Habs pick Mailloux, even after prospect renounced himself from draft following criminal charges!

The Montreal Canadiens stunned everyone on Friday night at the Draft when, with their 31st overall pick, selected defenseman Logan Mailloux. 

Why so shocking? 

That’s because Mailloux himself had renounced himself from the draft after he was charged in Sweden for sharing a nude photo of someone he had consensual sex with.

Mailloux, a 6-foot-3 defenseman, is classified as first-round talent, knew he had done wrong, but it does not seem to matter to GM Marc Bergevin. 

Back on Nov. 7 in Skelleftea, Sweden, where Mailloux was playing on loan with SK Lejon in Sweden’s third division while the Ontario Hockey League was shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a then-17 year-old Mailloux secretly photographed the victim without her consent or knowledge while engaging in oral sex. The information comes from a 48-page investigation report from Sweden’s North Region Polisen in which it is described how Mailloux shared the photo in the SK Lejon team group chat on SnapChat during a bus ride to a road game. According to the investigation, the victim was not identified in the photo. However, Mailloux allegedly sent a screenshot of the victim’s online profile, which identified her to teammates by displaying her photo, first name and age. She was 18 years at the time of the incident. 

Word got out and Mailloux, who is now 18,was ultimately charged with both defamation and “Kränkande fotografering,” or offensive photography, and ordered to pay 14,300 Swedish krona, approximately $1,650 U.S. Dollars, by way of a criminal injunction that relieved the matter from the court system. Offensive photography became illegal in Sweden in 2013, banning secretly photographing or filming someone in a private place. The penalty is a fine or a maximum of up to two years in Sweden, per Seravalli.

The offense was reported to police and the victim’s attorney filed a claim asking the Swedish prosecutor to order Mailloux to pay 7,000 Swedish krona (~$800 U.S. Dollars) for “offensive photography” and 30,000 Swedish krona (~$3,500 U.S. Dollars) for defamation. In Sweden, part of the fine for a crime such as this one is payable to the victim.

Mailloux continued playing during the investigation and showed remorse for his actions, saying he didn’t what he was thinking at the time, felt pressured by others and told the victim he sent the photo to his teammates as “a trophy”. 

“Personally, this is a huge mistake I’ve made. A stupid, childish mistake,” Mailloux said last week. “I was selfish. I want the victim and her family to know how sincerely sorry I am and how remorseful I am. I know now how it can affect their family. I regret doing it, but there is nothing I can do about that now. I hope they can forgive me one day.”

Mailloux’ actions were damaging to the victim, who said it damaged her reputation as gossip filtered out to others in tow

Here’s what Mailloux had to say for himself earlier this week:

“Being drafted into the NHL is an honour and a privilege that no one takes lightly. The NHL Draft should be one of the most exciting landmark moments in a player’s career, and given the circumstances I don’t feel I have demonstrated strong enough maturity or character to earn that privilege in the 2021 Draft. If I were to ever have the honour of being selected I would want a fanbase to be proud to welcome me to their organization. I know it will take time for society to build back the trust I have lost, and that is why I think it is best that I renounce myself from the 2021 NHL Draft and ask that no one select me this upcoming weekend. I feel that this would allow me the opportunity to demonstrate an adequate level of maturity and character next season with the London Knights in the OHL and provide all the NHL teams the opportunity to reassess my character towards the 2022 NHL Draft.”

Katie Strang of The Athletic managed to get a one on one interview with the victim and from her perspective, Mailloux still doesn’t understand the gravity of the situation and has yet to apologize for his actions.

From Strang’s article:

“I do not think that Logan has understood the seriousness of his behavior,” said the woman in an email. /
The woman said she asked that Mailloux send her a sincere apology in written form because she did not want to meet with him in person. She said she received “a text that was no longer than three sentences.”
“All I wanted was a heartfelt apology for his behavior,” the woman wrote to The Athletic.

This is a shock to fans in Montreal.

After the pick, Bergevin explained why he selected Mailloux and how he believes the Canadiens can help him mature. 

"His recent public statement is a genuine acknowledgement of his poor behaviour and a first step on his journey."

Here is the full statement: 

The Canadiens have released the following statement after selecting defenseman Logan Mailloux 31st overall in the 2021 NHL Draft on Friday night.

By drafting prospect Logan Mailloux with the 31st overall pick, the Montreal Canadiens organization not only selected a promising hockey player, but also a young man who recently admitted to making a serious mistake. The Canadiens are aware of the situation and by no means minimize the severity of Logan's actions. Logan understands the impact of his actions. His recent public statement is a genuine acknowledgement of his poor behaviour and the first step on his personal journey.

We are making a commitment to accompany Logan on his journey by providing him with the tools to mature and the necessary support to guide him in his development. We are also committed to raising awareness among our players about the repercussions of their actions on the lives of others.