(Laval) If ever there is a hint of doubt in the mind of Arber François Houle. There is a good chance that the head coach of the Laval Rocket will be reassuring.
Xhekaj showed steady improvement in his game between Wednesday’s game against the Belleville Senators — his first career AHL game — and Saturday’s game, which the Rocket won 5-1 over the Hartford Wolf Pack at Place Bell.
Against the Senators, Xhekaj posted a minus-2 defensive ratio and gave the impression of still being shaken by his demotion, announced two days earlier.
However, Xhekaj completed Friday and Saturday’s games against the Wolf Pack with a combined plus-1 defensive rating, two assists and four shots on goal including three on Saturday.
He also played a key role during a two-man penalty kill for 86 seconds midway through the third period Saturday.
At this point in the match, the Rocket led 4-1. However, the Wolf Pack, first in the American League in terms of power play efficiency, could easily have returned to the game and sowed doubt in a rival then mired in a series of nine losses, including several heartbreaks.
However, Xhekaj and his teammates stifled the Wolf Pack’s offensive efforts, to the point where goalkeeper Jakub Dobes declared after the match that he didn’t even need to be in front of his net because his teammates had been so effective to block the opponent’s shots.
Sitting at his locker after Saturday’s game, Xhekaj painted a rather positive picture of his progress over his three outings.
“For sure the first match was difficult, mentally and physically, and it’s a big change because the game here is very different from there,” Xhekaj said during a brief meeting with journalists.
Asked to detail the aspects of his game that he considered better between Wednesday and Saturday, Xhekaj focused on his puck touches.
“In the first game, my passing and my timing weren’t quite there. I hadn’t played in three weeks. The important thing was to be able to touch the puck in order to be more effective,” he said.
After the Rocket’s great victory on Saturday afternoon, Houle judged that Xhekaj had had a good week, overall.
“He integrated very well into the group, he had good training,” Houle first underlined.
“In yesterday’s game [Friday], I thought there were a few too many turnovers, but it had been three or four weeks since he had played because of his injury. Today [Saturday], he played very well, he was involved, he won big physical battles, he made good passes, he went on the attack a couple of times. »
Incidentally, Houle also praised the general attitude of the defender since his arrival in Laval.
As he does every time the Canadian sends him a player, Houle gave himself a few days before sitting down and talking with Xhekaj.
He had used the same approach before the start of the season with young defender Logan Mailloux and attacker Joel Armia.
However, if Houle’s words may be quite similar from one player to another, it will not be identical in all respects. It may vary depending on the players’ background, notes the head coach.
“Armia played several years in the National Hockey League, Xhekaj skipped a step. As I said on the first day [where Xhekaj introduced himself to Laval], it’s very rare to see a guest player arrive immediately in the National League. Usually he spends a little time in the American League,” Houle first explained.
“For him, it’s not a big deal to come play in the American League, even if it’s just going to help him for longer in his career,” continued Houle about Xhekaj. Then, he will return to the National League. That’s what I told him: “You’re going to go back. Fine-tune your defensive game, work on your shortcomings and everything will be fine. ”He was positive. »
For his part, Xhekaj succinctly summarized the essence of the message Houle delivered to him.
“I think, in general, he expects me to be a professional here and work on my game. That’s what I’m going to do. »
