Canadiens Mailloux Turning Heads In OHL Playoffs With Points

Montreal Canadiens prospect Logan Mailloux finished the 2022-23 regular season by leading all OHL defencemen in goal scoring, with 25 goals in just 59 games.

He’s up to his old tricks in the playoffs and currently sits third in defencemen scoring, with four goals and six assists in nine games. Six of his points have come during the powerplay, which has been a key reason for the recent success of the high-flying London Knights.

It’s par for the course when it comes to defensive prospects. For example, Seattle Kraken prospect Ty Nelson is second in scoring among defencemen, with 18 points in 13 games. 11 of those points have come with the man advantage.

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To succeed in the playoffs you must have a solid power play, and that’s where Mailloux (No.24) shines brightest.

Round 1 vs. the Owen Sound Attack (4-0 Series Win)

The Knights got off to a great start against Cedrick Guindon and the Owen Sound Attack, winning the opening game with a dominant 7-0 win. They followed it up with a hard-fought 5-4 win in Game 2. Mailloux was held scoreless in both games.

Game 3, 3-2 Knights OT Win. Mailloux Production: One Assist (GWG Assist, Overtime)

Mailloux earned his first point of the OHL playoffs in Game 3. As has been the case throughout the regular season, it came at the perfect time, leading to an overtime win and a dominant 3-0 series lead for the Knights.

If there’s one thing Mailloux does better than almost every prospect in the league, it’s getting shots to the net. He doesn’t take much time to wind up, and more often than not, he’ll generate a second-chance scoring opportunity, the type of situation that’s most conducive to scoring in hockey.

In this case, Mailloux kept the shot low and it actually missed the net, but it was close enough to lead to an easy game-winning goal for Ryan Humphrey.

Game 4, 5-0 Knights Win. Mailloux Production: Two Goals, Two Assists (Four Points)

Mailloux found his rhythm in Game Four and was rewarded with the first star in the series-clinching win.

It started with a power play assist, which, shockingly, came via a quick shot by Mailloux (0:00).

He followed it up with his first goal of the playoffs (0:16), which included a great zone entry and displayed his offensive instinct, as he drove the net, creating chaos for the Owen Sound defencemen in the process. The puck was put into the net by the scrambling defencemen, but regardless of who touched it last, it was a great net drive by Mailloux.

His third point of the game came, you guessed it, during the power play (0:33). I am sure some will accuse Mailloux of being a power play merchant, and they wouldn’t be too far off the mark, but it’s also important to note Mailloux logged heavy minutes for the Knights at 5v5 and was used on the man advantage because he was a dominant force there, not because the team wanted to pad his stats.

The fourth point also came during the power play (0:48), another quick shot that left the goaltender helpless to make a save.

Round 2 vs. The Kitchener Rangers (4-1 Series Win)

Game 1, 5-1 Knights Win. Mailloux Production: One Assist

Another quick shot on the power play led to yet another point for the Canadiens prospect. This time, Sean McGurn tipped the puck, but it’s worth noting how often and how quickly Mailloux gets the puck to the net.

It’s something that will serve him well from an offensive standpoint once he’s ready to make the jump to professional hockey.

Game 2, 8-4 Knights Win. Mailloux Production: One Goal, One Assist (Two Points)

Mailloux scored his first even-strength goal of the playoffs in Game 2 of the series versus the Rangers (0:00).

This is going to shock you, but it found the back of the net thanks to Mailloux’s penchant for getting pucks to the net. I’m not sure it’s a quantifiable strength, in that you’d have to evaluate every single shot to get a better idea of his efficiency, but the highlights do tell the tale of a player who does not struggle to get shots on net.

In fact, Mailloux had nine shots on the net in that game.

In total, he has taken 39 shots on net in just 9 playoff games.

His second point of the night came on the power play (0:14), and unfortunately, I couldn’t find a video of Mailloux touching the puck prior to the goal.

Game 5, 5-0 Knights Win. Mailloux Production: One Assist

Mailloux was held scoreless in Game 3, the only game the Knights have lost so far in the playoffs. Canadiens prospect Filip Mesar earned one assist in the victory.

He quickly returned to his scoring ways in Game 5, providing a primary assist during the power play on the game’s game-winning goal (0:12). It was a quick, efficient shot from the point that led to a tip-in goal for Denver Barkley.

Game 5, 4-0 Knights Win. Mailloux Production: One Goal.

The Canadiens prospect closed out the second round by scoring the final goal of the series, a rather audacious empty-net shot attempt taken from deep inside his own zone.

Say what you will about his decision-making from a defensive standpoint, but there’s no doubt Mailoux is brimming with confidence when it comes to the offensive side of things.

All Canadiens prospect videos are via the Ontario Hockey League.