Logan Mailloux

July 2024 – Logan Mailloux, after a slow start to the season where former Laval Rocket head coach JF Houle called him out, turned things around. He has done exceptional work to grow a professional character and mentality, and once that mental switch took place, the on-ice results came in spades. An AHL all-star in his first season, his 47 point performance allowed him to earn his NHL debut in the final game of the season, where he got an assist. The NHL, as well as the Canadiens management have clearly given him a vow of faith, and his off-ice work has allowed him this opportunity. Now that Mailloux has adjusted himself to the pros, he has put up one of the most impressive rookie defenseman performances in the AHL for the Canadiens since PK Subban. While Mailloux will never have quite the level of hockey IQ that Subban had, their big frames and big shots make the comparison hard to deny. His development over the last 12 months has been nothing short of meteoric, and the Canadiens will have a big decision to make at training camp as he fights to earn a full-time NHL spot. Having found chemistry next to Arber Xhekaj with the Laval Rocket, that pairing could realistically be getting bottom-four minutes in the NHL as soon as this year, but almost certainly in 2025-26. Aaron Itovitch

September 2023 – Many of the analysts who believed Mailloux would be an instant impact player for the Canadiens have been silenced by his play this week at the Canadiens’ prospect tournament. His lack of scanning has been his biggest woe, leading him into difficult situations and causing turnovers aplenty. He did improve as the tournament went along, but he has a lot of work to do if he ever wants to make the NHL. Aaron Itovitch

August 2023 – Reports indicate that Mailloux has been given the green-light by Gary Bettman to play in the NHL. Following two years of work towards improving himself as a person, it is hoped that Mailloux has become a better person and player. It will be interesting to see how Mailloux’s first professional season goes down. Aaron Itovitch

May 2023 – After starting the season with a lot of points, but a rather negligible impact on the ice, Mailloux has taken a massive stride this season. It is impossible to deny his elite tools, especially his blistering shot. The London Knights will now play in the OHL finals, and Mailloux has been a proponent to their success. Often outshined by the more cerebral Oliver Bonk, it does reveal a lot about how Mailloux could fit in the NHL. With a defensively responsible partner, Mailloux’s tools could be highlighted to a major degree. There will always be questions around his projectability due to the subpar hockey IQ, but he has size and skill. It will be interesting to see what the Canadiens decide to do with him this coming season. Aaron Itovitch

January 2023 – I’m not in a position to judge Mailloux’s development as a person, but the Canadiens organization signing him to an entry-level contract makes it fair to assume he’s taking steps in the right direction. When it comes to his on-ice play, there is a lot to like. His toolkit is fantastic, with quick straight-line speed, and an above-average shot. This is working to his favour in the OHL, where he has 31 points in 34 games. Question marks do appear when it comes to his hockey IQ. A lot of the tactics that are effective for him in junior will have a very difficult transition to the NHL. He may generate consistent highlight reel plays in the OHL, but it is hard to imagine that any group of NHLers will allow him to enter the offensive zone against three other men – he isn’t Connor McDavid. It isn’t as glaring in juniors as it would be in the NHL, but his positional awareness is equally a deficiency of his game. While Mailloux has the tools to become a decent third-pairing shut-down defenseman, he relies on driving the rush to boost his numbers. He will have to find an NHL role that plays to his strengths if he wants to have any success in the league. At 6-3, 212, he is bound to earn an NHL shot even if his hockey IQ isn’t at an NHL level. Players of his stature with his tools are routinely valued highly by NHL GM’s, which is the exact reason Marc Bergevin made the controversial decision to draft him in 2021. Mailloux will turn 20 in April, and he will turn pro next year. The question is if he has done enough to earn himself an NHL chance. Aaron Itovitch

July 2021 – Even after renouncing himself from the draft, the Montreal Canadiens made the highly controversial decision to select Mailloux in the first round, 30th overall in the NHL Draft. Mailloux was charged under Swedish law after taking a picture of a woman without her knowledge during consensual sex (link here). Whether or not he will be an NHL player not only rests on how well he develops – but how well he can truly realign his moral compass, and the impact of this on the victim. Nick Richard and Dobber