Prospect Info: Florian Xhekaj

[Matthew McConaughay]

I would disagree that he was not draft worthy as would the entire Habs scouting department. They also indicated that they didn't believe he would be there much longer as they were very aware of interest from other NHL teams.

Using stats in a vacuum is not a credible method to scout players and everything that they said to justify the pick has proven to be true including a huge jump in production....that is what scouting is about.

I don't think you have any conscious prejudice against him just that you made an absolute statement that did not suggest a nuanced opinion that was being formed by neutral observation. We are all subject to different levels of bias and it is important to self audit our responses and adjust them accordingly to be as objective as possible.

Yeah, the Habs said, if they wouldn't have picked him, another team would of.

 

[Hannibal]

Every team needs some sandpaper in the bottom 6. I’m fine with taking that kind of player in fourth rounds + instead of a lil euro that will get pushed around once he comes overs in 3 years.

A team has to take chances sometimes.

 

[admiralcadillac]

First of all, of course an established NHL player would be drafted high in any redraft. But for every tough fighter who makes it to the NHL are hundreds who don’t. It’s not a good gamble even with a 7th round pick.

Secondly, Arber was a much better prospect than Florian at the same age. Have you seen Florian’s OHL stats? If is safe to say he is never going to be a NHL player.

Why are all of your posts shitting on prospects?

 

[ReHabs]

This is exactly the kind of gamble teams should be making with 4th round picks. Swing for the fence!

You swing for high upside prospects, typically

 

[Guy Larose]

Why are all of your posts shitting on prospects?

He shits on pretty much everything Habs do, like a few others here.

 

[admiralcadillac]

You swing for high upside prospects, typically

If we get a tom wilson type player in Xhekaj would that not be high upside? Teams are composed of varying skillsets and roles.

 

[Captain97]

They definitely picked him because they knew another team would.

Also we have to remember Arber didn't really start coming into his own until his D+2 & D+3. It's likely Florian follows a similar development path given he has grown since the draft and will likely fill into his Frame more over the next 18 months.

If he becomes 4th line PKing forward with his brother's nastiness then this is a homerun of a 4th rounder. If he doesn't make the NHL that's literally expected value of a pretty much everything oast the 1st round.

 

[ReHabs]

If we get a tom wilson type player in Xhekaj would that not be high upside? Teams are composed of varying skillsets and roles.

Florian did not have that upside at the time of draft. You’re thinking of Ryan Leonard or Adam Fantilli.

He shits on pretty much everything Habs do, like a few others here.

Someone has to talk sense around here

 

[admiralcadillac]

Florian did not have that upside at the time of draft. You’re thinking of Ryan Leonard or Adam Fantilli.


Someone has to talk sense around here

Whose stats are these:

According to you this prospect would have no shot at the NHL. Why are you comparing Fantilli or Leonard?

 

[Habs10Habs]

The more I see this kid play, the more impressed I am. If he can continue to play a controlled style of hockey. He may turn out to be a solid NHL player.

 

[Estimated_Prophet]

Florian did not have that upside at the time of draft. You’re thinking of Ryan Leonard or Adam Fantilli.

This is just not true.

Many players have upside that isn't obvious to the laymen and considering that we saw Montreal scouts specifically talking about his upside prior to drafting him it blows an irreconcilable hole in your statement.

Once again you are taking his pre draft stats in a vacuum and are entirely ignoring the scouting process that had pro scouts from multiple organizations in complete disagreement with your assertion.

You are a smart guy as I have seen enough coherent discussion from you when you are not chasing a bias but you seem to fixate on contrarian viewpoints at the expense of objective discussion too often.

I wasn't a fan of the pick at the time either but admittedly I did not know enough about the kid and have admitted to being wrong or at the very least too quick to dismiss the pick as a lazy act of nepotism. I am not an active scout and don't remotely have the time, will power or resources to properly scout every draft eligible prospect. It is ok to be wrong and move on my friend.

 

[montreal]

after getting ejected those 3 games in row, some posters were talking about how he needed to focus on hockey, since then in 8 games he's got 0 pims, 4 goals, 6 pts. He took 10 FO's last night, even saw a little time on the PK (i was surprised as he's slow for a PKer)

 

[Pompeius Magnus]

after getting ejected those 3 games in row, some posters were talking about how he needed to focus on hockey, since then in 8 games he's got 0 pims, 4 goals, 6 pts. He took 10 FO's last night, even saw a little time on the PK (i was surprised as he's slow for a PKer)

Better conditioning should help with his mobility and explosiveness, he's definitely going to need to hit the gym a lot this off season anyway. He did have a giant late growth spur, which probably left him a bit scrawny and uncoordinated.

