Nearly three years after the Montreal Canadiens accepted the potential PR backlash for drafting a prospect with a criminal past, the NHL franchise is calling him up for his debut ahead of the end of the 2024 regular season.
The Canadiens have called up Logan Mailloux from the American Hockey League, Montreal announced on Tuesday, April 16, ahead of their home matchup against the Detroit Red Wings.
Les Canadiens ont rappelé le défenseur Logan Mailloux du Rocket de Laval.
The Canadiens have recalled defenseman Logan Mailloux from the Laval Rocket.
Mailloux, who turned 21 on April 15, was expected to make his debut with the Habs, with Montreal long eliminated from contention but the Wings still fighting for the No. 2 wild-card berth in the Eastern Conference.
The Habs prospect is coming off a season at the AHL playing for the Laval Rocket, the Canadiens’ affiliate there, with whom he became an All-Star earlier this season. Mailloux appeared in 70 games, scoring 14 goals and 33 assists.
Mailloux Admitted to 2 Charges in Sweden in 2020
The Canadiens drafted Mailloux with the No. 31 pick of the 2021 draft despite “a public plea from Mailloux asking not to be drafted” after his conviction in Sweden eight months earlier for illegally distributing a photo of him and a woman engaging in a sex act.
There were doubts about the NHL giving the green light to the Canadiens’ roster move involving Mailloux, but the league issued a statement approving the transaction on Tuesday morning, according to The Athletic’s Arpon Basu.
The NHL issued this statement on the Canadiens calling up Logan Mailloux and clearing him to play.
“We have met with Logan Mailloux multiple times over the course of the last eight to 10 months,” the NHL said in the statement. “We are comfortable that he recognizes the gravity of his prior conduct and is committed to making better and more responsible decisions in the future.”
The approval by the NHL was needed after Mailloux was fined by Swedish authorities while on loan at SK Lejon in Sweden in November 2020, per The Associated Press via ESPN News Services.
Back then, Mailloux “admitted to two charges related to sharing, without her consent, a photo of a woman during sex,” the report says.
Controversial Details About Mailloux Wrongdoing Emerged in 2021
According to a separate report published by The Athletic staff on July 24, 2021, Mailloux shared private photos of a woman without consent. He later admitted his wrongdoing and was issued a summary fine that, in Sweden’s courts, is akin to a conviction.
“On Nov. 7, 2020, while playing for SK Lejon in Skelleftea, Sweden, Mailloux took the photo without the woman’s consent and distributed it among some teammates,” the report reads. “He was issued a summary fine, akin to a conviction in Swedish court, for “Kränkande fotografering” (offensive photography constituting an invasion of privacy) and “Förtal” (defamation) in December.
The woman depicted in the photo shared by Mailloux talked to The Athletic in a story published by Katie Strang and Corey Pronman on July 20, 2021.
“I do not think that Logan has understood the seriousness of his behavior,” the woman wrote in an email sent to Strang and Pronman. “All I wanted was a heartfelt apology.”
Mailloux Is Considered a “Talented Defenseman”
Mailloux has been labeled as “a talented defenseman” by senior NHL prospects writer Corey Pronman of The Athletic.
“He’s a 6-foot-3 defenseman who is mobile and has offensive skills,” Pronman wrote in his scouting report of Mailloux. “He has a great point shot and the ability to contribute on a pro power play even if he’s not an overly instinctive puck-mover.
“He plays physically, but despite his size and mobility, he’s not a perfectly refined defender yet. He’s been very good in the AHL as a rookie pro and the tools say he’s a potential 4/5 defenseman in the NHL.”
The Canadiens have already been eliminated from contention while the Red Wings are mired in a four-team battle royale for the second wild-card berth that also features the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Washington Capitals, and the Philadelphia Flyers.
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Canadiens’ Logan Mailloux, Convicted in Sweden, Called Up for Debut