Excerpt from 'Habs Hockey Report' of host Amy Johnson commenting on defenseman Arber Xhekaj's first American Hockey League game. It's safe to say the last month or so of this young hockey season hasn't exactly gone the way defenseman Arber Xhekaj envisioned it would. After missing a number of weeks due to an injury, the tough rearguard found himself loaned to the Laval Rocket in the AHL, a league he hurdled when his development path took him from the OHL straight to the NHL. Xhekaj appeared in three games with the Canadiens' AHL affiliate [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/podcasts/rocket-set-franchise-record-laval-week-in-review] last week, and, admittedly, some of those were tough games for the entire team to play in. Upon his arrival [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/rocket/xhekaj-makes-his-ahl-debut-recap-bel-lav], the Rocket were in the midst of a lengthy losing skid, which extended through the first two games in which Xhekaj played. Laval Rocket defenseman Arber Xhekaj [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjAyOTA2NDE3ODczNTYwNjQ0/xhekaj-53380944503_d7b802e1b1_k.jpg] Laval Rocket defenseman Arber Xhekaj Things began to look up on Saturday, however, when the team snapped their nine-game losing streak in a commanding 5-1 victory over the Hartford Wolf Pack [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/rocket/rocket-welcome-a-regulation-win-recap-hfd-lav]. Along the way, Xhekaj picked up an assist in back-to-back games, his first points in the American League. How did the blueliner perform in those three games? To be honest, he didn't look like the player fans are used to seeing in the NHL, although glimpses of his familiar on-ice persona began to surface as the week wore on. When Xhekaj was finally made available to the media on Saturday, he said a lot of the right things, and admitted that it was a bit of an adjustment both on and off the ice in coming down to the AHL. He went on to compliment his Laval teammates on their positive attitude during their slump, and committed to being "a pro" during his time there. For more details, and to hear what my thoughts on how long Xhekaj might find himself staying down in Laval, I invite you to click the video below to watch this week's episode of Habs Hockey Report on YouTube: Arber Xhekaj Speaks After His First Week in the AHL [https://youtu.be/uIgObykCJOU] [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIgObykCJOU[/embed] Be sure to bookmark THN.com/Montreal [https://thn.com/montreal] for year-round coverage of the Montreal Canadiens, Laval Rocket, and Habs prospects playing in leagues around the world. Get a free issue of The Hockey News! [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjAyODg2OTkwMzk0MzAzNTAw/img_6513.jpg] Get a free issue of The Hockey News!
