Arber Xhekaj

Arber Xhekaj (,

Junior During his time with the St. Catharines Falcons of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League (GOJHL), Xhekaj drew the interest of the Kitchener Rangers scouting staff. Although not drafted in his second year of major junior eligibility, Xhekaj earned an invitation to the Rangers' training camp in 2018. He made the roster and played two seasons in the OHL before the COVID-19 pandemic cancelled the 2020–21 season.

Following non-selection in both the 2020 and 2021 NHL drafts, Xhekaj received a training camp invitation from the Montreal Canadiens before the 2021–22 NHL season. Xhekaj's performance impressed team management,

Xhekaj remained with the Rangers at the beginning of the 2021–22 season, acquiring a reputation as a dangerous defenceman who was described by The Hockey News as having "effectively blended the old-school enforcer with the modern-day defensive blueliner." He was suspended twice in the fall, once for a slew foot and once for a gesture made after a fight. Midway through the year, Xhekaj was traded to his hometown-based Hamilton Bulldogs.

Professional Initially considered more likely to earn a regular place on American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Laval Rocket at the onset of his professional career, Xhekaj continued to distinguish himself across rookie tournament and preseason play. In the ensuing NHL preseason, his aggressive physical style attracted attention from opposing teams' fans, notably the Ottawa Senators. Upon making his NHL debut on October 12, Xhekaj became the first player in NHL history to have a surname beginning with the letter X. Xhekaj earned the nickname "Wi-Fi" from his teammates due its underlying spelling being perceived as similar to a default password programmed onto an internet router. He picked up his first NHL point, an assist, on October 15 versus the Washington Capitals, and drew further headlines shortly thereafter for winning his first fight in the NHL against Arizona Coyotes forward Zack Kassian, one of the league's more noted enforcers. Xhekaj scored his first NHL goal in a 5–2 loss to the Dallas Stars on October 22, also recording an assist in the same game. Xhekaj's debut season ended when he sustained a season-ending shoulder injury on February 12, 2023. In 51 games with the Canadiens, he recorded five goals and eight assists, and led the team in penalty minutes with 101.

Resuming play to start the 2023–24 season, Xhekaj once again sustained an upper-body injury on November 17, 2023, missing seven games as a result. Upon reactivation from the injured reserve list at the beginning of December 2023, the Canadiens assigned him to the Rocket for part of the 2023–24 AHL season. He was initially tasked with working on his defensive game while in Laval, and was soon paired with rookie defenceman Logan Mailloux, collectively playing a key role in the Rocket's surge up the league standings. After appearing in 17 AHL games, recording three goals and eight assists over that span, Xhekaj was recalled to Montreal on January 22, 2024. On April 9, it was announced that Xhekaj would undergo season-ending surgery due to injury sustained in a game against the Tampa Bay Lightning days prior. In 44 games with the Canadiens, he recorded three goals and seven assists in his second NHL season.

As a restricted free agent following season's end, Xhekaj was tendered a qualifying offer by the Canadiens on June 30, 2024. A month later, he signed a two-year, $2.6 million contract extension. Entering play for the 2024–25 season, Xhekaj was involved in an incident with Toronto Maple Leafs forward Cédric Paré during a preseason game on September 29, 2024, where was assessed a fine for unsportsmanlike conduct by the NHL Department of Player Safety. Shortly thereafter, he skated in his 100th career NHL game on October 17. Xhekaj's performance earned praise for much of the season, however, after errors during the team's closing push to make the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs, he was subsequently scratched for their final five games. He remained out of the lineup for the start of the Canadiens' ensuing first round playoff matchup against the Washington Capitals, but eventually made his NHL playoff debut midway through the series on April 25, 2025.

Personal life Xhekaj's father, Jack, is Albanian from Drenas, Kosovo, and his mother, Simona, is from Hradec Králové, Czech Republic. Both left their native countries in the 1990s amidst political conflict, and first met at a hotel in Hamilton. was selected 101st overall by the team in the 2023 NHL entry draft. On November 22, 2025, the siblings became the fourteenth pair in franchise history to play a regular-season NHL game together for Montreal, and the first since Andrei and Sergei Kostitsyn during the 2007–08 season.

Following the cancellation of the 2020–21 OHL season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Xhekaj worked at a Costco in the Hamilton area. Third All-Star Team 2022

Memorial Cup All-Star Team 2022