Logan Mailloux has matured, both on and off the ice

I’ll always remember the evening of July 23, 2021.

It was a Friday, I was working at a golf club early the next morning and the first round of the draft was on TV. I did my best not to fall asleep before the Canadiens were selected, drafted 31st that year following the team’s run to the Stanley Cup Final…

And I told myself I was going to rest my eyes for a while around the 20th spot, so as not to miss the Habs’ pick. The result? You guessed it: I fell asleep and missed the show.

I woke up in the middle of the night, looked at my phone… and saw that the Canadiens had selected Logan Mailloux with their first-round pick. At the time, I knew that the Habs were going to be in the news for the reasons we know today.

But if you look at the situation, almost two years later as of today… Things have changed. Things have changed in the sense that Mailloux has matured considerably since then.

To his credit, he has taken the necessary steps to improve as a human being. He did what he had to do, and today, Mailloux even sees himself as a leader on the Knights team and in the London community.

Once again, bravo to him.

Beyond all that, it’s his play on the ice that’s been most impressive lately. His game seems to have taken off, and that’s been noted by just about everyone.

And what’s nice to hear is that the maturity he’s acquired off the ice has been transformed on the rink. That’s what I tell myself when I hear Dylan Hunter(in an interview with Radio-Canada) say things like this, as the Knights’ defence coach:

He’s been asked to play more defensively and he agrees with that. It shows he’s matured. – Dylan Hunter

I’d like to take a second to invite you to read the following article, written by Alexandre Gascon:

I’ve watched clips of his playoff performance and my conclusion is clear. Mailloux has all the tools to become a complete NHL player sooner rather than later.

He’s got the skate, he’s got the size, he’s got the feel for the game and he’s got a good shot. It will be up to him to find some way of demonstrating these qualities when he makes the leap to the next level.

That said, like any NHL prospect, there are aspects of his game that need improvement.

In the same text above, a scout admits that Mailloux sometimes tries to do too much. The fact that he “keeps the puck and tries to outwit everyone” seems to be a problem in the eyes of the scout in question. And understandably so.

On the other hand, we’ve been talking about maturity since the very beginning of the article… And these things will come with time.

Obviously, the OHL level is different from that of the NHL and AHL: Mailloux will have to learn to trust his teammates more, because he won’t always be the best player on the ice. But, at the risk of repeating myself… That comes with time and maturity.

No, Logan Mailloux isn’t perfect, and yes, it’s true that he’s made a mistake in the past.

But the signs he’s showing now suggest he’s far from the same asshole he was two years ago, when the Habs selected him in the first round of the 2021 draft.

In gusto

– They’re surprising everyone.

– Huh? Very weird sequence.

One of the strangest goals we’ve ever seen 🧐😳 #iihfworlds pic.twitter.com/FT16BWIo3Y

– TSN (@TSN_Sports) May 23, 2023

– News from the Rocket alum.

– Let’s go!

– LeBron James absolutely must be in the answer choices.