“It’s very special,” Xhekaj said of the post-scrimmage experience. “Even when I went out there to warm up, I was just looking around. I thought: Wow! That’s crazy. I’ve never played in front of 21,000 (fans). It is great.”

It’s no surprise that Xhekaj returned to the Bulldogs due to his age, where he was drafted, and the fact that at 6-foot-4 and 175 pounds, he needs to add some strength and weight to the robust role that the Canadiens hope he can one day bring to the NHL. In 68 games last season with the Bulldogs – who moved from Hamilton to Brantford – Xhekaj had 13-12-25 total points and 76 penalty minutes.

Nick Bobrov, co-director of amateur scouting for the Canadiens, calls Xhekaj “a unicorn.”

Before learning he was being sent back to the Bulldogs, Xhekaj said he attended training camp and the Red vs. White scrimmage was a great experience for him.

“The pace was super fast,” he said. “I just learn from the older ones, talk to them a lot and just gain experience. The little things, the attention to detail and how focused they are on the ice and the little plays they make.”

A highlight of the training camp was that Xhekaj was recently able to compete against his older brother Arber at the CN Sports Complex in Brossard. Last season, the 1.80 meter tall, 110 kilogram Arber had a total of 5-8-13 points and 101 penalty minutes as a rookie NHL defenseman with the Canadiens.

“It was cool,” said Florian about the game against his brother. “We struggled a little bit out there. Not too many shifts against each other, but it was cool.”

The 22-year-old Arber also enjoyed the experience playing against his little brother.

“It was great,” said Arber, who was at the Red vs. White scrum on Sunday. “He blocked one of my shots, so I wasn’t too happy about that.

“It’s a dream come true for us that two brothers can even reach this level, that’s great,” added Arber. “But being in the same organization is a blessing for us.”

Arber saw his brother at the Red vs. White scrimmage game and their parents were also at the Bell Center. The family dream is that they will one day play together in the NHL with the Canadiens.

“I am my own player,” said Florian when asked if he was in his brother’s shadow. “I am my own personality. I think people will see that if they watch me play more often. I just think I have my own game. We have a bit of the same style of play, but I’m a striker, he’s a defense.”

Did his big brother give him any advice before the Red vs. game? White scrimmage?

“He just said play your game out there,” Florian said. “He said stay calm. The nerves were a little high when I went out in front of 21,000 (fans), but he just said stay calm and play your game, so I tried to do that.”

The Canadiens will play their first of six preseason games on Monday when the New Jersey Devils visit the Bell Center (7 p.m., RDS, TSN 690 Radio, 98.5 FM).