Since his arrival with the Montreal Canadiens, Arber Xhekaj has captured the hearts of hockey fans in Quebec. With his rugged playing style and charming personality, he quickly became a fan favorite.

Nicknamed “The Sheriff,” the athlete from Hamilton, Ontario, earned a spot with the Canadiens before the start of the 2022-2023 season after signing a contract with the organization during Marc Bergevin’s time as general manager of the Habs.

For many fans and hockey experts, it seems almost inconceivable that Arber Xhekaj wasn’t drafted by an NHL team. But now, there’s a player within the Canadiens organization who could be compared to number 72.

A future Arber Xhekaj drafted by the Montreal Canadiens?

We’re talking about Owen Protz, a left-handed defenseman who plays with the Brantford Bulldogs in the Ontario Hockey League.

Standing 6 foot 2 and weighing 207 pounds, he has physical attributes comparable to the Canadiens’ defenseman, and he once played junior hockey with a certain Florian Xhekaj, Arber’s younger brother.

Protz was a fourth-round pick, 102nd overall, in the 2024 draft, and he’s having a very solid season with Brantford, tallying 32 points in 67 games so far.

Steps Protz must take before joining Martin St-Louis’ lineup

For now, he appears to be fairly low in the Canadiens’ depth chart of young defensemen, but the same was said about Arber Xhekaj three years ago.

Now imagine having two Xhekajs in the lineup, that alone would strike fear across the league. Especially with the eventual addition of Florian Xhekaj on a fourth line.

And with the eventual addition of Ivan Demidov, Michael Hage and David Reinbacher, it would bring a nice mixture of finesse and Roughness.

One thing’s for sure, the future is looking bright.