Arber
Xhekaj
D · MTL · Limited · Very poor
- PAL
- 3
- WAR
- -1.0
- Value
- 9
- PTS
- 4
2025-26№ 316 / 325
Arber Xhekaj (Montreal Canadiens) stats and profile: offensive production, ice time, advanced stats, WAR and PAL rating.
Arber Xhekaj
HEIGHT : 193 cm · WEIGHT : 109 kg · SHOOTS : L
Born : January 29, 2001 · Hamilton, Canada
Contract : $1,500,000 · 2026-27 → 2026-27 · Standard Contract · RFA (Arb)
NHL record
| Year | Team | GP | G | A | PTS | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 | Montréal Canadiens | 16 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 32 |
| 2025-26 | Montréal Canadiens | 65 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 116 |
| 2024-25 | Montréal Canadiens | 70 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 118 |
| 2023-24 | Montréal Canadiens | 44 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 81 |
| 2022-23 | Montréal Canadiens | 51 | 5 | 8 | 13 | 101 |
| NHL totals | 246 | 11 | 25 | 36 | 448 | |
Playoffs
| Year | Team | GP | G | A | PTS | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | Montréal Canadiens | 13 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 28 |
| 2024-25 | Montréal Canadiens | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Playoff totals | 16 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 32 | |
Arber Xhekaj: our analysis
2025-26 season: 65 GP, 1 G, 3 A, 4 PTS, -8 +/-, 11:25 TOI. WAR -1.0 (316th of 325) · PAL 3, very poor.
In 2025-26, Arber Xhekaj, 25, posts a PAL Rating of 3 out of 100 (very poor), and his WAR of -1.0 ranks 316th among 325 regulars, in the bottom quarter.
His strengths: power play (62, above average). On the other hand, discipline (3, among the weakest in the league) and possession (7, among the weakest in the league) hold him back.
Breaking down his WAR (goals above average), no component is positive; the costliest: EV offense (-2.7).
A season in line with 2024-25 (PAL of 2); his WAR went from -1.4 to -1.0.
Contract-wise, his Value score of 9 (very poor return) weighs his output against what he costs: 50 is what that salary should buy.
Arber Xhekaj's story
Raised in Hamilton, Arber Xhekaj came up through the Hamilton Huskies minor program and developed a physical style of play despite early doubts about his frame. After being passed over in the 2017 OHL draft, he nearly walked away from hockey, but encouragement from his parents kept him on the ice and motivated him to seek another path to major junior.
He earned a spot with the Kitchener Rangers after time with the St. Catharines Falcons in the GOJHL, signing with Kitchener on 31 August 2018 and playing two full OHL seasons before the 2020–21 campaign was cancelled. His mix of old‑school toughness and modern defensive play drew attention even though he remained unselected in consecutive NHL drafts.
Montreal invited him to training camp and the Canadiens signed him as an unrestricted free agent on 4 October 2021. Initially projected to begin in Laval, Xhekaj stood out in rookie and preseason games and made Montreal’s opening night roster for 2022–23. He debuted in the NHL on 12 October 2022—the first NHL player ever with a surname beginning with X—registered his first point on 15 October and scored his first NHL goal on 22 October.
His early NHL seasons combined notable physicality with setbacks from injuries. A shoulder surgery in February 2023 ended his rookie year after 51 games (5 goals, 8 assists, 101 penalty minutes). The 2023–24 season saw another upper‑body injury in November, a stint in Laval where he worked on his defensive play and was paired with Logan Mailloux, a recall on 22 January 2024, and a season‑ending surgery announced on 9 April; he finished that campaign having played 44 NHL games (3 goals, 7 assists) plus 17 AHL games (3 goals, 8 assists). The Canadiens extended a qualifying offer on 30 June 2024 and signed him to a two‑year, $2.6 million contract on 30 July 2024.
On the ice, Xhekaj is defined by an assertive, physical game and a readiness to defend teammates, traits that earned him nicknames, fights that drew headlines, and occasional discipline. Teams have leaned on his intensity while he continues to refine positioning and decision‑making in his own zone.
Facts drawn from Wikipédia, told in our own words.
Advanced stats
- TOI/GP
- 11:53
- PP TOI/GP
- 0:01
- SH TOI/GP
- 1:45
- Pts/GP
- 0.19
- EV points
- 3
- Hits
- 24
- Blocks
- 13
- Takeaways
- 2
- Corsi % (SAT)
- 54.3 %
- Off. zone starts
- 39.3 %
Stats and photos: NHL (NHL.com)
2026-27 projection
Projected points
8between 3 and 13 (80% range)
- Goals
- 2
- Assists
- 5
- Games
- 70
So far: 3 pts in 16 games. The team has played 17 of 84 games. Projected pace: 0.09 pts per game (last season: 0.06).
