By JD Lagrange – With training camp less than a month away, Canadiens’ fans are itching to see their beloved ones on the ice. For 19 year-old prospect Logan Mailloux, it’s been a summer of integration and acclimatization within the organization that selected him in the first round two Drafts ago. He spent part of the summer in Montreal, rehabilitating his injured shoulder and socializing with some of his future teammates.
Mailloux attended the Canadiens’ development camp in late July and he was able to workout on and off the ice in the team’s facilities. He also had the opportunity to take on some off-ice activities with the team’s top prospects, getting to know each other.
Mailloux has been open about his experience during the camp’s Respect and Consent session. As promised by Vice-President of Communications Chantal Machabée earlier this summer, the young defenseman was made available to reporters as well. You sense a clear level of maturity in him well beyond his young age.
“Like I said before the draft, that’s how I felt, that I didn’t deserve the right,” Mailloux said on July 12th, echoing his prior position. “It’s a privilege, not a right, to be drafted and to be able to be a part of the Canadiens organization. So, I feel incredibly humbled and supported by the whole Montreal Canadiens organization and staff throughout this process — I feel like they’ve helped me a lot.”
He was even recently spotted at LASSO Montreal with Nick Suzuki and Josh Anderson.
Contacted by Montreal Hockey Now, Mailloux’s agent, Dylan Liptrap, was optimistic about his client’s rehabilitation progress.
“Logan’s initial timeline would have him back in full contact practice in mid-October,” said Liptrap when asked about Mailloux’s current rehab progress. “however, his physiotherapists believe he has been progressing ahead of schedule.”
“Logan is currently waiting to meet with the surgeon to check in on his progress before any decisions are made,” concluded Liptrap regarding the lack of official clarity at the moment. “It is highly unlikely he will be able to participate in any of the Montreal Rookie Camp/training camps.”
The Canadiens’ prospect has not played a lot of hockey in the past three years and the concern is the effect it might have had on his development. The Canadiens have yet to offer him a contract and they have until next summer to do so. Otherwise, his name will be put back into the NHL Draft and the Habs will be getting a compensatory second round pick. Let’s hope it doesn’t get to that and that Logan has a strong season in London.
More reading…
- Bounce Backs In The Making by Bob Trask
- Collateral Damage Of a Stanley Cup Run by JD Lagrange
- The Bergevin Legacy: A Fan’s Perspective by JAG