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Top 25 des moins de 25 ans des Canadiens de Montréal 2024 : #23 Florian Xhekaj
9 Comments
If there’s one player that I expected the community to vote higher than any panelists on it was Florian so I’m not surprised at all to see it happened. Might also be the case for Arber when his turn comes.
When I read that he was drafted last year, I thought they drafted him because or Arber Xhekaj. Never heard of him before, and kinda perplexed.
But then, when I saw numerous highlights of his recent season in the OHL, now I get it. He’s mean, gritty, can score, work pretty hard and most importantly, not afraid of nobody, and play smart enough to not get penalties. I’m glad he is on our team, not in Boston or Philly or Florida.
Right now, he’s one of the few prospects I’m looking for at the next training camp. Will he make it? I doubt it (if not, he’s going to Laval), but if he does and dominate in the camp, then Pezzetta is in big trouble.
Florian has the profile of a 4th liner, only for that reason he should be ranked way higher.
He’ll never be as good as Juraj or a top 6 power forward, but every team needs depth physical guys.
Florian seems to project to be a somewhat higher upside than Pezzeta. But bigger body and hopefully a bit more skill. These types of player definitely have a role on the team.
The guy projects as a 4th liner, I don’t think he should be this high, especially over guys like Heineman who actually have NHL tools.
If he didn’t have the same last name, no one would be talking about the d+2 player who averaged a point a game. People salivating over a future 4th liner who is (on any good organization) instantly replaceable is weird.
Another one of my faves.
Just to set the picture right: Flo is a skilled played in a huge body. He’s not his brother; a huge guy who happens to have skills.
Once you get that distinction right, the expectations for Flo changes and his strengths become clearer.
The foundation of his game works by itself, without the physicality. He’s got a huge wingspan and he knows where to be. That allows him to take up a huge amount of space down the center lane, from one end to the other.
His skating is fine for a guy that still doesn’t seem quite used to his bigger body. His feet are quick, his strides are good and his mobility is adequate. Lower body strength has yet to catch up to his growth, but once it does he’ll be more explosive and have better balance.
He’s fine passing or shooting. He’s got a good head for the game and keeps things simple and efficient.
It’s when you add the physicality at the end that the entire package rises in value. He can do fine without bullying anyone, but he can bully anyone if it comes to that.
He’s still a bit light for his frame, so he won’t be bullying as much in the pros as he did in juniors until he packs up good pounds.
When you put it all together, you have a guy that is smart and skilled enough to play and follow top talent, either on the wing on a higher line, or at center on a lower line.
There’s a lot to his game that looks like a raw version of Eriksson Ek. Maybe not as much finesse, but a lot of the same « in the right place at the right time » efficiency on a big frame.
His hockey sense gives him more potential than a prototypical big 4th liner. Sometimes I think Flo is actually the player Michael McCarron was thought would be.
Seems like a no-brainer to draft guys like this after the 3rd round. All we need out of picks 4-7 are size, physical play and checking. Perfect 3rd/4th liners.
This guy and Tuch could be forces out there in the future helping us in the playoffs
He’s a dark horse prospect. He seems to have his brother’s work ethic which makes me believe he’ll be a solid NHL player in a few years. Definitely a solid pick and I wouldn’t be surprised if he shot up this list next year.