The projection follows last season's pace. Tested on 2,265 player seasons (2022-23 to 2025-26): average miss of 9 points over 82 games; for players at 0.9 points per game and up, it ran 5 points high on average.
Trend
Stable
- Points per game: 0.23 in 23-24, 0.06 in 25-26
- PAL Rating: 2 → 3
Outlook, age included
→ StableAge 25: prime years
This is only a projection. It knows nothing about injuries, trades or role changes; one player in five finishes outside the range.
Player ratings, 2025-26
All ratings →Fourteen ratings from 0 to 100 drawn from data, never by hand: 75 = established NHL player, 95+ = elite.
OV · OverallConfidence 76 %
50
Replacement or prospect
- SK
- Skating
- 67
- Confidence 73 %
- ST
- Strength
- 93
- Confidence 80 %
- EN
- Endurance
- 46
- Confidence 80 %
- DU
- Durability
- 68
- Confidence 73 %
- CK
- Checking
- 97
- Confidence 80 %
- FG
- Fighting
- 96
- Confidence 59 %
- DI
- Discipline
- 42
- Confidence 80 %
- FO
- Faceoffs
- —
- PA
- Passing
- 56
- Confidence 76 %
- SC
- Scoring
- 67
- Confidence 76 %
- DF
- Defense
- 65
- Confidence 73 %
- PS
- Penalty shot
- 76
- Confidence 0 %
- EX
- Experience
- 69
- Confidence 100 %
Why these ratings?Hide details
SK — Skating67
- Top speed (35 %)34.8 · 66
- Bursts > 20 mph /60 (30 %)1.527 · 70
- Distance /60 (20 %)14 · 69
- Speed consistency (15 %)34.3 · 71
ST — Strength93
- Contact absorbed /60 (50 %)5.529 · 78
- Body mass (50 %)2.215 · 93
EN — Endurance46
- Ice time per game (45 %)14.5 · 45
- Total ice time (20 %)736 · 63
- Shift length (15 %)48.4 · 79
- Lowest recent ice time per game (15 %)12.6 · 45
- Special-teams time per game (5 %)1.125 · 48
DU — Durability68
- Share of games played (100 %)0.769 · 68
CK — Checking97
- Hits /60 (70 %)10.1 · 97
- Lowest seasonal rate (20 %)9.195 · 96
- Season volume (10 %)5.187 · 93
FG — Fighting96
- Fights per 82 games (100 %)3.3 · 96
DI — Discipline42
- Net penalty value /60 (50 %)-0.139 · 37
- Penalties taken /60 (30 %)1.485 · 37
- Penalties drawn /60 (20 %)0.671 · 89
PA — Passing56
- Primary assists /60 (40 %)0.273 · 64
- Secondary assists /60 (20 %)0.22 · 45
- Offensive creation (RAPM) (20 %)-0.119 · 61
- Power-play points /60 (10 %)3.915 · 69
- Assist consistency (10 %)0.148 · 63
SC — Scoring67
- Goals /60 (25 %)0.161 · 67
- Individual xG /60 (20 %)0.177 · 70
- Finishing (goals − xG per shot) (20 %)0.09 · 69
- High-danger chances /60 (15 %)0.075 · 69
- xG per shot (10 %)0.033 · 62
- Shot attempts /60 (10 %)10.8 · 80
DF — Defense65
- RAPM defense /60 (35 %)-0.078 · 61
- Relative xG against (20 %)-0.072 · 79
- On-ice xG against /60 (15 %)2.743 · 66
- Penalty kill /60 (10 %)-0.223 · 60
- Takeaways − giveaways /60 (10 %)-2.341 · 64
- Shot attempts against /60 (5 %)57.5 · 78
- Blocked shots /60 (5 %)3.931 · 68
PS — Penalty shot76
- Shootouts (60 %)32.7 · 76
- Penalty shots (40 %)26.7 · 76
EX — Experience69
- Career regular-season games (65 %)77
- Career playoff games (25 %)53
- NHL seasons (10 %)55
OV — Overall50
- DF · Defense (30 %)65
- PA · Passing (22 %)56
- SK · Skating (12 %)67
- SC · Scoring (12 %)67
- EN · Endurance (9 %)46
- ST · Strength (6 %)93
- DI · Discipline (5 %)42
- CK · Checking (4 %)97
| Season | OV | SK | SC | DF |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 50 | 67 | 67 | 65 |
| 2024-25 | 47 | 67 | 69 | 57 |
| 2023-24 | 62 | 73 | 79 | 58 |
| 2022-23 | 65 | 73 | 80 | 57 |
The bars show confidence (sample size), not player quality. — : not enough data, not a zero. Engine version 1.0.
