Prospect Info: [2023 - 101st] Florian Xhekaj (OHL - Brantford Bulldogs)

[Guess]

Wow pretty happy to hear about his progression, a 1st/2nd round pick in a redraft! Will it be worth it for his development to keep him in Hamilton next year, and have him spike his production? Or does he need a stronger league to continue that progression.

 

[montreal]

I am impressed as well but the kid turns 20 in July.

Some of these OHL kids lost a year of development to covid, he clearly had a growth spurt. I'm not concerned with his age, it's the way he's playing and the kind of game he plays. A power center is going to be a massive need for us and many teams.

 

[dackelljuneaubulis02]

Some of these OHL kids lost a year of development to covid, he clearly had a growth spurt. I'm not concerned with his age, it's the way he's playing and the kind of game he plays. A power center is going to be a massive need for us and many teams.

I don’t know enough about the other picks to say 1st or 2nd round. But you can’t help but feel he has a ton of room to improve.

If those flashes of high ish end skill become more frequent, he could really be something fairly special

 

[Colezuki]

I am impressed as well but the kid turns 20 in July. I still think he is more likely to play low in the lineup if he makes it but he has shown a lot of progression this season.

I just went and looked at the draft and I have to conclude that he is very unlikely to be a 1st rounder in a redraft as there are very strong prospects all the way through the first round and plenty of 2nd and 3rd rounders who have substantially raised their stock. Calling him a slam dunk first rounder is more ideological than it is based on a comprehensive comparison of who the top 32 prospects are in last years draft.

A 1st rounder get bandied about, but good to remember that a lot of the 1st rounders look like mesar at the end and I’d take xhekaj 2 over him right now

 

[montreal]

A 1st rounder get bandied about, but good to remember that a lot of the 1st rounders look like mesar at the end and I’d take xhekaj 2 over him right now

I haven't been too impressed with a number of the 1st rounders so far, guys like Stramel who went 20th OA and is having a rough season with just 3 goals and 8 points on one of the best teams in the NCAA (I haven't seen him this year though). Even Barlow who I liked a lot last year but at 18th OA I wouldn't trade Xhekaj for him if I were Hughes and that was the offer.

6'4 centers that play a power game and are good in their own end, play a nasty physical game and he imo is likely more skilled then his brother. That's a top 10 pick if the offense keeps progressing and he works on his speed. Not saying that will happen but that this pick is trending very high imo and is easily going to be considered a 1st rounder by many GMs imo.

 

[Heffyhoof]

"I think face-offs were a pretty big challenge for me at the start, not taking face-offs for over a year," Xhekaj said. "My assistant coaches have been helping me in practice a lot. ... I think just that, and obviously in the [defensive] zone, it's different being in the middle. You're supporting every play, rather than being on your own page on wing. It's different, but I think I've adjusted well to it."

Who's going to break his heart?

 

[Rapala]

This entire redraft discussion is so irrelevant to begin with.
What a kid shows at draft age and what a kid shows as he's maturing are all that matters.
We can't determine if he'd be a first round selection in a redraft for another 3 or 4 years.
Anything can happen between now and then for every player selected.
The most important thing as our good friend pointed out is that he is showing remarkable progression in a position of great need.

 

[Doc5]

This entire redraft discussion is so irrelevant to begin with.
What a kid shows at draft age and what a kid shows as he's maturing are all that matters.
We can't determine if he'd be a first round selection in a redraft for another 3 or 4 years.
Anything can happen between now and then for every player selected.
The most important thing as our good friend pointed out is that he is showing remarkable progression is a position of great need.

This + the fact that his actual draft position was thought to be a reach at the time, so it’s all relative up until the cohort has had a few years in the NHL

 

[JianYang]

I am impressed as well but the kid turns 20 in July. I still think he is more likely to play low in the lineup if he makes it but he has shown a lot of progression this season.

I just went and looked at the draft and I have to conclude that he is very unlikely to be a 1st rounder in a redraft as there are very strong prospects all the way through the first round and plenty of 2nd and 3rd rounders who have substantially raised their stock. Calling him a slam dunk first rounder is more ideological than it is based on a comprehensive comparison of who the top 32 prospects are in last years draft.

Odds for a first rounder to make it aren't all that high either, especially as you get in the latter part of it.

Florian seems to be in the process of establishibg a solid floor even if the ceiling isn't as high. Basically the opposite of another late first rounder in the system (mesar).

 

[Habsfire87]

Monster game from Florian today 2 goals and 3 assists!!

 

[Tyson]

Is it safe to call him a Center now?

 

[Adam Michaels]

Monster game from Florian today 2 goals and 3 assists!!

Finishes the season with 65 pts (34G, 31A) in 63 GP.

Is it safe to call him a Center now?

The beauty of it is he has been able to do it playing mostly center, so we know he can play there even if he plays wing when he turns pro.