 

[ReHabs]

This is just not true.

Many players have upside that isn't obvious to the laymen and considering that we saw Montreal scouts specifically talking about his upside prior to drafting him it blows an irreconcilable hole in your statement.

Once again you are taking his pre draft stats in a vacuum and are entirely ignoring the scouting process that had pro scouts from multiple organizations in complete disagreement with your assertion.

You are a smart guy as I have seen enough coherent discussion from you when you are not chasing a bias but you seem to fixate on contrarian viewpoints at the expense of objective discussion too often.

I wasn't a fan of the pick at the time either but admittedly I did not know enough about the kid and have admitted to being wrong or at the very least too quick to dismiss the pick as a lazy act of nepotism. I am not an active scout and don't remotely have the time, will power or resources to properly scout every draft eligible prospect. It is ok to be wrong and move on my friend.

Florian Xhekaj had 25pts in 68gp in his draft year. That’s abysmal.

I don’t watch amateur hockey so I don’t know what the scouts across the league were looking for but that low production usually precludes any chance of getting drafted from what I understand.

If I’m wrong, so be it. I won’t stake any fortune on being “right” — my comment wasn’t to pick any fight.

He’s doing better this year. Maybe he’s very gifted and raw. Good for us and our scouts, if that’s the case.

 

[Redux91]

Someone has to talk sense around here

..Ha ha.. ho..ho.... ha...

 

[Estimated_Prophet]

after getting ejected those 3 games in row, some posters were talking about how he needed to focus on hockey, since then in 8 games he's got 0 pims, 4 goals, 6 pts. He took 10 FO's last night, even saw a little time on the PK (i was surprised as he's slow for a PKer)

His act was definitely wearing thin as he seemed to be playing off of his brothers rep too much and not concentrating on his own development. His skating is decent but it should be pointed out that length and reach are much more important than speed on the pk. Teams use speedy forwards as a counter attack threat on the pk more so than purely for defensive acumen. You typically don't want your pkers running around and burning out in the dzone. Taller players are more ideal as they can put their body in shooting lanes while covering more of the passing lanes with their stick.

 

[Skip Bayless]

His skating needs work for sure. I see some good hockey sense, good puck protection and soft hands.

He's got a solid foundation, without ever being a scoring threat, I think he can develop into a very serviceable bottom 6'er who can open up space for more skilled players on his line. Him and Luke Tuch, similar profiles.

 

[Sorinth]

Florian Xhekaj had 25pts in 68gp in his draft year. That’s abysmal.

I don’t watch amateur hockey so I don’t know what the scouts across the league were looking for but that low production usually precludes any chance of getting drafted from what I understand.

If I’m wrong, so be it. I won’t stake any fortune on being “right” — my comment wasn’t to pick any fight.

He’s doing better this year. Maybe he’s very gifted and raw. Good for us and our scouts, if that’s the case.

Stat watching is about the worst type of evaluation anyone can do, we all do it at times, but why even post anything if that's all you've got. And it's especially strange given that we have 2 guys on the team who had as bad if not worse seasons in their D year in Arber and Pezzetta had 28 in 64 in his D year. Hell it doesn't even mean that a guy can't become a top-6 guy as Lucic had 19 in 62.

 

[LaP]

Florian Xhekaj had 25pts in 68gp in his draft year. That’s abysmal.

I don’t watch amateur hockey so I don’t know what the scouts across the league were looking for but that low production usually precludes any chance of getting drafted from what I understand.

If I’m wrong, so be it. I won’t stake any fortune on being “right” — my comment wasn’t to pick any fight.

He’s doing better this year. Maybe he’s very gifted and raw. Good for us and our scouts, if that’s the case.

Lucic had 19 points in 62 games in his draft year. Moen had 15 points in 66 games in his draft year and 16 points in 40 in his draft + 1 year.

Big guys are made different. Should be well known by now. It doesn't mean anything other than be patient. He could be the next Moen or the next Lucic or a big "flop" who knows.

 

[Don D]

Lucic had 19 points in 62 games in his draft year. Moen had 15 points in 66 games in his draft year and 16 points in 40 in his draft + 1 year.

Big guys are made different. Should be well known by now. It doesn't mean anything other than be patient. He could be the next Moen or the next Lucic or a big "flop" who knows.

Good points! Slaf anyone? Yes, he was a #1 pick (unlike others mentioned above) but "big guys" develop differently.

