Florian Xhekaj is more than just Arber Xhekaj’s brother.

He’s quite a hockey player, and his selection had absolutely nothing to do with his older brother.

We saw proof of this in a video published by the Canadiens showing behind-the-scenes of the 2023 draft.

The club’s co-director of amateur scouting, Nick Bobrov, was determined to get the young man.

»(Florian) Xhekaj is a unicorn. Personally, I would love to come out of the draft with this guy with us.»

– Nick Bobrov

Many people saw the potential of the 101st overall pick in the 2023 draft, including the head coach of the Laval Rocket, Pascal Vincent.

In fact, he made sure to bring up a point to the Canadiens’ management so that Xhekaj could become an even more complete player.

Pascal Vincent spoke positively to the Montreal Canadiens’ management about Florian Xhekaj

The head coach of the farm team compared Florian to one of his former players from his time with the Manitoba Moose, now the captain of the Jets, Adam Lowry.

«I suggested to the organization that we continue to develop him at center. Because if you develop him that way and he ends up as a winger, he’ll at least have that experience to fall back on at center. In Winnipeg, I had Adam Lowry. We developed him at center; a big, defensively reliable player who can create some offense while bringing a physical style. I see Xhekaj a bit like that, and to play center, you need a good processor. And I think he has it. []»

Pascal Vincent, Habs On Reddit

It will be interesting to see how the younger Xhekaj progresses this season. We can say, however, that his first season as a professional is going quite well. Centering the fourth line alongside Luke Tuch and Riley Kidney, he’s doing a great job.

He even scored his first goal, breaking the ice in his fifth game in the AHL.