Prospect Info: Florian Xhekaj

[dackelljuneaubulis02]

It’s this kid’s skating. Dare I say he’s fast. I’m seeing him push off opposing defencemen who respect his speed on the rush. That’s the easiest eye test: how do defenders react? There’s a lot of potential upside with this completely underrated prospect. Big and fast. What could be finer?

Big and fast and a nicely well rounded skill set. Decent vision and hands. Not afraid to park himself in front of the net.

That was a nice tip on his second goal last night. Hope he can keep the production up. Especially at C which is even more impressive. He just pops. Nice swagger to his game. He’s confident out there.

With him, Heineman (please stay healthy)and Tuch along with Dach and Slaf we got some big boys with varying degrees of decent skill. They’ll be very much welcome come playoff time.

Florian is a better, more fluid skater than his older brother at a comparable age. This could get very interesting.

and we don’t really have to worry about Florian trying to figure out the D side of things as much as his brother which still seems like a bit of a work in progress.

It’s early but Florian could very well end up the better of the two. He certainly has the better draft pedigree lol

 

[ChesterNimitz]

Big and fast and a nicely well rounded skill set. Decent vision and hands. Not afraid to park himself in front of the net.

That was a nice tip on his second goal last night. Hope he can keep the production up. Especially at C which is even more impressive. He just pops. Nice swagger to his game. He’s confident out there.

With him, Heineman (please stay healthy)and Tuch along with Dach and Slaf we got some big boys with varying degrees of decent skill. They’ll be very much welcome come playoff time.



and we don’t really have to worry about Florian trying to figure out the D side of things as much as his brother which still seems like a bit of a work in progress.

It’s early but Florian could very well end up the better of the two. He certainly has the better draft pedigree lol

Well that’s not saying much as I have the same drafting pedigree as Abner and I haven’t played hockey since 1979.

 

[dackelljuneaubulis02]

Well that’s not saying much as I have the same drafting pedigree as Abner and I haven’t played hockey since 1979.

That’s the joke!

 

[red devil]

Another goal tonight

 

[Scriptor]

Looked like Lyle Odelein way back when for one game...

 

[Tyson]

6 goals in his last 6 games

 

[WeThreeKings]

I'll gladly eat crow. Not that I think he's a lock to make it, but he's shown he was worthy of that selection that high and I didn't feel that way at all.

 

[Junohockeyfan]

I'll gladly eat crow. Not that I think he's a lock to make it, but he's shown he was worthy of that selection that high and I didn't feel that way at all.

4th round is not that high. The way he's playing / rapidly developing he should have been a 2nd round pick

 

[nilan30]

4th round is not that high. The way he's playing / rapidly developing he should have been a 2nd round pick

You’re right, fourth round picks are basically crap shoots

 

[Pompeius Magnus]

Another 50% or better night in the faceoff circles for big Florian. He's doing the little things.

 

[DAChampion]

The consternation over a 4th round pick is one of the weirdest things I've seen on here.

It also doesn't matter how FX did or did not do last year. Part of the reason he's going better is he's in a different body, he's 6'4 now, he had a late growth spurt whereby he grew two inches at a late age. I'm sure staff at the combines make estimates of who can still grow and how much.

 

[ChesterNimitz]

The consternation over a 4th round pick is one of the weirdest things I've seen on here.

It also doesn't matter how FX did or did not do last year. Part of the reason he's going better is he's in a different body, he's 6'4 now, he had a late growth spurt whereby he grew two inches at a late age. I'm sure staff at the combines make estimates of who can still grow and how much.

I think this kid with his size, skill, aggression and speed that he is now displaying may already be a more promising prospect than many current and past players taken recently by the team in rounds 2 and 3 of the draft including: such players as Rohrer, Kidney, Kapanen, Olofson, Hillis, Brook, Ikonen and Walford. As one poster noted, the draft after the top 15 picks is largely a 'crap shoot'. In FX's case, it now appears that we may have gotten lucky. But it is still very early in the game.

 

[Tyson]

I think this kid with his size, skill, aggression and speed that he is now displaying may already be a more promising prospect than many current and past players taken recently by the team in rounds 2 and 3 of the draft including: such players as Rohrer, Kidney, Kapanen, Olofson, Hillis, Brook, Ikonen and Walford. As one poster noted, the draft after the top 15 picks is largely a 'crap shoot'. In FX's case, it now appears that we may have gotten lucky. But it is still very early in the game.