WAR and PAL ratings, 2025-26
How we rate →PAL Rating scores performance from 0 to 100 against players at the same position (50 = average player), starting from the player's strength, offensive or defensive. Value Rating compares that performance with what the player costs: 50 means paid what the play is worth.
WAR
-1.0
wins above replacement
316 of 325
PAL Rating
3/ 100
Performance · Very poor
239 of 250 at the position
Value Rating
9/ 100
Very poor return
1.30 M$ · expected PAL 44
ProfileLimitedBelow average at both ends
- Offense
- 9
- Defense
- 14
See full detailsHide details
- Offense
- 8
- Creation
- 23
- Shooting
- 32
- Possession
- 7
- Defense
- 28
- Discipline
- 3
- Power play
- 62
- Penalty kill
- 11
From 0 to 100; 50 is the average player at the same position, adjusted for ice time.
| Season | Team | WAR | PAL | Value | Cap hit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | MTL | -1.0 | 3 | 9 | 1.30 M$ |
| 2024-25 | MTL | -1.4 | 2 | 4 | 1.30 M$ |
| 2023-24 | MTL | -0.4 | 10 | 21 | 0.83 M$ |
| 2022-23 | MTL | -0.4 | 12 | 18 | 0.83 M$ |
Hockey IQ, 2025-26
Rankings and method →The quality of the player's decisions with and against the puck at 5-on-5, against regulars at the same position (50 = average). PAL measures output; IQ measures how the player plays.
Overall IQ
1/ 100
Low
better than 1% of defensemen, offense and defense combined
Offensive IQ
53/ 100
Average
passing, shots, puck
Defensive IQ
0/ 100
Low
takeaways, discipline, own zone
Overall IQ isn't an average of the two scores: it's the player's rank with offense and defense combined, 222 of 225 defensemen.
See full detailsHide details
Offense
- Playmaking passes
- 20
- Shot selection
- 19
- Penalties drawn
- 96
- Puck management
- 39
Defense
- Takeaways
- 0
- Discipline
- 1
- Safe zone exits
- 72
Percentiles: 80 means better than 80% of regulars at the same position. Play without the puck (positioning, coverage) isn't measured: the NHL doesn't publish that data.
| Season | Team | IQ | Off. | Def. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | MTL | 1 | 53 | 0 |
| 2024-25 | MTL | 8 | 58 | 3 |
| 2023-24 | MTL | 6 | 88 | 0 |
| 2022-23 | MTL | 14 | 44 | 9 |
WAR, 2025-26
How it's calculated →Wins added to the team, compared with a replacement-level player called up from the AHL.
-1.0
wins above replacement
-1.5 to -0.3 — 90% interval
316 of 325 defensemen
-5.3 goals above replacement
Full leaderboard →See full detailsHide details
- EV offense
- -2.7
- EV defense
- -1.1
- Power play
- 0.0
- Penalty kill
- -0.2
- Shooting
- -0.6
- Penalties
- -2.2
- Average → replacement
- +1.6
In goals.
| Season | Team | GP | WAR | 90% interval | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | MTL | 65 | -1.0 | -1.5 to -0.3 | 316/325 |
| 2024-25 | MTL | 70 | -1.4 | -1.9 to -0.8 | 313/314 |
| 2023-24 | MTL | 44 | -0.4 | -1.1 to 0.3 | 275/316 |
| 2022-23 | MTL | 51 | -0.4 | -1.3 to 0.3 | 283/334 |
Player tracking (NHL EDGE)
League EDGE leaderboards →Speed, shot power, distance covered, time by zone: measured by chips in the puck and shoulder pads. 90th percentile = better than 90% of players.
- Hardest shot
- 156.5 km/h96th percentileleague avg. 139.7 km/h
- Top skating speed
- 35.7 km/h87th percentileleague avg. 34.0 km/h
- Bursts over 20 mph, season
- 329th percentileleague avg. 8
- Offensive zone time
- 43.2 %74th percentileleague avg. 42.4 %
See full detailsHide details
- Total distance, season
- 41.8 km34th percentileleague avg. 56.1 km
- Distance, single-game high
- 3.15 km5th percentileleague avg. 4.98 km
- Offensive zone at 5v5
- 44.8 %91st percentileleague avg. 42.8 %
- Neutral zone time
- 17.6 %22nd percentileleague avg. 16.9 %
- Defensive zone time
- 39.2 %66th percentileleague avg. 40.8 %
Shooting
| Shots on goal | Goals | Shooting % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| All | 1246th percentile | 172nd percentile | 8.3 %62nd percentile |
| High danger | 175th percentile | 084th percentile | 0.0 %60th percentile |
| Mid range | 473rd percentile | 073rd percentile | 0.0 %50th percentile |
| Long range | 543rd percentile | 195th percentile | 20.0 %98th percentile |
Shots on goal by zone
2026-2027 regular season. Measured by puck and player tracking chips; the percentile ranks the player within the league.