 

[Rapala]

Finishes the season with 65 pts (34G, 31A) in 63 GP.



The beauty of it is he has been able to do it playing mostly center, so we know he can play there even if he plays wing when he turns pro.

This is HUGE in my books HUGE.

 

[Tyson]

Finishes the season with 65 pts (34G, 31A) in 63 GP.



The beauty of it is he has been able to do it playing mostly center, so we know he can play there even if he plays wing when he turns pro.

Alot of folks were scratching their heads at this pick...this is turning out to be a very intriguing pick after all

 

[Rapala]

Gotta love the entire hockey world sleeping on another Xhekaj.

 

[Adam Michaels]

Gotta love the entire hockey world sleeping on another Xhekaj.

And Montreal being the only team aware of their existence.

 

[Rapala]

Alot of folks were scratching their heads at this pick...this is turning out to be a very intriguing pick after all

They complained about our goaltender selections as well.

 

[Adam Michaels]

Alot of folks were scratching their heads at this pick...this is turning out to be a very intriguing pick after all

So far, the Bobrov/Lapointe/Hughes/Gorton regime has had two intriguing drafts with a number of their picks initially being head scratchers, but in their D+1 and D+2 years, they look like a promising group of prospects.

And Xhekaj is indeed one of those picks. The talk was that they wasted a pick on the type of player they can get for cheap in the UFA market to be 4th liners. I think Xhekaj made his mark in his first year as a prospect.

 

[rahad]

Alot of folks were scratching their heads at this pick...this is turning out to be a very intriguing pick after all

I have no idea why..... We are talking about a fourth round pick. It would be a huge win for us, if he play 100 games with the Habs.

Suzuki
Dach
Beck
Florian

 

[ChesterNimitz]

I don’t know enough about the other picks to say 1st or 2nd round. But you can’t help but feel he has a ton of room to improve.

If those flashes of high ish end skill become more frequent, he could really be something fairly special

I was able watch the Bulldogs game against Kingston and these are my observations about Florian Xhekaj’s (FX) performance.

As usual, FX played in all game situations, including Brantford’s first power play unit and the Bulldogs’ penalty killing unit. He did not, however, play at all during the overtime period.

FX continued to display good straight forward speed (with and without the puck) and very good offensive anticipation and playmaking skills. He has the ability to make the soft/subtle passes which belie his image as a mere power forward. FX has an NHL level wrist shot which he showed on the goal he scored. But it was his play that led up to his goal, when, sensing a turnover was likely, he positioned himself in an area that allowed to take a pass and have a free pathway to the opposition net, that was as equally impressive as his shot. That positioning/anticipation speaks of a player that has a feeling for the game. A skill that can't be taught.

What was an even more impressive play than his goal was when FX, while on the penalty kill, was able to anticipate the Kingston player's intended move and strip his opponent of the puck and send a teammate in on a clear break-a-way from center ice. It's good to be 6'4", have above average mobility, possess good anticipation and have the reach of the Larry Byrd.

Before everyone starts believing we have a sure fire NHLer in this 4th round pick, it must be remembered that FX is competing against 17, 18 and 19 year olds, most of whom will be out of high-end, competitive hockey by the time they are 21. NHL competition that he will be facing will be much stiffer. Despite all his pluses, and there are many pluses, unless FX gets quicker, he still has a way to go before he can become an impactful player in the NHL. Looking at his bloodlines, I think he will do everything necessary to join his older brother.

FX had another strong game against Ottawa this afternoon ( 2 goals and 3 assists) . I will be watching the video of this game later this evening and post my comments after the Canadiens' game against Seattle.

 

[VirginiaMtlExpat]

Gotta love the entire hockey world sleeping on another Xhekaj.

No one knew the Wifi password.

I have no idea why..... We are talking about a fourth round pick. It would be a huge win for us, if he play 100 games with the Habs.

Suzuki
Dach
Beck
Florian

His brother's outcome, from an even humbler starting point, has to motivate him.

 

[Adam Michaels]

Another thing to love about Xhekaj: He's 6'4" and 190 lbs (will easily be over 200 lbs by the time he turns pro).

 

[red devil]

 

[YukonCornelius 5thOA]

This is HUGE in my books HUGE.

I trust your books.

 

[MTL Dirty Birdy]

Bring the second X, baby! X on D, X up front, unleash them and have the other teams run!

I want to see Habs being bullies. Enough of that creamepuffness we've been witnessing for the past 30 years.


That what I am afraid of. Once he enters MSL's realm he'll have the full "better people" program thrown at him and boom, he'll be just another good boi. I want Habs to be nasty. And feared.

MSL has no issues with guys playing on the edge. In Wifis case, he was taking stupid penalties that hurt the team. As a coach, that’s just smart to address. We will be very hard to play against in the next couple years. We will have guys who play on the edge. He just wants to see them maximize their potential rather than limit it with “toughness”