Montreal Canadiens’ Arber Xhekaj out day to day with upper-body injury
The Montreal Canadiens announced Friday that defenseman Arber Xhekaj will be out day-to-day with an upper-body injury.
Xhekaj found himself on the receiving end of a big check when Vegas Golden Knights forward Ivan Barbashev bodied him into the boards with a shoulder-on-shoulder collision during the second period. He did not return to the contest. The Canadiens lost 6-5.
Le défenseur Arber Xhekaj est évalué au quotidien en raison d'une blessure au haut du corps.
Defenseman Arber Xhekaj is considered day-to-day with a upper-body injury.#GoHabsGo
The 22-year-old has registered three points in 17 games this season with the Habs, while racking up 41 hits, good for second on the Habs and sits atop of the NHL’s penalty minute leaders with 47. According to HockeyFights.com, Xhekaj has three fighting majors this season.
Xhekaj made the jump to the NHL during the 2022-23 season following a remarkable journey that saw him grind through the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) as an undrafted prospect. He joined the Kitchener Rangers organization in 2018 on a free agent tryout and quickly made an impact as a physical presence. In October of 2021, just as the OHL season was ramping up, Xhekaj signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Canadiens. He blew the rookie camp away and was invited to the main training camp.
During the 2021-22 OHL season, he was dealt to the Hamilton Bulldogs to help them on their run to the Memorial Cup. While unsuccessful, Xhekaj posted six goals and 10 assists for 16 points in 18 games to help the Bulldogs capture the OHL championship.
‘Wifi’ made his NHL debut on Oct 12, 2022, against the Toronto Maple Leafs. That night, he became the first player in NHL history to have a surname beginning with the letter X. He scored his first NHL goal against the Dallas Stars on Oct 22nd. Xhekaj made his mark on the NHL when he fought and obliterated longtime tough guy Zack Kassian in what was Xhekaj’s first NHL fight.