A list in which Logan Mailloux is completely overlooked is causing a significant reaction

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Elias Edmonson
August 26, 2023 (7:45 PM)

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August is typically a month for sports websites to review and assess the NHL teams.

As usual, Corey Pronman of The Athletic has ranked the best young player banks of the NHL.

This Wednesday, it was the turn of the Canadiens' youth to be under the journalist's scrutiny. While most of his ranking is beyond dispute, there are a few surprises, one of which involves young Logan Mailloux.

First, it's important to note that Pronman ranks all prospects under the age of 23 (as of mid-September). With this in mind, it's no surprise that the top of the list is none other than Cole Caufield, followed by the organization's two most recent first-round picks: Juraj Slafkovsky and David Reinbacher.

Here's the rest of the ranking:

4 - Kirby Dach,
5 - Kaiden Guhle
6 - Alex Newhook
7 - Justin Barron
8 - Lane Hutson
9 - Owen Beck
10 - Joshua Roy
11 - Sean Farrell
12 - Arber Xhekaj
13 - Jan Mysak
14 - Riley Kidney
15 - Emil Heineman
16 - William Trudeau
17 - Filip Mesar
18 - Jacob Fowler

Notice anything missing? There's no mention of Logan Mailloux. He only finds himself in the honorable mentions at the end, with those who theoretically have a shot at the big league.

You can imagine the chatter... Logan Mailloux clearly deserves a higher rank than players like Jan Mysak and Filip Mesar, at the very least.

From what we understand, Pronman made this ranking before the news about the young defenseman getting the green light to play in the NHL came out. Knowing this, Mailloux would surely have been in the journalist's main ranking. We'll never know where he would have placed, though.

Another little surprise, in my opinion, is seeing Justin Barron at 7th place ahead of Lane Hutson who's at 8th. I believe the young American, along with Mailloux, have greater potential than Barron and should therefore rank higher. But that's just my two cents!

Here's what Pronman says about Hutson:

"Hutson is a good skater, but not elite for his size. Size remains the main issue, as well as how he'll defensively handle the NHL's speed and size.

Coaches might be cautious about who he plays against in the NHL, but his offensive talent could lead him to a great NHL career." � Corey Pronman

One player I'm happy to see in the main ranking is William Trudeau. Not often mentioned by fans, he made significant progress last year with Laval Rocket. He will definitely be on the first pair of defense this season with Justin Barron in the CH's farm club. Pronman captures my sentiment in his analysis:

"Trudeau was quite good in the AHL as one of the league's youngest defensemen. He played real minutes for Laval on both special teams. He's very smart. Trudeau confidently holds the puck for an extra second and makes many difficult plays showing genuine offensive instincts. He also has a good shot from the point and poses a goal-scoring threat. The only issue in his game has been his mobility, which will challenge him to defend against the NHL's size and speed. That's why I see him more as a good depth piece than as a regular NHL player." - Corey Pronman