%

 

[BenchBrawl]

I think this kid with his size, skill, aggression and speed that he is now displaying may already be a more promising prospect than many current and past players taken recently by the team in rounds 2 and 3 of the draft including: such players as Rohrer, Kidney, Kapanen, Olofson, Hillis, Brook, Ikonen and Walford. As one poster noted, the draft after the top 15 picks is largely a 'crap shoot'. In FX's case, it now appears that we may have gotten lucky. But it is still very early in the game.

Easily.

 

[LaP]

I'll gladly eat crow. Not that I think he's a lock to make it, but he's shown he was worthy of that selection that high and I didn't feel that way at all.

There's no such thing as 4th round picks being a lock He looks like a more than very decent 4th roud pick atm.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

Nice to see we may have another sleeper on our hands.

 

[Tyson]

Nice to see we may have another sleeper on our hands.

Late bloomer it might appear. The kid is still growing, seems to have a knack at playing center and has a surprising skill set that most didn't see last season.

 

[ReHabs]

I think this kid with his size, skill, aggression and speed that he is now displaying may already be a more promising prospect than many current and past players taken recently by the team in rounds 2 and 3 of the draft including: such players as Rohrer, Kidney, Kapanen, Olofson, Hillis, Brook, Ikonen and Walford. As one poster noted, the draft after the top 15 picks is largely a 'crap shoot'. In FX's case, it now appears that we may have gotten lucky. But it is still very early in the game.

I think you have it right -- he's showing more juice than expected, it's terribly exciting.

A general question: At the draft table you have certain criteria and you can only use a handful of draft picks every year, right? Would FX have met your criteria if you were a scout for an NHL team sitting at the table during the 2023 NHL Entry Draft? Why or why not?

It's an honest question. I think it goes without saying that in his D+1 he is showing more juice than plenty of other draft picks across the NHL in recent memory -- your examples are correct -- but I'm wondering if I'm missing something here because not in a million years would I have sanctioned to use a draft pick on FX or anybody with FX's profile. I'd definitely invite him to rookie camp though, even if it's as a favour to his brother. But the fact that it seems other teams were interested has me wondering -- what made him so interesting?

 

[ChesterNimitz]

I think you have it right -- he's showing more juice than expected, it's terribly exciting.

A general question: At the draft table you have certain criteria and you can only use a handful of draft picks every year, right? Would FX have met your criteria if you were a scout for an NHL team sitting at the table during the 2023 NHL Entry Draft? Why or why not?

It's an honest question. I think it goes without saying that in his D+1 he is showing more juice than plenty of other draft picks across the NHL in recent memory -- your examples are correct -- but I'm wondering if I'm missing something here because not in a million years would I have sanctioned to use a draft pick on FX or anybody with FX's profile. I'd definitely invite him to rookie camp though, even if it's as a favour to his brother. But the fact that it seems other teams were interested has me wondering -- what made him so interesting?

The root issue is that talent assessment is largely an inexact science. Very few prospects offer a straight-line development pathway. Some kid's development stalls/plateaus and others see a later develop burst. You can be as careful and analytical as possible, but you have to be lucky, or more importantly, you have to hope you avoid being unlucky in your drafting. In FX's case, they had his older brother's development curve as a guidepost. The kid had all the physical traits to emulate his older brother and they took a shot. No one would have lamented the squandering of a 4th round pick if the Habs' gambit didn't work out. At the very least, it would have been a good publicity stunt; the Battling X Brothers. After all, this is still entertainment. But FX is quickly proving that there is something in those Xhekaj genes as he looks like he has a real chance of making the team in the not too distant future. He's big, fast, tough and skilled. If he continues to score at his current torrid pace and play his physically dominating game it wouldn't surprise me if Team Canada officials don't start to follow his progression over the next several weeks. I suspect that there would be a lot of players in the upcoming tournament who would rather not have to play against this raging bull.

Sometimes, you just have to get lucky.

 

[Jaynki]

Was FX eligible in 2022 ?

If its really his D+1, and not D+2, then the takes that other players with more offensive potential were there and that we wasted a pick, are already aging like milk.

Like there is still exciting prospect at #110 in the first place.

 

[tnq]

Anderson v2

 

[Sorinth]

I think you have it right -- he's showing more juice than expected, it's terribly exciting.

A general question: At the draft table you have certain criteria and you can only use a handful of draft picks every year, right? Would FX have met your criteria if you were a scout for an NHL team sitting at the table during the 2023 NHL Entry Draft? Why or why not?