Game log, 2026-27
TOR
UTA
WPG
PIT
DAL
CHI
SJS
BUF
WSH
DET
NSH
CARArber Xhekaj: frequently asked questions
How many goals does Arber Xhekaj have in 2026-27?
Arber Xhekaj has 1 goal and 3 points (2 assists) in 16 games in 2026-27.
How old is Arber Xhekaj?
Arber Xhekaj is 25 years old: he was born on January 30, 2001.
How tall is Arber Xhekaj, and how much does he weigh?
Arber Xhekaj is 6'4" (193 cm) and weighs 240 lb (109 kg).
Where is Arber Xhekaj from?
Canada: Arber Xhekaj was born in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
What team does Arber Xhekaj play for?
Arber Xhekaj plays for the Montreal Canadiens in the NHL, at D, wearing number 72.
Is Arber Xhekaj injured?
No: Arber Xhekaj is not on the latest NHL injury report. This answer is updated throughout the season.
How good is Arber Xhekaj?
Arber Xhekaj produced -1.0 wins above replacement (WAR) in 2025-26, 316th of 325 players at his position in the NHL. His PAL rating is 3 out of 100: very poor for his position.
How much does Arber Xhekaj make?
Arber Xhekaj earns $1.3M for the 2025-26 season. His Value Rating is 9 out of 100 (very poor return): it measures the on-field return for that salary, compared with players at his position.
When does Arber Xhekaj's contract end?
Arber Xhekaj's contract runs through the 2026-27 season; he will then be a restricted free agent.
Is Arber Xhekaj overpaid?
Yes, his output falls short of what his salary should buy. His Value rating is 9 out of 100 (very poor return), where 50 is the output expected for his salary, compared with players at his position.
Is Arber Xhekaj a top-10 player at his position?
No: by WAR, he ranks 316th of 325 players at his position in the NHL in 2025-26. Our comparison tool puts him side by side with any other player.
Is Arber Xhekaj getting better?
He is holding steady: his PAL rating went from 2 in 2024-25 to 3 in 2025-26 (out of 100, 50 = average player at his position).
How has Arber Xhekaj played lately?
Over his last 10 games, Arber Xhekaj has 3 points (1 goal, 2 assists).
What are Arber Xhekaj's career stats?
Over his NHL career, Arber Xhekaj has 246 games, 11 goals, 25 assists and 36 points. His best season: 2022-23, with 13 points in 51 games.
Is Arber Xhekaj better at home or on the road?
At home: in 2026-27, he averages 0.33 points per game at home (3 in 9 games) and 0.00 on the road (0 in 7 games).
How does Arber Xhekaj perform in the playoffs?
In the playoffs, Arber Xhekaj has 16 games and 2 points in his career. His pace (0.13 points per game) is similar to his regular-season pace (0.15).
Which player is most similar to Arber Xhekaj?
Adam Boqvist: he is the player at his position whose PAL profile (the 0-to-100 dimensions) is closest to his in 2025-26.
Adam Boqvist's page →Is Arber Xhekaj a good fantasy pick?
Probably not, except in deep leagues: our projection has him at 8 points in 2026-27, or 0.11 points per game.
Does Arber Xhekaj have siblings?
Yes: his younger brother Florian Xhekaj (selected 101st overall by the Canadiens in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft).
What is Arber Xhekaj's nationality?
Arber Xhekaj is Canadian.
What awards has Arber Xhekaj won?
Named to the Memorial Cup All-Star Team (2022).
How many championships has Arber Xhekaj won?
1: J. Ross Robertson Cup victory with the Hamilton Bulldogs (OHL playoffs 2022).
What is Arber Xhekaj's nickname?
He is nicknamed Wi‑Fi / «le shérif».
Where did Arber Xhekaj play before turning pro?
Kitchener Rangers (invited to camp 2018; played two OHL seasons before the 2020–21 season was cancelled), Hamilton Bulldogs (traded mid-2021–22; played in 2022 playoffs).
How many points is Arber Xhekaj projected to score in 2026-27?
Our projection has him at 8 points in 70 games in 2026-27 (3 to 13 points, 80% interval), based on his recent seasons, age and role.
See also: his Montreal Canadiens teammates
Full roster →
NHL.com ↗ · Stats and photos: NHL (NHL.com)