Logan Mailloux 'cleared' to make Montreal Canadiens debut: NHL
Polarizing defensive prospect called up from Laval Rocket; Luke Tuch agrees to terms on two-year contract with Montreal.
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MONTREAL – The Canadiens have called up Logan Mailloux from the AHL’s Laval Rocket and the 21-year-old former London Knights defenceman is expected to make his NHL debut Tuesday at the Bell Centre against the Detroit Red Wings.
As an AHL rookie this season, the 6-foot-3, 220-pound Mailloux posted 14-33-47 totals and had 89 penalty minutes, along with a minus-7 differential in 70 games. The Canadiens selected Mailloux in the first round (31st overall) of the 2021 NHL Draft.
The decision to select Mailloux by former Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin was a polarizing one after the Belle River native had renounced himself from the 2021 draft, saying he hadn’t earned, and didn’t deserve, the privilege of being selected after secretly photographing an 18-year-old woman engaged in a sexual act with him while he was 17 and playing in Sweden in 2020 and then sharing the picture and her identity with his teammates.
Mailloux was charged with defamation and offensive photography in Sweden and was fined about $2,000. He faced a lengthy suspension from the Ontario Hockey League once it resumed after the COVID-19 pandemic and Mailloux returned to Canada to play.
Mailloux starred with the Knights, scoring 53 points in 59 games as a defenceman in the 2022-23 season. That spring, he had 24 points in 21 playoff games.
“We have met with Logan Mailloux multiple times over the course of the last eight to 10 months,” officials with the NHL said in a statement after the Canadiens called Mailloux up. “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. He has been cleared to participate in National Hockey League play.”
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