankings Central Scouting: 131 (NA Skaters) Draft Prospects Hockey: 214 The only pick I like. Hugo has more info than me and more scouts. Why didn’t he pick Wright and Michkov. Very very disappointed. |
|
|
|
Post by Willie Dog on Jul 1, 2023 9:04:30 GMT -5
101st Overall – F Florian Xhekaj, Hamilton (OHL) Things have gone well with one Xhekaj in Montreal and the Habs have decided to double down, selecting Arber’s younger brother, a rugged winger out of the OHL. Bio Forward Shoots: Left DOB: June 27, 2004 – Hamilton, ON Height: 6’2 Weight: 175 lbs Scouting Reports DraftPro Hockey: Physical, grinding winger. Has long, powerful strides allowing him to get up to good straight-line speed but has poor acceleration from a standstill. Good crossovers to generate momentum. Slows down when carrying the puck. His wrist shot has good power behind it with good enough accuracy to get in on net consistently but isn’t one to pick corners. Takes some time to release it. Very physical player. Throws the body well. Great reserve hit ability. Smart player. Has good vision. Not creative with the puck but makes good decisions. Projects as a bottom-six checking winger at the NHL level. Elite Prospects: Around the net, Xhekaj looks like a professional player. He doesn’t just plant himself in front; he moves his feet, presents his stick, and detaches from defenders just as the puck comes through. Tricky one-timers and high-skill deflections are his scoring tools, complemented by those off-puck reads. As a draft-plus-one with little scoring, Xhekaj doesn’t have the profile of an NHL draft pick. But his development curve might interest teams late. Given the reads, off-puck game, and energy, he’s likely to become an OHL scorer next season. Stats Rankings Central Scouting: 131 (NA Skaters) Draft Prospects Hockey: 214 The only pick I like. Hugo has more info than me and more scouts. Why didn’t he pick Wright and Michkov. Very very disappointed. 3 teams passed on Wright and 6 teams passed on Michov... there were concerns about Wright and lack of growth in his final year of juniors and with Michov it was the unknown... with Bobrov part of the scouting staff they had access to people around Michov... I would hope they would have known about any concerns and thats why they passed on him... |
|
|
|
Post by Willie Dog on Jul 1, 2023 9:16:08 GMT -5
The Wi-Fi family must be thrilled both kids are part of the Habs organization. It must have been wild when the Habs drafted Florian, they must have jumped for joy
|
|
|
|
Post by Willie Dog on Jul 1, 2023 9:26:43 GMT -5
Florian fights
|
|
|
|
Post by folatre on Jul 2, 2023 21:08:36 GMT -5
The Hockey News was probably my favorite publication as 10-15 year old so I got my son a subscription last year. Today he was reading The Hockey News online and he came across a nice Habs update. Among the news, there was a little vignette about Florian Xhekaj's draft day experience. Interestingly enough, Little Xhekaj was not in Nashville, apparently family members including himself had to work that day. At the precise moment the Habs called, he was pumping iron in the gym with a couple of buds. But the family had a nice evening, going out to a local steakhouse and big brother picked up the tab.
I like it. Nothing wrong with a good kid just working his summer job, lifting weights, and enjoying large steaks with the family.
|
|
|
|
Post by seventeen on Jul 3, 2023 0:40:37 GMT -5
The Hockey News was probably my favorite publication as 10-15 year old so I got my son a subscription last year. Today he was reading The Hockey News online and he came across a nice Habs update. Among the news, there was a little vignette about Florian Xhekaj's draft day experience. Interestingly enough, Little Xhekaj was not in Nashville, apparently family members including himself had to work that day. At the precise moment the Habs called, he was pumping iron in the gym with a couple of buds. But the family had a nice evening, going out to a local steakhouse and big brother picked up the tab. I like it. Nothing wrong with a good kid just working his summer job, lifting weights, and enjoying large steaks with the family. Good to hear that Arber was there too. Don't know about the rest of you, but I'm finding it a little troubling with all the photos of Cole Caufield having a good time with buds and beer. Is he not working out and getting ready for next season? Arber is. |
|
|
|
Post by Willie Dog on Jul 5, 2023 12:21:06 GMT -5
|
|
|
|
Post by seventeen on Jul 5, 2023 13:10:20 GMT -5
I hope we have patience with Florian. He was picked in large part because management has a very high opinion of the family characteristics, and overcoming odds is a big part of that. Still, Florian needs to develop skills to complement his character and that make take 3 or 4 seasons. Hopefully not as two WiFi's are better than one.
|
|
|
|
Post by NWTHabsFan on Jul 5, 2023 13:30:08 GMT -5
I hope we have patience with Florian. He was picked in large part because management has a very high opinion of the family characteristics, and overcoming odds is a big part of that. Still, Florian needs to develop skills to complement his character and that make take 3 or 4 seasons. Hopefully not as two WiFi's are better than one. Yeah, even the bottom six guys in the NHL tended to have some offense in juniors. His 19 year old stats are quite underwhelming. I am hoping for a breakout year this season with better ice time and a bigger role on the Bulldogs. The scouts definitely picked him this early in the backs of their love of culture and work ethic more so than pure hockey skill. Now, getting these hard nosed guys is important too, but they still need to play at a high enough caliber to keep in an NHL lineup in a bottom line role. Given the family work ethic though, I would not bet against this kid. |
|
|
|
Post by folatre on Jul 5, 2023 18:44:20 GMT -5
For sure, little Xhekaj was not an offensive weapon as an 18 year old in the OHL, so hopefully he works on skill development as hard as he works in the weight room.
Pezzetta was a non-factor offensively in Sudbury until his D+2 season. And he just kept plugging away, making significant improvements in areas such as skating well after he signed his first professional contract.
Humility and work ethic are powerful foundations. I would bet on Xhekaj.
|
|
|
|
Post by Cranky on Jul 5, 2023 19:51:57 GMT -5
Work ethic beats entitlement 146 times out of 100.
I'm sick and tired hearing about these kids who had skating issues and five years later, they still have the same issue.
You can't teach vision and certainly not going to change a brain that works at Atari speeds, but shot, skating and positioning are well within the learning range of any prospect. Obviously you are not going to get a Weber shot out of Ghallly, no matter how many times he gets hit with the puck, but you can certainly improve speed and accuracy to a degree.
My football coach use to say...if you ain't bleeding and puking, you're not trying hard enough.
|
|
|
|
Post by Willie Dog on Sept 2, 2023 21:06:21 GMT -5
|
|
|
|
Post by Disgruntled70sHab on Sept 24, 2023 21:04:17 GMT -5
|
|
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/archetype/6F6VF25GCFF2HFJCOITRJSGNPE.jpg)
