Logan Mailloux had something to prove in his first professional season with the Laval Rocket. A first-round pick of the Montreal Canadiens back in 2021, he missed out on a huge portion of his development in Junior due to suspension, injury, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Simply put, the lack of activity alone was a concern, as he would enter professional hockey with less experience than most of his peers.
When he was available and patrolling the blue line for the London Knights, his talent was undeniable. In his final season, he put up 53 points in 59 games, and added another 24 in 21 playoff games, falling just short in the OHL final against the Peterborough Petes. He made the jump in 2023-24 to professional hockey with an incomplete resume.
What he accomplished on a very young and inexperienced Laval Rocket roster last season was commendable. His 47 points cleared the next-highest-scoring defenceman on the team by 20, and had him third overall. He was also third in the entire AHL for scoring among defencemen, and earned an invite to participate in the league’s All-Star Game.
He showed poise as well, perhaps not eliminating concerns about the defensive side of his game, but showing a more polished game than most were expecting. It was a development year for the organization as a whole, and they couldn’t have been happier with the development shown by Mailloux in his first professional season.
Voting
As recently as last year, Mailloux was seeing ballots in the 20s. That’s no longer the case, as the majority of our panel has him in the nine to 12 range. His first season in the AHL has gained him confidence from our panel, as this is both the highest and the closest our votes have ever been clustered for him.
The community vote paralleled the broader panel, with votes falling in the same range.
Top 25 Under 25 History
| 2023: #16 | 2022: #20 | 2021: #15 |
This is Mailloux’s fourth year of eligibility, and his best showing to date after some up-and-down results. He debuted at 15th back in 2021, fell to 20th the year after, and then rose again back to 16th in 2023. A big part of his rankings in previous years was uncertainty around how his defensive game would translate to professional hockey. Now that he’s shown what he can do, the confidence in him from our panel has grown significantly.
History of #10
| Year | #10 |
|---|---|
| 2023 | Owen Beck |
| 2022 | Filip Mesar |
| 2021 | Sean Farrell |
| 2020 | Jake Evans |
| 2019 | Noah Juulsen |
| 2018 | Charlie Lindgren |
| 2017 | Jacob de la Rose |
| 2016 | Michael McCarron |
| 2015 | Michael McCarron |
| 2014 | Charles Hudon |
| 2013 | Charles Hudon |
| 2012 | Sebastian Collberg |
| 2011 | Jarred Tinordi |
| 2010 | Dustin Boyd |
Strengths
Few hockey players can shoot the puck the way Mailloux does. Possessing a veritable cannon, it is the kind of offering that makes opponents not want to stand in front of it. Shea Weber lite, if you will. Where things get even more interesting is when he foregoes the slapshot for his snapshot, which he gets away with a lightning-quick release, and still with velocity that make it incredibly difficult to see or stop. A variety of releases, and elite velocity on them, all make him a constant threat whenever he’s on the ice.
Fully aware of the threat his shot poses, he’s been getting better at using that to his advantage for playmaking purposes. When he loads up at the blue line, everyone expects him to fire away, but he’ll find a seam and throw it down to a forward for an open look.
Playmaking is perhaps an underrated aspect of his game due to how potent his shot is. His vision in the offensive zone is good, and he delivers crisp tape-to-tape passes. As he continues to gain experience, the combination of shooting and playmaking could make him an elite power-play option for a Canadiens organization that has been extremely lacking for the last decade on that front.
The other very apparent strength in his game is his skating. Standing at 6’3″ and 212 pounds, he moves significantly better than most defencemen of his size. It gives him end-to-end rushing ability, and while he’s still working on being more deceptive as he traverses the neutral zone, his long and powerful stride gives him an edge that a lot of players just don’t have. He appeared much more reserved with this skill in Laval as well, not trying as many hero rushes as he would in Junior, and instead using that skating to start transition, then locating a teammate to hand the puck off to.
Weaknesses
The main weaknesses in Mailloux’s game are in his own end. He has a tendency not to scan very well when he has the puck, and makes some panicky plays to get rid of the puck under pressure. Sometimes, better options are open, but he’ll bang a puck off the glass or throw it up the boards for a turnover. He’s still learning how to settle things down and find the right outlet pass in his zone.
Positional hockey is also not a strong suit of his. He’ll lose his man at times, or chase a player into a corner when he shouldn’t, putting himself in a disadvantageous position. His skating allows him get back into the play quickly, but as his opposition gets tougher, the time he’ll have to get back into plays gets smaller.
A critical step in his development was that his defensive game was almost universally agreed to have been better in Laval than most were expecting. His physical tools gave him a huge margin for error in Junior, and it was key for him to improve his defending when that margin for error shrank in the AHL. It will shrink yet again when he’s playing in the show, so he’ll need to keep on that trajectory.
Projection
There will be a battle at camp for what we assume are two, perhaps three open spots on the Canadiens’ blue line this season, and Mailloux will be in the mix. He may not be a favourite to make the opening-night roster, but there’s no denying he’s among a group of young defencemen who will be considered for a spot. Even if he doesn’t make the team, there would be no surprise to see him get some games in with the Tricolore at some point during the season.
If he is sent back to Laval, he’ll likely assume a spot on one of the top two pairs, including time on the top power-play unit. He’d be a focal point for that squad, and the hope will be that he can continue developing the defensive side of his game, allowing those elite offensive skills to truly shine. Like the Habs, they’ll be looking to take a step forward, and they’d need him at the top of his game to do so.
If he makes the Canadiens, he’d be seeing fewer minutes, likely on the third pair to start the season, but surely seeing some power-play time thanks to his skills. His NHL projection is more that of a second-pair player, and if he continues to improve his defensive game, he could even enter the conversation for top-pair minutes at some point.
The upside with a player like Mailloux is massive. If he keeps on the trajectory he’s on, he’ll be a major part of what is shaping up to be a fantastic defence corps in Montreal when the team is ready to compete.
Logan Mailloux with Ian Boisvert from Locked on Canadiens:
2:50 – Offensive Hockey IQ, but the defensive one?
7:30 – Mailloux or Reinbacher as a first pairing in the AHL?
11:00 – Mailloux shot, and the battle between Hutson and Mailloux for power play minutes.
15:30 – Expectations on next season?
19:00 – the perfect defensive partner for Mailloux?
20:00 – A defensive trade before the season (recorded prior to Laine – Harris trade)
