17 goals for a recruit: Florian Xhekaj breaks the Laval Rocket record

Dose
Crédit:

The Laval Rocket is truly having an exceptional season, as Pascal Vincent’s team has been at the top of the American League for a while now.

Laval just keeps on winning, and the success is coming in large part from the production of the young prospects in the Montreal Canadiens’ organization, which is very good news.

It’s encouraging to see the young players carry the farm team like this, especially over the past few weeks.

Last night, the Rocket was in action against the Utica Comets, the worst team in the North division, and it ended with a nice 4-1 win for Laval.

And once again, it was the young players who led the charge, as Sean Farrell got a goal and an assist, and Florian Xhekaj scored two goals.

By the way, with his two goals, Arber’s brother broke a Laval Rocket record, as he became the rookie with the most goals in a single season in Rocket history with 17.

Xhekaj’s 17 goals allowed him to break the record of 16 goals that was previously held by Lucas Condotta, who is now the captain of the Laval Rocket.

This is a great achievement for Xhekaj, as at just 20 years old, he’s already doing great things in the pros, especially as a rookie.

Rocket’s number 63 has adapted very well to the level of play in the American League, and he’s taking more and more confidence lately, with 15 points in his last 17 games.

In total this season, Xhekaj has 17 goals and 10 assists for a total of 27 points in 54 games, which is a solid harvest considering Xhekaj has mostly played in the bottom 6 of the Rocket.

Let’s not forget the 141 penalty minutes of Arber’s brother as well.

In short, Xhekaj didn’t steal the record for most goals in a season for a Rocket rookie, as this only adds to his excellent resume, which will clearly help him at the next Montreal Canadiens training camp.

Because personally, I sincerely believe that Xhekaj could make the team as early as next year by winning a spot on the Tricolore’s fourth line.

The development of a player like Xhekaj takes less time, given that his role will always be the same, and he will never become a talented top-6 player in the NHL.

On the other hand, he already has all the necessary assets to establish himself as an excellent player on a fourth line.

As early as next season, Xhekaj could be very useful to the CH’s successes, as his size, intensity, physical play, and good shot will allow him to be the perfect player for the Canadiens’ fourth line.

In short, things will have really changed for Xhekaj since his questionable selection in 2023.

He will become a very important player in the Tricolore’s lineup.

In a Flash

— It’s sure!

— Must-read.

— Formula 1 is finally back!

— Bravo!

With reason.