In the summer of 2021, former Montreal Canadiens general manager (GM) Marc Bergevin used what would be his final first-round selection with the team to draft defenceman Logan Mailloux 31st overall. After a tumultuous three seasons since, the beginning of which Mailloux played a limited amount of games due to various off-ice factors, the Ontario native finds himself up with the big club after an incredibly successful inaugural season in professional hockey with the American Hockey League’s (AHL) Laval Rocket.
Mailloux, who turned 21 on Monday (April 15), scored an impressive 14 goals and 47 points in 70 AHL games this season, representing the Rocket at the 2024 All-Star Game. He transitioned to the professional stage after a 25-goal, 53-point campaign with the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), despite having played in only 16 OHL games prior
When the Canadiens play the Detroit Red Wings in their final regular-season game on Tuesday night, he will want to leave an impact. His recall comes soon after the much-awaited arrival of fellow defense prospect Lane Hutson, who made his debut on Monday night, playing more than 21 minutes and collecting his first NHL point on Brendan Gallagher’s tally.
As many fans may know, there was some controversy and anger around Mailloux’s decision; undoubtedly, some did not even think he would suit up for an NHL game. The 6-foot-3 rearguard famously withdrew from the 2021 Draft, but Bergevin overruled him and selected him with the team’s lone first-round pick of that campaign. The Canadiens would go on to finish dead last in the entire league just one season after their incredible run, so maybe the negative response this choice received from the public was a sign of things to come, especially coming off the team’s unforgettable run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2021.
Mailloux, following being selected, was deemed ineligible to play in the NHL by commissioner Gary Bettman and was suspended indefinitely by the OHL. This resulted in him only playing 12 games that season for London, scoring three goals and nine points. Despite making noticeable strides to better himself off of the ice, Mailloux was far from becoming an endeared prospect in the team’s deep prospect pool. Entering 2022-23, his selection was still surrounded by controversy and given the small sample size of action, he had yet to win over the fanbase.
However, after posting a staggering 0.42 goals-per-game in his first and only full OHL season (a rate of 35 goals per 82 games), in addition to scoring 24 points in 21 playoff games, he had slowly begun to show the team and the fanbase why Bergevin had taken the gamble on him.
Before making their major league debut, Mailloux, like any other NHL prospect, still needs to mature and improve. Since being chosen in the first round, he has made great growth and bounds, swiftly rising through the ranks of the team’s deep defensive prospect pool. Given his rare status as a right-shooting defenseman in their pool, he will use every chance to showcase his remarkable offensive instincts, rapid and potent shot, and explosive strides. When the 2024–25 season arrives and the team’s expectations rise, the Canadiens will probably have a better notion of where the Belle River, Ontario native fits into their congested blue line thanks to this initial impression.
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