Montreal Canadiens: What’s New With Logan Mailloux?

On September 2nd, 2021, the Ontario Hockey League handed out an indefinite suspension against Logan Mailloux, currently a member of the London Knights, for violating the league’s expectation for appropriate conduct by a player.

The league stated that the suspension was in relation to, of course, the incident that took place in November 2020 while Mailloux was on loan SK Lejon in Sweden. Mailloux at the time of the suspension had already paid his fines after being charged by the Swedish government of distributing sexually explicit photos of himself and another women without her consent.

The suspension only fueled more anger towards the young man and the Canadiens organization after ongoing dissatisfaction with the draft pick. Even Canada’s PM Justin Trudeau commented his frustration over the controversial draft pick.

“As a lifelong Habs fan, I have to say I am deeply disappointed by the decision. I think it was a lack of judgment by the Canadiens organization, I think they have a lot of explaining to do, to Montrealers and to fans from right across the country.” –Justin Trudeau via quotes from cbc.ca

Mailloux accepted his punishment and vowed to return as a better human being overall. The OHL declared that Mailloux could apply for reinstatement as of January 1st, 2022.

Regardless of your opinion on the actions made that November evening in 2020, everyone agrees that what he did was wrong. One person thought however that as a young adult and a public figure, he can indeed work out a way to become a better person and learn from these mistakes. That education would come from France Margaret Belanger, the newly appointed President, Sports and Entertainment of Group CH.

Belanger was hired a week before Logan Mailloux’s suspension and had already committed to create a program which would educate and help all employees of the Montreal Canadiens and Group CH, as well as young adults in general, on the consequences of inappropriate conduct and language as well as the consequence of sexual cyberviolence. The program , which received a million dollar funding from the Montreal Canadiens, was built alongside Genevieve Paquette, the vice-president of community engagement and Canadiens Foundation general manager.

With Belanger’s blessing, the London Knights took charge of Mailloux’s education and an application for reinstatement was accepted by the OHL, after proof that he has indeed understood the point of the course and the future ramifications this will have in his future.

“Since the time of suspension, with the support of the London Knights, Logan Mailloux has participated in therapy and counselling with Dr. Lindsey Forbes, and a personal development plan under the leadership of Wendy Glover. Ms. Glover is a London-based, experienced holistic athlete development practitioner, academic and personal development advisor, teacher and member of the Ontario School Counsellors Association,” the OHL said in a statement Wednesday. “After reviewing the program, speaking with the player and Ms. Glover, and receiving a commitment from the player to continue with his personal development program, the League is satisfied that Logan Mailloux has undertaken the necessary steps and will reinstate him, effective January 1, 2022.” Quote taken via sportsnet.ca

Logan Mailloux ended up missing a total of 26 games due to his suspension. On top of that, he missed the Montreal Canadiens rookie camp, something of an abnormality for a first round selection on any team.

After working his tail off during his suspension in class, in the gym and on the ice, Mailloux returned to the London Knights with a massive chip on his shoulder.

https://twitter.com/LondonKnights/status/1480317295566237696?s=20&t=KqFJ7LcszgzlUPSQa8XC-g

After 9 games, Mailloux tallied 3 goals (2 of them in one game against the Kitchener Rangers), and 6 assists for 9 points. He then suffered an injury during warm-ups and was shelved for nearly a month, returning on February 23rd and earned an assist. Knights Head Coach Mark Hunter eased him in and used Mailloux primarily in offensive situations.

The evident focus for the 18 year old is to keep progressing and not let anything get to him. He’s making some typical mistakes for a young player such as shooting at the net too often in the hopes the puck goes in. This might just be a factor in his game where he’s trying to prove he’s an elite prospect.

By all means Logan Mailloux will not be one of those “run and gun” type of defencemen like Cale Makar or P.K. Subban was in his prime. He’s not going to launch an offense on his own but will take responsible and intelligent decisions regarding lane coverage and openings. His best assets are still his physical play and passing power although he’s still a notch under the NHL level when it comes to making the correct pass.

Mailloux will likely get a shot at the Canadiens’ rookie camp next season and unless an absolute explosion in his development, will likely return to the OHL where he hasn’t played a full season as of yet.

He has yet to sign an entry-level contract but if he continues on this path towards redemption, he will certainly be offered one. His biggest obstacle is himself. He has the extra weight of expectations aside from being drafted in the first round and aside from being drafted by the Montreal Canadiens. Logan Mailloux will have a negative label on his forehead for years to come. Time heals wounds but this one will take a long time for people to get over. It is up to him to prove to us that he is indeed a changed man, that he has learned from his mistakes, and that he can now focus on his craft which, we can all hope, will lead him to become an NHL player.