When the Montreal Canadiens made Florian Xhekaj the 101st pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, many were skeptical. It’s easy to say that skepticism came from a belief that the Canadiens reached for him because they also had his brother in the organization. On the flipside, some people were optimistic about the selection because of the family connection to a player who had risen to the NHL ranks.
All Florian has done since being drafted is turn those skeptics into believers. In his second OHL season, the first after being drafted, he became a point-per-game producer. Players tend to get better production as they age in the Canadian Hockey League, but still it was a positive sign that there might be more than just a physical player.
It’s easy to forget now, but the Canadiens had the option of sending Xhekaj back to the Ontario Hockey League last season as a 20-year-old. They didn’t, and he just happened to score 24 goals in his first professional season without the benefit of top-line or power-play minutes. The intrigue was starting to bubble to the surface, and in just two seasons he has started to make his own name.
Last year, in his first game at the Bell Centre ahead of the season, Florian dropped the gloves. It was probably the most predictable thing to happen. It was how he was going to make an impression, and, frankly, it’s what most of the 21,000 in attendance expected from him.
Things were different this year. Xhekaj was on a line with Oliver Kapanen and Ivan Demidov. Now, as Xhekaj and the coaches admitted, he was there in case anyone looked at either player the wrong way, but he also earned his way there by showing he could complement such talented players, to flex his offensive muscles instead of just those in his right shoulder. It’s not a stretch to say that Demidov was the most skilled player Xhekaj ever played on a line with, and he even admitted it was a bit of an adjustment.
“There were a few times where I was covered by two guys and he somehow found a way to get it to me. I tried to always be ready and find spots to be open,” Xhekaj said. “It’s hard not to just watch him out there and realize, ‘I’m on his line, I have to get open for him.'”
“We played him at centre last season all year. He had a lot of success,” said Laval Rocket head coach Pascal Vincent. “We want to give him a bigger role and put him in different situations, to play with those two players and not only be a physical force but to contribute offensively and defensively. It was fun to see them together and if we had more than two games, we would have time to develop something interesting.”
Xhekaj scored the first goal of the game versus the Winnipeg Jets, finishing a great play by Demidov to set it up.
Ivan Demidov with a slick move to get to the net, Florian Xhekaj cashes it.
— Matt Drake (@DrakeMT) September 13, 2025
1-0 #Habs pic.twitter.com/L5bjKnD75u
He also set up Demidov’s goal with a nice touch-pass to make it 3-3 later in the game.
What perhaps was most impressive about Xhekaj’s rookie camp performance came in Game 2. With Demidov out of the lineup, the Canadiens’ game against Toronto was not a riveting affair, as would be expected with two teams full of players playing two games in 24 hours in September. Still, there were several fights, and Xhekaj wasn’t in any of them.
He was still on the top line with Kapanen and Owen Beck, played on the power play and penalty kill, and was one of the better Canadiens on the ice. He showed an ability to toe the line that he didn’t always do last season as a professional. He led the AHL in penalty minutes in his rookie year, and not all of them were fighting majors. He showed some vulnerability to playing undisciplined.
In the second game, he only took one roughing penalty for a post-whistle scrum, when the officials took both players. Other than that, he let his presence be felt but stayed on the right side of the line.
It would not be a surprise to see Xhekaj play in the NHL as soon as this season, and he should get a really good look throughout the pre-season. When he is in the lineup, it won’t simply be as a deterrent to opponents, it will be a chance for him to showcase his all-around game that just keeps evolving.
