Arber Xhekaj parents are Jack Xhekaj and Simona Xhekaj. Jack is an Albanian Kosovar while Simona came from the Czech Republic.
Arber plays as the defenseman for the NHL Montreal Canadiens. He only debuted on October 12, 2022, after being undrafted in the 2020 and 2021 NHL seasons.
During his minor years, Arber was in Alliance Hockey with the Hamilton Huskies. However, he was undrafted at the 2017 Ontario Hockey League (OHL) Priority Selection draft.
He later played in the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League (GOJHL) with the St. Catharines Falcons. He went on to play with OHL’s Kitchener Rangers in 2018 for two seasons.
A Glance At Arber Xhekaj Parents Story
Arber Xhekaj was born to mom Simona and dad Jack Xhekaj. Both met in Hamilton, Canada following the migration from Europe.
Their love story bloomed right after Simona and Jack crossed paths at Sheraton Hotel when they were introduced by mutual friends.
The NHL player was born the eldest child out of four on January 20, 2001.
Simona Xhekaj Loves Hitting The Gym
Xhekaj mom Simona is a fitness trainer and social media enthusiast. She shares her exercise routine on her Instagram, @simonaxhekaj.
Arber described her as the strongest woman ever. Simona left her home in Hradec Králové, Czechoslovakia, now the Czech Republic, in 1989 after the Velvet Revolution.
Mrs. Xhekaj was a teacher in her home country. She moved to England to learn English and later moved to Canada upon the suggestion of a friend.
She was 24 when she arrived in Hamilton and started her life from scratch. Simona met her future husband at a hotel but gave him her wrong phone number at the start.
She took their romantic connection seriously when Jack pursued her even after the wrong number incident.
The two are now a happy couple traveling around Canada to cheer Arber in his NHL games.
Jack Xhekaj Is Originally From Albania
Jack Xhekaj real name is Arber and changed it to “Jack” after arriving in Canada as a refugee.
He left his home country Albania, during the Yugoslav Wars to avoid being sent to the national army. He is an Albanian Kosovar who decided to leave after his mother’s suggestion.
His uncle worked for the government and provided him with a passport during the crisis. Jack then fled to Macedonia and later to Sweden.
In his January 2023 interview with Sportsnet, Arber senior revealed that a guy in Sweden pitied him and offered to exchange passports with him.
Thus, the two switched pictures, and Jack came to England. He again traveled to Canada.
Jack then ripped off his Swedish passport at the airport to attain refugee status.
Jack started his life by working at the National Steel Bar. He met Simona, and the two married right after.
Their marriage survived when an unfortunate incident at the steel company tore Jack’s pancreas. He was out of work for two years to recover from the injuries.
It happened when Simona was pregnant. The Xhekaj couple sent their eldest son to ice hockey practice classes despite the financial problems later in life.
Arber Xhekaj Brother Followed Him In Ice Hockey
Arber Xhekaj has a younger brother named Florian Xhekaj. Florian was born on June 27, 2004.
He is six feet two inches tall and plays as a forward for the Hamilton Bulldogs in OHL. As a professional ice hockey player, he followed in his elder sibling’s footsteps.
Florian is on Instagram as @florianxhekaj and he mostly posts pictures from his game day.
Before his OHL debut, he played with the Pelham Panthers in the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League (GOJHL). He led his team in scoring 17 goals and 23 assists for 40 points in 48 games.
Insights On The Xhekaj Family
Xhekaj comes from a big family of six. He has three siblings, one brother, and two sisters.
All grew up understanding Jack and Simona’s language with heavy European accent.
Meanwhile, Arber and Florian can play for Canadian and Czechia national ice hockey teams. They were born in Canada, making them eligible for Team Canada, while their mother’s heritage makes them eligible for the Czech team.
Arber worked at a Costco in Hamilton after the 2020–21 OHL season was canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Besides the two sons, Jack and Simona are also raising to two daughters, Sophia and Dominika.
Arber Xhekaj sister Sophia Jana is the eldest child, born on October 23, 1999. She shares the same enthusiasm for fitness maintenance as her mom.
The mother-daughter duo usually works out together.
The youngest of this ice hockey household is Dominika, born in 2002. She celebrates her birthday on October 18 each year.
She celebrated her 20th birthday with a trip to Prague, Czech Republic, in 2022, as seen on her Instagram.
All the Xhekaj siblings maintain a close bond with their Czech identity. Meanwhile, Arber got his nickname “Wi-Fi” since his teammates found his surname complex and similar to an internet router’s default password.
Arber Xhekaj and Stephanie Kielb Relationship
Arber Xhekaj and his girlfriend Stephanie Kielb have been in a long-term relationship. They have been dating since 2017.
Stephanie has often accompanied the Xhekajs in attending Arber’s games.
Her Instagram @stephaniekielb has more than 2.6k followers. Meanwhile, she is active on TikTok and has gained 24k likes on her videos.
She dances to trending songs and mainly posts fashion videos. In October, her TikTok’s Get Ready With Me video gained 200k views as it featured Arber.
The video confirmed that the two live together as a couple. In the video, Ms. Kielb got ready with her boyfriend in the morning.