 

[ReHabs]

Stat watching is about the worst type of evaluation anyone can do, we all do it at times, but why even post anything if that's all you've got. And it's especially strange given that we have 2 guys on the team who had as bad if not worse seasons in their D year in Arber and Pezzetta had 28 in 64 in his D year. Hell it doesn't even mean that a guy can't become a top-6 guy as Lucic had 19 in 62.

Arber Xhekaj was undrafted, Pezzetta was a 6th round pick and I have no idea why they'd even consider drafting him. Lucic is from further back (2006) when tougher players who were underproductive were considered for the draft more readily and easily. In any case, I hope the Habs have the next Lucic in tow. It would be quite a surprise.

Lucic had 19 points in 62 games in his draft year. Moen had 15 points in 66 games in his draft year and 16 points in 40 in his draft + 1 year.

Big guys are made different. Should be well known by now. It doesn't mean anything other than be patient. He could be the next Moen or the next Lucic or a big "flop" who knows.

You're reaching back to when tough guys and enforcers were plentiful in the NHL. I don't care if a 4th round pick flops or not and would never criticise an organization if they drafted a 'bust' with a 4th round pick. The initial comment was to point out how strange it is to use a 4th round pick on this guy in 2023. Apparently the rumour is FX was on multiple teams' radar -- so who knows, it's likely those teams see or saw something you can't tell from stats.

To me, I felt OHL forwards should be above 0.5ppg, for the Q even higher. There has to be a floor/threshold, no? You wouldn't draft a forward with 0 pts in his draft season no matter how good he looks. You'd give him a try-out if you love him, maybe, but not a draft pick. So what's the floor/threshold for OHL forwards -- I guess around FX's d-year stats.

 

[Shutdown]

Arber Xhekaj was undrafted, Pezzetta was a 6th round pick and I have no idea why they'd even consider drafting him. Lucic is from further back (2006) when tougher players who were underproductive were considered for the draft more readily and easily. In any case, I hope the Habs have the next Lucic in tow. It would be quite a surprise.


You're reaching back to when tough guys and enforcers were plentiful in the NHL. I don't care if a 4th round pick flops or not and would never criticise an organization if they drafted a 'bust' with a 4th round pick. The initial comment was to point out how strange it is to use a 4th round pick on this guy in 2023. Apparently the rumour is FX was on multiple teams' radar -- so who knows, it's likely those teams see or saw something you can't tell from stats.

To me, I felt OHL forwards should be above 0.5ppg, for the Q even higher. There has to be a floor/threshold, no? You wouldn't draft a forward with 0 pts in his draft season no matter how good he looks. You'd give him a try-out if you love him, maybe, but not a draft pick. So what's the floor/threshold for OHL forwards -- I guess around FX's d-year stats.

Pezzetta is an above-replacement-level player in the NHL and you have "no idea" why they drafted him? In the 6th round? If that isn't a sign that you should maybe shift your perspective or accept that your thinking is flawed when it comes to the draft, I don't know what is.

 

[ReHabs]

Pezzetta is an above-replacement-level player in the NHL and you have "no idea" why they drafted him? In the 6th round? If that isn't a sign that you should maybe shift your perspective or accept that your thinking is flawed when it comes to the draft, I don't know what is.

Is Pezzetta an above-replacement level NHL player? Replacement-level is a figure that comes from statistics so we have to look at the stats. It looks like he's marginally above replacement level but not this year.

But was he an above-replacement-level player in these years (D+3 through D+5)?

What perspective is it you think I have wrong and need to change? It's an interesting discussion if you keep the snarky comments aside and put forth your actual thoughts, if you have any to contribute.

I don't know what scouts look for in the very later rounds but I figured it would be big swings on producers who have a flaw of some sort or big bodies who skate well and are mature. I guess Pezz fits the latter. I never said he's an unsuccessful pick to begin with -- just not one I would make but I'm open to changing my mind.

It's clear that the Habs (and other teams) saw something in Florian Xhekaj to spend one of their very few draft picks on to secure-- so what was it they think can help the NHL club at some time down the line?

 

[yianik]

I'm a go for the upside kind of guy at whatever spot. To draft a big guy outside of the top 2 -3 rounds means guys with low production. So I think you take a guy who has decent speed, at least enough so that he can keep up with the play, have defensive awareness and a decent wrist shot. Then intangibles like energy, physicality and tenacity.

A player like that , if everything lines up, can be good on the boards, cause trouble in front of the net and be able to score off the rush from 10-15 feet out. And not hurt defensively. Top 9 potential for sure and maybe even top 6 if he has enough Gallagher in him. Hopefully Florian is like that

 

[DAChampion]

Does any player in the Habs' system have better initials than Florian Xhekaj?