Florian Xhekaj is just hitting his stride

The Laval Rocket have undergone tremendous growth, many thanks to head coach Pascal Vincent and the Montreal Canadiens director of player development Adam Nicholas.

Joshua Roy and Owen Beck are two guys who have been steadily improving under Vincent's tutelage. Beck is currently auditioning with the Habs - with Kirby Dach injured - and he has, and this might be controversial, looked better there than Dach. Anyway, back to the Rocket, and more importantly what Vincent and Nicholas are doing for the prospect pipeline.

Roy and Beck are two guys, and they deserve to be mentioned at the top, but there are many more names down in Laval that are coming along nicely. Jared Davidson is having a tremendous year, and he looks like a tough middle-six NHL winger in the making, with a lethal shot and release. Emil Heineman was in Laval last year, and this year he has been a cornerstone piece in the bottom six for the Habs.

David Reinbacher has just two games under his belt this season, after suffering an injury during the preseason from an awkward tumble. He looks like he will be in the mix at Canadiens camp next October, I think he will make it over Logan Mailloux, who is another top prospect developing nicely. Reinbacher's all-around game is more refined, whereas Mailloux is more offensive-driven, and has defensive lapses at times.

But I can't help but be excited when I see guys like Sean Farrell, a guy who was nicknamed 'The Silent Assassin' by Nicholas, coming out of their struggles and shining - a fist bump to management is necessary. The right guys are in the important positions, and it's paying off.

I like Luke Tuch, and I expect he will come out of his shell next year, and Adam Engstrom is a smooth left-shot defenseman, who looks like a top-four material NHL blueliner.

Go with the Flo'rian Xhekaj

It's crazy that this article is about Florian Xhekaj, but the team around him has been just as impressive as he has been. The Canadiens camp is going to be rocking next season, and I think Florian will make a huge impression on Martin St Louis and Habs management.

Vincent is putting trust in Xhekaj, and he is returning his head coach with strong two-way hockey while keeping with his physical, abrasive style. Xhekaj has played a responsible game, and his shorthanded tallies this season are a perfect example of benefitting from Vincent's merit system. He was rewarded for his responsible play with penalty-killing time, and with that time, he didn't waste any of it.

Xhekaj has gained confidence from the increased minutes, but not just any minutes, important minutes on the kill. No. 63 for the Rocket should rightfully be feared, but not solely because of his fists. Doubt him at your peril - many did when the Habs drafted him in the fourth round of the 2022 draft - but he isn't going anywhere.

He and his brother Arber have every opportunity to give the Tkachuk brothers a run for their money. You can expect some memorable moments with the two Xhekaj's sporting their bleu, blanc and rouge sweaters. The CH will be tough, just like it was meant to be.

Florian is showing that his toughness is only going to give opponents headaches in all situations, because of his versatility. I see a Swiss Army Knife player in Xhekaj, who has incredible offensive potential - predicated on a wicked release, and nose for the net. I think he will be a fourth-line stud, but I wouldn't be surprised to see him in the middle-six in a pinch.

Xhekaj is a menace, and big brother Arber is doing more of the same with the Canadiens, although the younger brother may have some bragging rights in the goalscoring department. 15 of Xhekaj's 22 rookie season points are goals, and the fact that he is only getting more comfortable should have Habs fans ecstatic.

Florian is on his way, and the Canadiens roster is going to undergo significant changes over the next handful of seasons. While he collects more goals and victims in the AHL, his responsible play will continue to shine. What he does with it, is what we all like - have a look at this shorthanded tally that he scored today.

Yeah, he is a fourth liner for Laval, and he is still just 20 years old, but this guy is a unit. He brings that meanness to the Canadiens, relieving some of the weight from Arber's shoulders. But he will also help tremendously on the Habs penalty kill.

Pretty good for a fourth round pick.