Surprise for the Canadiens: Florian Xhekaj has grown abnormally and is now a physical monster
We've just had our first big pre-training camp surprise from the Montreal Canadiens.
Even before the CH takes new player measurements and weights at camp, here's a good one.
Thanks to the work of TVA Sports journalist Nicolas Cloutier, we've just learned that Arber Xhekaj's little brother Florian has become a real monster.
His growth has been deemed "abnormal".
We had all assumed that he would be smaller than Arber, whereas Florian was drafted by the CH as a 6-foot-1, 172-pound player (according to official measurements).
The whole thing has changed completely.
Florian Xhekaj has just arrived at the camp of the Brantford Bulldogs, his junior team, and has just been officially measured at 6 feet 4 inches. Wow!
And he's much heavier (pending official weight)!
Xhekaj is now 6 feet 4 inches tall, just like his big brother.
According to the experts on the scene, he is simply physically dominant and appears to be an adult playing with children.
He is extremely confident in puck protection. Sounds promising!
A major offensive breakthrough is definitely on the cards for him this season.
"He's gained considerably in mass and physical strength. You're going to see a much better offensive performance from him this season. I'd love to give you a comparison to an NHL player, but I've seen so much growth in him that I refrain from putting limits on his potential."
- Jay McKee, Bulldogs' Head Coach
At 15, Florian Xhekaj was 5 feet 9 inches tall. And at just 19, he's now a 6'4" monster.
His coach sees a lot of similarities between him and Arber.
It'll be really interesting to follow the progress of the Montreal Canadiens' 4th-round pick in 2023.
Credit and full story to read:
POLL |
Do you think Florian Xhekaj was a good pick for the 4th round? |
Yes | 611 | 90.3 % |
No | 66 | 9.7 % |
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