Jeff Gorton, Kent Hughes, Rob Ramage and Francis Bouillon have all conveyed the same message since the mid-September rookie tournament with Logan Mailloux. He needs mileage before he can establish himself at the NHL level.
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The Canadian hasn’t changed his philosophy with his young 20-year-old defender. The day after a fifth preseason game, a 5-4 overtime win against the Maple Leafs in Toronto, Hughes and Gorton decided to send Mailloux back to the Laval Rocket camp.
For Mailloux, this is absolutely not a denial. The CH made a logical decision by bringing him back to Laval, where he will have the opportunity to play a leading role for Jean-François Houle’s team.
Under the Rocket colors, Mailloux will most likely receive power play duties and he will have time to refine his defensive game without constantly being under the microscope. We will not analyze each of his gestures in detail.
You don’t pick a flower to make it grow. We water it and watch it grow quietly. This good old saying applies to Mailloux.
A good camp
Mailloux, a first-round pick (31st) in the 2021 draft, won his bet in recent days. He had a good camp. But before we talk about the camp, we have to take a trip down memory lane.
Number 94 shook off the rust and also the nerves after a disappointing first game at the rookie tournament in Buffalo against the excellent Sabers team.
After that first game, he showed his character by putting his foot down instead of falling. In the next two games in Buffalo, against the Bruins and the Senators, the 6-foot, 200-pound right-hander was more confident on the ice.
Martin St-Louis used Mailloux in three of the five preseason games. Even though he didn’t put his name on the score sheet, he achieved his goal by getting noticed. He exuded great confidence for a young man of 20, wasn’t afraid to carry the puck, took good shots and distributed some good hits.
Mailloux wasn’t perfect during the preseason schedule. He made mistakes by playing poorly defensively or sometimes even venturing into the opponent’s zone while at a numerical disadvantage. But that’s just part of the learning.
If there’s anything reassuring about him, it’s his confidence. It’s also probably a form of negligence. He didn’t shy away from anything. He didn’t change his game even when he was on NHL ice. Great qualities for a young man.
We will see him again in the CH uniform. But there’s no point in rushing the schedule. It’s a marathon, not a sprint.
In his final season with the London Knights of the Ontario Junior League, Mailloux scored 53 points (25 goals, 28 assists) in 59 games. He performed even better during the Knights’ long playoff run with 24 points (8 goals, 16 assists) in 21 games.
However, in 2021-2022 he only took part in 12 games due to a long history of suspension that we know of and a shoulder injury.
Ten more defenders
With the release of Mailloux to Laval, there are still 10 defenders left in the CH camp. Mattias Norlinder, who appears to have been resurrected this fall, is still part of the group.
Chris Wideman will be out indefinitely due to a back injury. Gustav Lindström, who was acquired in Jeff Petry’s trade with the Red Wings, is also on the shelf.
The list of defenders still in camp
Justin Barron
Kaiden Guhle
Jordan Harris
Johnathan Kovacevic
Gustav Lindstrom
Mike Matheson
Mattias Norlinder
David Savard
Chris Wideman (injured)
Arber Xhekaj