The 21-year-old defenseman earned a look with Montreal at the end of the season and is focused on making a difference during Canadiens training camp.
Prior to beginning his professional career, Logan Mailloux had played 75 games in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) in a span of three seasons. The lost season in the OHL during the pandemic and 26-game suspension cost significant development time for the 31st overall pick of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft. In his final season with the London Knights, he totaled 53 points in 59 regular season games and produced 24 points in 21 playoff games.
He was one of the final cuts after an impressive training camp with the Montreal Canadiens, and prompted Martin St. Louis stating that Mailloux would play in the NHL before the end of the season.
The 21-year-old was the only player to dress for all 72 games of the Laval Rocket’s season and made his NHL debut in the Canadiens season finale on April 16th. He finished the year with 47 points and set a new franchise record for most goals by a defenseman with 14.
“I felt like my season had some ups and downs, but it’s going to happen during the year. I feel like I progressed well and I had a good experience on and off the ice here,” Mailloux said at the Rocket’s end of season media availability.
Jean-Francois Houle gave Mailloux a lot of ice time, including on the top power play unit and regularly killed penalties as well.
“Trying to be consistent in a full 200-foot game. I feel like D-zone, O-zone, moving pucks out, playing physical every night, stuff like that. I feel I found a way to be consistent with that,” the defenseman declared as his biggest progression during the year.
Mailloux received accolades from the league with his selection as Laval’s representative at the All Star Classic in San Jose and named to the AHL All-Rookie Team.
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Steady Improvement
Similar to the rest of the team, Mailloux had a slow start to the year. He struggled in the defensive zone and at the end of December, he was at minus-12, trailing only one other defenseman on his team for the worst rating.
"It wasn't just like that like overnight," Mailloux spoke about his progression. "My game changed for sure. I feel like it was gradual and I kept going up. There might have been ups and downs, but I feel like I kept going up, but I feel around a month-and-a-half, two months, game 15 or 20, I feel like I started to settle in for sure."
Houle paired the Canadiens prospect with Tobie Paquette-Bisson for a good portion of the season and the veteran was impressed with the rookie. "Logan's progression has been incredible. He couldn't have done it better. I wouldn't be surprised to see him in the NHL."
Becoming a pro also includes learning good habits off the ice. The Rocket's veterans helped the rookies on that aspect.
"A big improvement. At the start of the season, we gave a lot of fines to the guys that came late or too tight to practice. The young players, Logan, showed a lot of maturity as the season progressed. The guys took care of their bodies, they would come to the arena really early in the morning. You saw that the guys were here to play and are really serious. I think for an organization you can't ask more from the young players," added Bisson.
A Focus on Camp
A great rookie season in the AHL doesn't automatically punch Mailloux a ticket to the NHL next season and he knows that he will need to prove himself again during camp.
"I feel that's something you got to come in and prove at the time. That's a September thing. It doesn't really matter what I did this year, I got to show up next year and show that I can be up there," he explained his mindset heading to the summer.
The Canadiens have a lot of depth on defense in the organization and the competition will be tough to earn a spot on the NHL roster.
"I got to make sure I play a full game come camp. Every game I got to show up defensively, offensively, play physical and see if I can make a difference in every game," he stated as his path to the big league.
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