GRIT & GF
Arber Xhekaj

Montreal Canadiens, Defence

Arber Xhekaj

  • Edgy
  • Heavy
Points, 2026–27
0
0 G, 0 A in 8 GP
Individual xG
0.2
0 goals from it
Ice time per game
11:60
3 shots on goal
xGF% at 5v5
49.8
share of chances while he's on

Arber Xhekaj has 0 goals and 0 assists (0 points) in 8 games for the Montreal Canadiens in 2026–27, with 3 shots on goal and 11:60 of ice time a game. His Grit & GF rating for 2026–27 is 1.8 out of 100, provisional until he has 15 to 20 games.

8 games in. The methodology requires 15 to 20 games to be accurate, so this season's rating still leans on the league average for his position and will move.

GRIT & GF

1.8050100
Rated above 5% of defencemen
Goals above average
−0.4
Wins
−0.06
Physicality8thGF23thIntimidation15thChemistry51thClutch44th

Where the rating comes from

Weight × score in standard deviations. They sum to −1.06, which the normal curve turns into the rating.

Your weights

Under these weights he ranks above 5.4% of 223 rated players

The default weights are our call. Set your own; they get rescaled to add up to 100%.

Chemistry

+0.03 SD · 51th percentile · weight 13% · +0.0 goals

How much his linemates' attack improves with him, measured teammate by teammate (with or without you), at 5-on-5.

  • Linemates' xGF liftper 60Teammates' expected goals per 60 with him minus without him, weighted by shared time.0.0051th pct
  • Shared minutes measuredminutesHow much evidence the chemistry number rests on.027th pct

Percentiles are against 223 rated defencemen in 2026-27, on 78 minutes of his 5-on-5 time. Hits, blocks and takeaways count toward the rating and are worth zero goals until a study shows otherwise. Model grit-0.5.

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Arber Xhekaj's Grit & GF card
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Game notes

Written the morning after from the night's stats, for games where he did something worth a sentence.

  1. vs BUF

    Saturday, May 16

    Drought over

    Arber Xhekaj scored for the first time in 48 games. That was his second goal of the season. The Canadiens lost 8-3 to the Sabres.

  2. vs TBL

    Friday, April 24

    Physical

    Arber Xhekaj threw 8 hits. He has 5 points in 68 games this season. He played 10:40 and had two shots on goal. It finished 3-2 for the Canadiens in overtime.

  3. at PHI

    Tuesday, April 14

    Ice time

    Arber Xhekaj played 19:46, about 8 minutes more than his average this season. He has 4 points in 65 games this season. The Canadiens lost 4-2 to the Flyers.

  4. vs CBJ

    Saturday, April 11

    Ice time

    Arber Xhekaj played 19:44, about 9 minutes more than his average this season. He has 3 points in 63 games this season. The Canadiens fell 5-2 to the Blue Jackets.

  5. vs DET

    Saturday, January 10

    Physical

    Arber Xhekaj finished 8 checks. He also had 7 shot attempts against an average of 2.0. He has 2 points in 41 games this season. The Canadiens fell 4-0 to the Red Wings.

  6. at NYR

    Saturday, December 13

    Drought over

    Arber Xhekaj scored for the first time in 71 games. That was his first goal of the season. The Canadiens lost 5-4 to the Rangers in overtime.

  7. at COL

    Saturday, November 29

    Physical

    Arber Xhekaj finished 9 checks, his most in a game since 2023-24. He has 1 point in 22 games this season. The Canadiens lost 7-2 to the Avalanche.

Player card

Percentile among 194 defencemen with enough games this season. 50 is the median.

Scoring

  • Ice time per game11:60
    1
  • Points per 600.00
    8
  • Goals per 600.00
    30
  • Individual xG per 600.14
    37
  • Shots per 601.9
    16

5-on-5 play

  • xG for per 60, on ice3.09
    83
  • xG against per 60, on ice3.10
    12
  • xGF%49.8%
    46

Physical

  • Hits per 606.3
    88
  • Blocks per 603.8
    38
  • Penalty minutes per 607.5
    4

Skating and shooting

NHL EDGE puck and player tracking, 2026–27. Percentiles are the league's, against all skaters.

Skating

  • Top speed22.2 mph
    93
  • Bursts over 20 mph1
    14
  • Distance skated13 mi
    29

Shooting

  • Hardest shot92.5 mph
    87
  • Shots on goal3
    25
  • Shooting %0.0%
    43

Zone time

  • Offensive zone time43.5%
    75
  • Offensive zone time, even strength45.3%
    87

Who he plays with

His most-used defence partners at 5-on-5 this season, with what happened while they were out together.

PartnerGamesTOIShot attemptsxGGoalsxG share
Adam Engstrom426:3331–132.1–0.62–277%
Jayden Struble317:2211–180.5–1.52–224%
Lane Hutson812:2115–150.6–0.80–142%
David Reinbacher17:2411–40.6–0.20–172%
Mike Matheson45:044–20.1–0.10–049%
Kaiden Guhle44:272–40.1–0.20–034%
Alexandre Carrier72:262–10.0–0.00–00%

Where he shoots from

His unblocked shots this season, attacking right. 0 goals from 5 attempts.

GoalShot or miss

Last 20 games

Columns are his individual expected goals, the quality of his own chances. Dots are goals he scored.

ixGGoal
0.000.050.100.15
04-2110-17

By season

SeasonGPGAPSOGixGTOI/GPHitsBlkxGF% 5v5
2026–27800030.211:6010649.8
2025–2665134401.611:251784346.1
2024–2570156693.114:371806446.1
2023–24443710612.015:561254947.6

Last 20 games

DateTOIGASOGixGHitsBlkPIM
2026-10-1712:290010.07110
2026-10-1414:160000.01200
2026-10-1314:260000.00020
2026-10-107:320000.00000
2026-10-0811:590020.152110
2026-10-069:120000.00312
2026-10-0313:430000.00200
2026-09-2912:200000.00010
2026-05-181:520000.02100
2026-05-167:121010.033112
2026-05-147:160000.00110
2026-05-123:460000.00100
2026-05-107:100020.15202
2026-05-089:320000.08302
2026-05-067:420000.01310
2026-05-0111:460010.03710
2026-04-299:540010.03102
2026-04-268:180000.00602
2026-04-2410:400120.04802
2026-04-219:050000.03416