Never drafted into the OHL or the NHL, Arber Xhekaj made his debut with the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday night at the age of 21. The Hamilton, Ont. native comes off an outstanding season that saw him guide his hometown Bulldogs to an OHL championship, recording 16 points (6-10–16) in 18 contests during the playoffs last year.
Xhekaj skated 12:47, threw four hits and had two shots on goal in his first NHL contest as the Canadiens defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs in their home opener.
The 6-foot-4, 238Ib. defender recorded 20 goals, 34 assists and 54 points over 161 career OHL regular season games between Kitchener and Hamilton betweeten 2018-22.
BIENVENUE DANS LA LNH! 🤩
WELCOME TO THE @NHL!#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/zlceWktbp5
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) October 12, 2022
