The Montreal Canadiens made a controversial decision to draft Logan Mailloux with their first round pick in the 2021 NHL Draft.
Mailloux had asked teams not to draft him after it became public that he was charged and fined in Sweden for invasion of privacy and defamation for taking a photo of a female without her consent during a sexual act and showing it to teammates.
Canadiens general manager, at the time, Marc Bergevin ignored Mailloux’s plea to not be drafted and selected him with the 31st overall selection. Mailloux was playing in Sweden during the 2020-21 season because the OHL was not playing games. Mailloux would have been playing for the London Knights, but since they were not playing he headed to Sweden to play in a third tier pro league.
Due to the charges laid against him in Sweden, Mailloux was indefinitely suspended by the OHL heading into this season. The league announced at the start of the season that Mailloux could apply to be reinstated on January 1st if he followed a plan that was put in place by the league.
That plan included therapy and counselling, weekly meetings, the completion of various certificates including Respect in Sport, Mental Health in Sport, Ethics in Sport, Diversity and Inclusion, Sport Psychology and Cultural Awareness.
Mailloux has completed all of these certificates in the timeline laid out by the OHL and after reviewing his progress as well as communication with his therapist and counsellor, Mailloux has officially been reinstated by the OHL effective January 1st.
The London Knights are off to a great start to this season, and they sit second in their conference with a 17-8-1 record. Their next game is scheduled for January 1st when they travel to Erie to take on the Otters.
There is no official world from the Knights on whether or not Mailloux will step right back into the lineup on Saturday night, but he has satisfied the OHL with the programs and certifications he was required to go through and he is now eligible to play in the OHL once again.