Earlier this season, former NHLer Tony DeAngelo signed a contract with Montreal Canadiens’ prospect Ivan Demidov’s team SKA St. Petersburg in the KHL. Since then, he’s done his best to be noticed by Canadiens’ fans, praising Demidov and sharing videos of his goals.
Today, he commented one of Grant McCagg’s publication on X. The former scout was praising Logan Mailloux’s game-winning goal for the Laval Rocket and saying the youngster would be a great NHLer. Enter DeAngelo who reposted McCagg’s comment and added:
If you recall, Marc Bergevin got some serious backlash over picking Mailloux with his first-round pick, the 31st overall of the 2021 draft. Prior to the event, the young man had decided to remove himself from contention, asking not to be drafted over a statement on X:
“Being drafted into the NHL is an honour and a privilege that no one takes lightly,” he wrote. “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.”
The Canadiens’ GM felt Mailloux was too good a played to pass on and ignored his desire not to be picked following the fine he received for distributing sexual photo without consent in Sweden.
Related: Canadiens: Big Bounce Back For Mailloux
Since his selection, the Canadiens have done a lot of work with Mailloux, both on and off the ice and he was cleared to play in the NHL by Gary Bettman, unlike Mitchell Miller. After being drafted by the Arizona Coyotes, it was revealed the defenseman had bullied a black classmate with disabilities and pleaded guilty to one count of assault which prompted the Coyotes to relinquish their right to the player a few weeks after the draft.
A couple of years later, the Boston Bruins decided to sign Miller to an entry-level contract after spending several weeks evaluating him. After the signing, the Commissioner announced that if the Massachusetts outfit wanted Miller to play in the NHL, he would need to be cleared to play. The intervention prompted the Bruins to rescind the contract.
After picking Mailloux, the Canadiens accompanied him every step of the way and provided him with both training and supervision to get back on the right track, initiatives which were judged appropriate by the league.
It’s hardly surprising to see DeAngelo add his two cents to the conversation, he’s been known to comment on a lot of things, especially of late…