The Canadiens haven’t had a young, power forward prospect like Florian Xhekaj since Shayne Corson .

The Canadiens had high hopes for Corson when they selected him with the eighth overall pick at the 1984 NHL Draft . Xhekaj wasn’t as highly rated when the Canadiens selected him in the fourth round (101st overall) of the 2023 NHL Draft, but they have a lot of similarities.

They were both tough kids when they were drafted, willing to play a physical style and drop the gloves if needed. They could also provide offence.

During his final season as a junior in 1985-86, Corson had 41-57-98 totals and 153 penalty minutes in 47 games with the OHL’s Hamilton Steelhawks. Xhekaj had 34-31-65 totals and 81 penalty minutes in 63 games in his final junior season with the OHL’s Brantford Bulldog

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