Montreal Canadiens fans don’t get a lot of breaking news in the month of August, so here at A Winning Habit, we’ll be counting down our picks for the top 31 prospects currently in the Habs organization. Each player was carefully deliberated by our writers and ranked accordingly. Today, we’re onto the third-ranked player, Logan Mailloux.
Selected with the final pick of the first round in the 2020 NHL Draft, Logan Mailloux first drew attention for his poor decisions as a 17-year-old while playing overseas in Sweden during the COVID-19 cancelled OHL season. But since then the 6-foot-3 right-shot defenseman has cleaned up his play in the defensive zone and done his best to make amends for his actions. Canadiens fans weren’t able to see much of Mailloux in 2021-22, but he gave them a treat with the London Knights this past season.
Mailloux flashed his strong skating, his powerful, accurate release and his physical style, beating opponents in a multitude of different ways. The Belle River, Ontario, native notched 25-28-53 totals in 59 OHL games. He secured top-pair duties and was relied on heavily by head coach Dale Hunter in all situations.
If he wasn’t already a consideration to crack the Habs lineup, his dominant performance at development camp certainly put him on head coach Marty St. Louis’ radar. Perhaps the biggest training camp of his career will come in the following weeks with the Canadiens, and should he continue his steady development, he could threaten to crack the Habs’ top-six defensive brigade. It is more likely that he plays bigger minutes down in the American League with the Laval Rocket.
To some scouts and keyboard warriors, it could be assumed that Mailloux’s lack of playing time, due to his suspension, could translate to a slowed development, but his playoff performance with the Knights would say otherwise. Learning under the tutelage of the Hunter brothers, Mailloux has consistently worked on his play in his own end. He was a stalwart on the Knight’s blue line during their playoff run, and he was heavily relied upon, to the tune of playing 30-plus minutes a night.
While he honed his skills defensively, his offensive production didn’t dwindle, as he featured on the Knight’s number one powerplay. His two-way mobility, and high offensive IQ, paired with his heavy, accurate shot rounded out his offensive toolkit and he was a constant threat in the attacking zone. He posted above point-per-game totals during the playoffs, after a brilliant regular season, which included a Michigan goal, that capped off a hat trick for the 20-year-old.
Mailloux projects as a top-four offensive defenseman, who is stout defensively and uses his large frame to deter opponents from crossing his side of the ice. A strong showing at NHL camp, and continuing uptick in his development, could cement him as a mainstay on the Canadiens blueline sooner than later.
His combination of size, skill and skating ability is a rare commodity in the Habs’ prospect pool, and that is why he ranks as the Canadiens third best prospect.
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