If we rely on the expression he displayed in the moments which preceded the arrival of the pack of journalists around him on one of the soccer fields of the CN Sports Complex on Thursday, Logan Mailloux was in no way apprehensive his first press scrum of the 2023-24 season. He had a sparkling look, displayed a radiant smile and even allowed himself to say a few words in the language of Molière.
“I’m still practicing my French. I’m practicing, but it’s not perfect yet. I can understand and speak, but I still have to… I still have to improve,” the Ontario defender first said, chuckling and adding the last part of the sentence in his mother tongue.
Mailloux is one of 27 players invited to the Montreal Canadiens’ rookie camp. The group of players held a first training session on ice in Brossard, under the supervision of Jean-François Houle and his assistants from the Laval Rocket.
Shortly after, the players would head to Buffalo to play three games in four days against prospects from the Buffalo Sabers (Friday), Boston Bruins (Saturday) and Ottawa Senators (Monday).
During his meeting with the media, a journalist pointed out to him that he gave the impression of being a happy man, before asking him if he was.
“Yeah! We are getting ready to leave for Buffalo to play hockey games. This is the first time I’ve had the chance to wear a Canadiens jersey here. It’s really exciting. I’ve been waiting for this for a long time. Absolutely, I’m happy,” replied Mailloux.
The 20-year-old defender has been with the team for about a month. During the summer, he notably had the opportunity to stay with a player who has worn the Canadian uniform with pride in recent seasons.
“I was lucky enough to spend about a month with Paul Byron and his family. They opened their doors to me. They are fantastic, they are extraordinary,” he exclaimed.
“You look at what he’s done, you look at his career. He started in the minors, worked his way up. We talked about the importance of showing up every day, of fighting to be there the next day. It’s a dangerous business. If you don’t perform well one day, you can find yourself somewhere else the next day,” Mailloux added.
The defender’s summer was also marked by a meeting with the authorities of the National Hockey League. A meeting about which he was questioned on Thursday and which follows the famous legal incident which has made so much headlines for two years.
“I can’t go into too much detail. I had a meeting with the league. It seems to have been very positive. I would like not to comment too much on this. I just hope to hear from you soon. Right now my main goal is to go to Buffalo, focus on rookie camp, come back here and have a good main camp,” he said.
In addition to looking happy, Mailloux did not hide his ambitions and said he was very motivated.
“I’ll be frank; my goal is to show up here and earn a position with the team. I think it would be a mistake not to think that way. I come here to show what I can do,” he said, bluntly.
“I can play tough and I can bring a bit of attack too. I want to be a complete player, who we can use at the end of the match when we are leading by a goal and have to go for victory. I think I can play in all situations,” he summed up.