Florian Xhekaj is developing nicely

Florian Xhekaj is looking to be the Montreal Canadiens' second lethal weapon from the 2022 NHL Draft, which has Kent Hughes looking like a certified genius.

The fanbase need not hear further noise about the Xhekaj family, and the kind of players that wear that family name. Arber is an animal, and his intelligence has allowed him to acclimate to the NHL as a late bloomer, and then his physicality and smooth skating took over, both of which are impressive for a big man (6-foot-2, 240 pounds). But the way he thinks the game, and chooses when to throw a hit has improved significantly since the beginning of the season.

However - and it's two different leagues - younger brother, Florian, has been mightily impressive, proving a couple of things to the Laval Rocket' faithful. But, in particular, his Head Coach, Pascal Vincent has been impressed by his rookie forward.

Xhekaj's offence game has translated smoothly; No. 63 has been dominant on the forecheck, masked a great shot with speed, and ferocious rushes to the net. But he is a threatening shooter, and I see many parts of Brady Tkachuk's style in Xhekaj.

The threat of being able to get run by a forward, and then having your defenseman get the brakes beat off him for defending your goaltender, apparently frightens goalies. Xhekaj is absolutely that guy for the Rocket, and his knack for collecting loose pucks in the low slot is exciting. I see power play potential, based solely on his heavy release, and what he can do in front of the net.

Of the many impressive elements, it is fun to watch his many skills come together on the ice. The sequence below is a fantastic visual representation of the things that Xhekaj is capable of doing during a single shift.

Xhekaj tied the game 2-2 with 9:03 remaining in the game, and immediately after, he surely chirped his opponent. He can impact the game, by doing the little things well consistently. His irritated opponent got caught with his pants down, losing a battle that ended up in his net, then taking an undisciplined penalty moments later.

Some guys are just too driven to not excel, and they use the competitive fire that it took to get there, to stay there. The brothers Xhekaj are the perfect example of just doing everything to help the team every shift. By any means necessary, could be a great way to describe their mentality.

Florian is an animal, and for those who don't watch him play, he alone is worth the price of admission. But if you take a look at the American Hockey League standings, you will come to see that Laval is firing on all cylinders. The rookie forward has played 58 games for the Rocket, and the 6-foot-3, 192-pound Hamilton, ON native, has scored 18-11-29.

For comparison, Xhekaj's best season of major junior, came during his draft year - 34-31-65 in 63 games - these are pretty average numbers. But they were a significant increase in his production the year before that. His point total after the 2020-21 OHL season was 13-12-25 in 68 games, so it was a big jump.

But the trajectory is immense, in that he has surpass any expectation I had for him, and he is only getting better. With growing confidence, and 10-15 additional pounds of muscle next year at camp, Xhekaj may very well crack the Canadiens lineup. Watching him try should be the most exciting part of all.

After all, he has big brother Arber, patrolling the Canadiens blueline right now that he can lean on, and who he has watched flourish into a NHL top-six defender with serious bite, and untapped potential that he has yet to achieve.

I like his odds.

Work hard, but family harder

While the next edition of the Bash Brothers is still a dream for the Montreal Canadiens faithful, the people wearing the Bleu, Blanc and Rouge CH crested sweaters, are more important than the hockey player.

The Xhekaj's are a tightknit clan, so understandably Florian and Arber are beloved by their teammates. And off the ice, they always have time for Mom and Dad.

With a little bit of time off between games and travel, Florian and Arber are back home with their family in Hamilton. And what better way to take in the crisp late March air, than back home taking a walk through the community?

On the ice, the pair are both working through the final stretch of the season, both with playoff aspirations. Laval has been on a tear this year and currently sits at the top as the best team in the AHL. Montreal, as you know is in the thick of the final stretch of their playoff hunt, with 13 games left on the schedule.

Being able to tone it down, and get away from the game to rest, recover and get some quality family time should serve the brothers well during the final stretch. Hopefully, like Florian's Rocket, Xhekaj's Canadiens can continue their way to a playoff berth.