One of the outstanding players at the Montreal Canadiens during the last season is undoubtedly Arber Xhekaj.
Never drafted into the NHL, the back quickly established himself in the big league as much by his game as by his fists.
The Habs have a total of 11 selections in the next draft, including 7 in the first four rounds.
A player who catches my attention is particularly the back Matteo Fabrizi of the Red Deer Rebels in the OHL.
At 6’5,238 lbs, the St. Albert native bears several similarities to Arber Xhekaj at the same age.
When he was 18 years old, the defender of the Habs did not throw the gloves as regularly when he had accumulated a total of 4 fights in the season.
Fabrizi isn’t afraid to drop the gloves and has done so this season too. You can see it in the video below against Adam McNutt of the Regina Pats.
He’s still very young, but Fabrizi shoots, is reliable defensively and has a good vision of the game overall. However, he will need to continue working on his skating to reach NHL caliber.
Like Xhekaj, he is also able to play his game offensively even if he is not the most spectacular.
A very interesting left-back and a very nice long-term project. If he continues to develop well, Fabrizi could be scary in a few years.
Could it interest Kent Hughes ? Probably !
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