Former NHL player tells a story where Arber Xhekaj scared a veteran by using a few words

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MarcO
February 8, 2023 (10:10)

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Since the beginning of the season, Arber Xhekaj has been the law with the CH. Despite his youth, he is not afraid to give good checks or even drop the gloves. His exploits seem to be making some noise in the NHL as former defenseman Ryan Whitney told a funny story about the young defenseman.

In a recent appearance on the excellent "Spittin Chiclets" podcast, Whitney mentioned that Xhekaj terrorized one of the Staal brothers.

"I was playing golf with Marc Staal and we were talking about how in the league now, there's a lack of toughness. He said, there's this guy, ''Wifi,'' he tossed me around, he was holding me, I was holding him and he said, ''you have three seconds to get off me.''

"Okay! Ouch!" continued Whitney, telling his story with the current Florida Panthers defensemen."

Imagine Xhekaj saying, 'you have three seconds to get off me'! We love it.

In the same episode, another guest, CH captain Nick Suzuki, had more on Xhekaj. He mentioned without hesitation that the young defenseman was a great surprise not only for the CH, but for the entire NHL. He also praised, beyond his toughness, the finesse of his teammate.

"He was smaller when he was younger so he played a more skilled game. Suddenly he's gotten huge, so he still has his smaller player skills."

Suzuki also had some very good words for the man off the ice. He says Xhekaj is a great teammate who turns into a different person when he puts on his skates. Words that confirm what we thought about him since we know what he wants for his parents.

In 49 games this season, the rookie accumulated 5 goals (leading scorer among CH defensemen), and 8 assists for a total of 13 points. With his 92 penalty minutes, he sits atop the NHL in that regard.