The Laval Rocket is coming off an excellent season, the best in its history, finishing first in the AHL and reaching the third round of the playoffs.
Unfortunately, the team lost in four games to the Charlotte Checkers, but let’s not let that rushed elimination overshadow the Rocket’s many accomplishments over the past campaign.
Behind these successes, there were many good performances from the Laval players and a few nice surprises.
One of them is Florian Xhekaj’s rookie season.
We learn today from an article by Arpon Basu on The Athletic that, at the start of the last campaign, Rocket coach Pascal Vincent wasn’t sure whether the Sheriff’s little brother would succeed in staying with the team.
He even considered sending the young forward to the Trois-Rivières Lions or returning him to junior with the Brantford Bulldogs.
In the coach’s plans, it was instead Luke Tuch who was to assume the role of Rocket strongman.
In the end, not only did Xhekaj stay with the Rocket for the entire season, but he also scored 24 goals, a franchise record for a rookie, and accumulated 175 penalty minutes in the regular season.
His offensive production was more subdued in the series, with just three points (1 goal, 2 assists) in 13 games, but he continued to impose himself physically, earning 59 penalty minutes.
It also shows the rapid development of his game, as he has gone from an uncertain player to a regular forward who helps his club succeed.
And that’s good news for the Canadiens, because players who can both play the goon role and contribute offensively are still a rare commodity in the NHL.
What’s more, the Habs are clearly going to need more sturdiness if they want to make it far in the playoffs in the years to come, and a player like Florian Xhekaj can clearly bring that element to the team.
We’re not talking about a future top-6 forward, but he’s clearly a player who could add some physicality to one of the last two lines.
However, I don’t think the young forward is ready to make the jump to the NHL just yet, and I’d give him at least another year to develop in Laval.
On the other hand, if he continues to improve like this, he could perhaps cause a surprise at the next camp, or at least ensure that he’s the first player on the Habs recall list.
