Jared Davidson, Florian Xhekaj and Lucas Condotta. Photo credit: Laval Rocket X account [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/4544414b-8c57-4fd3-bef0-83e33b2f6c3d.webp] Jared Davidson, Florian Xhekaj and Lucas Condotta. Photo credit: Laval Rocket X account Arber Xhekaj’s younger brother Florian is currently playing his first year of professional hockey with the Laval Rocket, and to say the 101st pick at the 2023 draft is having a good season would be an understatement. The Canadiens Should Trade for Marco Rossi in the Offseason [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/latest-news/the-canadiens-should-trade-for-marco-rossi-in-the-offseason] Canadiens: Taming The Panthers [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/game-day/canadiens-taming-the-panthers] Jacob Fowler Gets Rewarded [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/latest-news/jacob-fowler-gets-rewarded] Drafted by the Montreal Canadiens [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens] in his second year of eligibility for his hard-nosed play and potential, Xhekaj developed well in the OHL with the Brantford Bulldogs, going from 25 points in his draft year to 65 in the following season. He also upped his penalty minutes from 76 to 81 minutes and came to training camp ready to make an impact. On September 14, during a tilt with the Toronto Maple Leafs' [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs]rookies, he dropped the gloves against Chas Sharpe [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/latest-news/prospect-showdown-canadiens-lose-4-3-to-maple-leafs-in-the-shootout]. The Canadiens assigned him to the Rocket during camp, and he’s done very well under Pascal Vincent's tutelage. On Friday night, in the Rocket’s 4-1 win over the Utica Comets, he scored two goals, including an empty netter, which brought his total to 17 lamplighters on the season. The goal broke the Rocket’s record for most goals in a season by a rookie player, established by Lucas Condotta in 2022-23. While coach Vincent wasn’t aware of the feat, Xhekaj’s teammates were and collected the puck for him. Asked about his player after the game, Vincent admitted that all options were considered about Xhekaj before the start of the season. They decided to keep him in Laval and his performance shows it was the right call. The coach explained he has a great capacity to learn and is a significant contributor to the Rocket’s success. Xhekaj plays on penalty kills but not on power plays, so his goals are scored even at strength. He’s ready to step up for a teammate whenever the situation calls for it and is a great team player. While he won’t ever be a top-six player in the NHL, he has the potential to be a very good bottom-six forward who can play with an edge. In my opinion, he still needs some seasoning in the AHL, but eventually, he will join the Canadiens and become a success story for development in the organization. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Canadiens stories, analysis, breaking news, and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News [https://news.google.com/publications/CAAqBwgKMK-q0gsw7sXpAw/sections/CAQqEAgAKgcICjCvqtILMO7F6QMwo-DfCA?hl=en-CA&gl=CA&ceid=CA%3Aen], never to miss a story. Follow Karine on X @KarineHains [https://x.com/KarineHains] Bluesky @karinehains.bsky.social [https://bsky.app/profile/karinehains.bsky.social] and Threads @karinehains [https://www.threads.net/@karinehains]. Bookmark The Hockey News Canadiens' page [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/] for all the news and happenings around the Canadiens.