It's an honest question. I think it goes without saying that in his D+1 he is showing more juice than plenty of other draft picks across the NHL in recent memory -- your examples are correct -- but I'm wondering if I'm missing something here because not in a million years would I have sanctioned to use a draft pick on FX or anybody with FX's profile. I'd definitely invite him to rookie camp though, even if it's as a favour to his brother. But the fact that it seems other teams were interested has me wondering -- what made him so interesting?

I don't think I saw a single game of his so I can't answer in this specific case but everyone drafted outside of the top 10 or so players will have holes in their game, by the 4th round the holes will be significant so the question is always whether they can addresses those holes while also building on the good aspects of their games. And that's pretty much always on a person's determination & work ethic and although we can see a little of that watching games, it's something that requires off ice evaluation and interviews.

In general in the later rounds I would advocate for a guys with a high work ethic/determination that lacks skills over a guy with good skills that doesn't have that work ethic/determination. But you also have to keep in mind that a person's work ethic/determination is impacted by their environment so you have to factor that into the equation. So a guy like Joshua Roy who always had the talent but seemingly lacked in the work ethic but then changes team and suddenly is displaying the work ethic you want to see. So it's never a black and white situation.

 

[Walksss]

The root issue is that talent assessment is largely an inexact science. Very few prospects offer a straight-line development pathway. Some kid's development stalls/plateaus and others see a later develop burst. You can be as careful and analytical as possible, but you have to be lucky, or more importantly, you have to hope you avoid being unlucky in your drafting. In FX's case, they had his older brother's development curve as a guidepost. The kid had all the physical traits to emulate his older brother and they took a shot. No one would have lamented the squandering of a 4th round pick if the Habs' gambit didn't work out. At the very least, it would have been a good publicity stunt; the Battling X Brothers. After all, this is still entertainment. But FX is quickly proving that there is something in those Xhekaj genes as he looks like he has a real chance of making the team in the not too distant future. He's big, fast, tough and skilled. If he continues to score at his current torrid pace and play his physically dominating game it wouldn't surprise me if Team Canada officials don't start to follow his progression over the next several weeks. I suspect that there would be a lot of players in the upcoming tournament who would rather not play against this raging bull.

Sometimes, you just have to get lucky.

I agree with nearly everything here, but the 'no one would have lamented using a 4th round pick' is decidedly untrue. The average fan perhaps would never notice. On these boards there are 5-6 posters who would 'lament' heavily.

As far as using a draft pick I would venture that sometimes you have to take shots at tenacious, pugnacious and truculent type players, Brian Burke would be proud. Mix in Florians clear upside to gain skill with his late growth and it becomes easy to gamble a 4th round pick on a unique and rare type of player that presents an even more rare upside. Easy choice imo.

 

[WeThreeKings]

I agree with nearly everything here, but the 'no one would have lamented using a 4th round pick' is decidedly untrue. The average fan perhaps would never notice. On these boards there are 5-6 posters who would 'lament' heavily.

As far as using a draft pick I would venture that sometimes you have to take shots at tenacious, pugnacious and truculent type players, Brian Burke would be proud. Mix in Florians clear upside to gain skill with his late growth and it becomes easy to gamble a 4th round pick on a unique and rare type of player that presents an even more rare upside. Easy choice imo.

It was the whole look at first..

Xhekaj looked like a nepotism pick since we have his brother, no real production in his draft year.. usually not a good thing. But I had no idea about the massive growth spurt.

Then they take an overage defenseman that no one really knew about, out of Russia.

Then they take another goalie, who is a back-up in the QMJHL.

And then they took another goalie out of the MHL.

It just looked at first that their list ran out and they were making some odd choices.. buoyed with some other overagers in Harris and Mittelstadt.

But they knew what they were doing the whole time.

F. Xhekaj kept his fighting and edgy game going while adding more offense to his game.
Konyushkov has been a top defenseman in the KHL.
Miller is one of the best goalies in the CHL on a terrible team and was so impressive in camp.
Volokhin has been lights out.

There was a method to the madness and again kinda shows why this scouting staff deserves some trust.

 

[ChesterNimitz]

I agree with nearly everything here, but the 'no one would have lamented using a 4th round pick' is decidedly untrue. The average fan perhaps would never notice. On these boards there are 5-6 posters who would 'lament' heavily.

As far as using a draft pick I would venture that sometimes you have to take shots at tenacious, pugnacious and truculent type players, Brian Burke would be proud. Mix in Florians clear upside to gain skill with his late growth and it becomes easy to gamble a 4th round pick on a unique and rare type of player that presents an even more rare upside. Easy choice imo.

I suspect that there are a host of Draft Police here who would analyze and lament the possible misusage of a 7th round pick.