Introduction
Few players have garnered as much love without cracking into the top 10 of this list as Arber Xhekaj has during his four-year stint in the Top 25 Under 25. He finished his third season in the NHL in a diminished role after the mid-season acquisition of Alexandre Carrier, but still received consistent playing time throughout the season, and he played three games in the playoffs.
Since signing as an undrafted player just before the 2021-22 season, Xhekaj has made a name for himself as one of the toughest customers in the NHL. A big, snarly, left-shot defenceman, he has found success on the Canadiens’ bottom pairing but has yet to play consistent top-four minutes.
Last season, he averaged his lowest time on ice per game and a career-low point total while setting a career-high in games played. He led the Canadiens in hits with 180 but finished last among Habs defencemen in plus/minus.
Voting
There weren’t many votes for Xhekaj at or above the 12th position he finishes in, but he also didn’t have votes extending any lower than 19th. It was close between him and Oliver Kapanen for this spot, another one decided by one-twelfth of a point.
Member votes show the interesting shark-fin pattern we witnessed for the players just inside the 25th place in this list. It’s a front-loaded distribution with many voters placing him 12th or higher or their lists.
Top 25 Under 25 History
Xhekaj receives his highest ranking in his final year in the series. He’s steadily risen throughout his tenure and it finishes with his second straight top-15 placement.
| 2022: #21 | 2023: #17 | 2024: #14 |
History of #12
| Year | #12 |
|---|---|
| 2025 | Arber Xhekaj |
| 2024 | Owen Beck |
| 2023 | Adam Engström |
| 2022 | Jesse Ylönen |
| 2021 | Jan Mysak |
| 2020 | Noah Juulsen |
| 2019 | Cale Fleury |
| 2018 | Jake Evans |
| 2017 | Victor Mete |
| 2016 | Martin Réway |
| 2015 | Artturi Lehkonen |
| 2014 | Magnus Nygren |
| 2013 | Michaël Bournival |
| 2012 | Michaël Bournival |
| 2011 | Michaël Bournival |
| 2010 | Yannick Weber |
Strengths
Xhekaj has a wide array of talents as a defenceman. The first is obvious, and it’s his strength. At 6’4″, 240 pounds, he is a physical force, thriving on chaos and violence. He’s a high-energy blue-liner who plays the game at full tilt. He loves dropping the gloves, laying the body, and doing tangible things that benefit the team. On top of all that, he loves the glory that comes along with doing a job that nobody else wants to do. He isn’t a tough guy because he’s big, it’s who he is.
For his size and position, Xhekaj’s skating is very strong. He’s highly mobile, especially through the hips, and has enough straight-line speed to be effective on the rush. His shot is among the hardest in the league (it’s been clocked at 107.2 mph), and he’s a serviceable playmaker from the point. Unfortunately, he didn’t really get a chance to utilize his offensive toolset last season, as he was pushed down the depth chart by more offensive defencemen.
His physical prowess may be impressive, but I believe his greatest strength is his brain. His defensive play isn’t elite, but the mindset he plays the game with is. He’s a team-first player, standing up for teammates when they get pushed around.
He spent time with six different defencemen last season, on both sides, showing his versatility and adaptability. He was thrown into critical situations and performed well. During the playoffs, he proved that he could tone down the violence when needed. This is why his lack of discipline frustrated Martin St-Louis so much. He sees a player who should be able to be trusted in big moments, but just needs polish.
Weaknesses
Xhekaj has one weakness that stands out among the rest: his decision-making. His problem with the penalty box has been well documented; he was even demoted to the AHL in 2023-24 because of his lack of discipline. The problem isn’t that he takes penalties, it’s the kind of penalties he takes: stick infractions, bad interference calls, the type of calls that don’t benefit the team at all.
Past the undisciplined penalties, there’s one specific situation where he struggled more than others, and that’s transitioning from the corner to the front of the net. The Canadiens’ struggle with St-Louis’s hybrid defensive system was an issue for much of last year, as was the switch back to a traditional man-to-man system. Xhekaj struggled a little in both, but there was improvement throughout the season.
The problem arises when he is battling down low, and the puck is cleared out to the half-wall or the point, forcing him to return to the centre of the ice. He has a tendency to make one of two mistakes. Either he loses track of the puck while focusing on his man, leaving him lost, or he gets caught puck-watching and loses his man. It’s the kind of mistake that defencemen make all the time (and Habs players made all season), but it’s also the kind of mistake that separates average defencemen from good ones who become everyday players.
I can’t find a better way of describing one of his faults than this: he gets carried away. He gets swept up in the emotion, in the battle. He’ll take himself out of position to try a huge hit, or he’ll try to respond to a cheap shot on one of his teammates while the play should still be commanding his attention. Offensively, when he see’s a high-danger play developing and he’ll get tunnel vision. These trends improved over the last season, but they’re still a factor in his game.
Projection
I feel very strongly about the player that Xhekaj can be. With the retirement of David Savard leaving a massive hole at the front of the net, I believe Xhekaj is the best defenceman to fill the gap in 2025-26. He is best when he’s battling in front of the net where he plays a simple game.
What does needs to improve for him to take over from Savard is his shot-blocking. Last season, Xhekaj blocked 63 shots in 70 games; Savard blocked 180. The fans’ biggest gripe with Savard was his lack of mobility; Xhekaj doesn’t have that problem. There’s no room for him to play an offensive role on the team, so the only way he consistently sees the ice in Montreal is if he can do something that the Habs need. He needs to commit to an identity, and I don’t think “tough guy” is the answer St-Louis is looking for.
I’ve always believed he was more than just a tough guy. I think the value he can bring to the Canadiens greatly surpasses fisticuffs and brouhahas. The Canadiens are in desperate need of a bottom-pairing shutdown guy. That’s really the only piece in question for the defensive core this season, Xhekaj has the talents to fill that role, and it will be interesting to see if he can carve it out as he fights for ice time.
Click the play button below to listen to our latest podcast episode, where Matt Drake and Patrik Bexell discuss Arber Xhekaj. We will also have a bonus episode on Xhekaj this weekend with a special guest!
