The NHL Prospect Everybody Should be Afraid of
For most new-school hockey fans, the days of big, rugged defenseman who would clear the front of their crease, or drop the mitts at a moment's notice are behind us, however, a few defenseman in such mould are employed by NHL rosters.
Arber Xhekaj, a big, punishing defenseman out of the OHL's Hamilton Bulldogs system, is built in the same mould as former NHL defenceman Rob Blake, Chris Pronger and Shea Weber. Xhekaj stands six-feet-four inches tall, weighing in at 225-pounds. He is 21-years-old and is undrafted, having signed a contract with the Canadiens as a free agent. During Xhekaj's time in the OHL, he played four seasons split between the Kitchener Rangers and Hamilton Bulldogs, where he recorded 20 goals, 34 assists for 54 points through 161 games.
While the imposing defenseman isn't necessarily known for his offensive output, but more his punishing defensive play, the Habs prospect was a revelation during the OHL playoffs, scoring six goals, 10 assists for 16 points through 18
games.
The Hamilton, Ontario., native is set to make his professional debut with the Montreal Canadiens AHL affiliate Laval Rocket, where the young defenseman will look to earn some professional hockey seasoning.
| POLL | ||
Would you like to see enforcers make a comeback in the NHL? | ||
| Yes | 139 | 72.8 % |
| No | 52 | 27.2 % |
| List of polls | ||
