Arber Xhekaj didn’t have a perfect match in Gander, that small town in Newfoundland and Labrador. There were turnovers, questionable decisions with the puck and two bad penalties, but he once again found a way to get people talking.
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Never called up, Xhekaj understood a principle. If the door is closed, you have to break it open. He has that rare attitude, that of a player who never gives in to achieve his dream.
At 21 and on the eve of his debut season as a pro, the tall 6’4″, 238lb defenseman has already won his bet. He’s dangerously complicating the plans of Martin St-Louis, Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton about him.
Before the start of the rookie tournament in Buffalo, Francis Bouillon had predicted that he would need miles in the American League with the Laval Rocket. Letting him grow alone is probably still the most logical goal.
But Xhekaj has a card up his sleeve that no other defender on the team can have. He’s physically intimidating, he loves the physical game and he has a knack for quickly becoming the enemy of the other team.
Against Watson
In the first of two preseason games in the Atlantic provinces, Xhekaj knocked down center Tim Stützle with a shoulder shot in front of Cayden Primeau’s net. He was also defending teammate Kirby Dach, another big guy who had just been hit by Auston Watson.
We will not glorify violence in hockey. But as long as fighting is allowed, a player like Xhekaj can make a rival think twice.
Watson, 30, has played 407 NHL games and, with 489 penalty minutes, has never been recognized for his scoring ability. Still, Xhekaj never wavered. As soon as he saw Dach down behind the net, he attacked the Senators winger. A fight that the 21-year-old, who has not yet played a match with the pros, won.
The case of Brady Tkachuk
The scene remained fascinating. After last Tuesday’s 5-4 loss to the Senators at Bell Center, Xhekaj spent long minutes in the team’s dressing room. Joining a handful of journalists including the author of these lines and TVA Sports’ Marc-André Perreault, the Ontarian shared his thoughts on the idea of feuding with captain Brady Tkachuk.
“I think it’s great, it’s incredible,” he replied. First, if a star player like Tkachuk takes the time to insult me, it means that he knows my name. It’s a sign that I’m doing my job. It doesn’t bother me in the slightest.”
DJ Smith wasn’t a happy man after that game at Gander. The Sens head coach told reporters at the scene that he doesn’t like it when some CH players target his best players. Yes, he had Josh Anderson’s punch to Stützle at the end of the meeting on his mind, but he also had Xhekaj to think about.
Once again the 21-year-old defender did his job. He is disturbing. He’s talking about himself. He collects points. And it’s getting closer to Montreal.