Highlights from Cedrick Guindon and Logan Mailloux in the OHL playoffs

The two Habs prospects are facing off in round one.

The Owen Sound Attack are frankly overmatched by the London Knights in their first-round OHL series. From a Habs perspective, it is still interesting to see two of the team’s prospects face off against each other, regardless of whether or not the Attack can stretch this thing beyond four games.

Logan Mailloux and Cedrick Guindon had somewhat opposite games in terms of effectiveness, and it was surprising that Guindon, the lesser-touted prospect of the two, had the more impressive game two.

Matt Drake @DrakeMT

#gohabsgo Cedrick Guindon factors in on the first goal of the series for Owen Sound. Good shot on goal, rebound eventually finds 2023 draft prospect Colby Barlow on the other side and it's 1-0 for the Attack.

His shot is an asset that the has improved quite a bit since his draft year, and he was really effective in this game generating rebound chances off his shots. He would use that shot again later in the game to score a stunner, tying the game for Owen Sound before they’d eventually succumb in overtime.

Matt Drake @DrakeMT

#gohabsgo Cedrick Guindon with a HUGE goal for Owen Sound to tie the game late in the third. Knights and Attack heading for OT

Guindon is a very under-the-radar prospect, but his improvement this year shouldn’t go unnoticed. He’s a quietly effective player, and the improved shot mechanics could significantly improve his NHL hopes. If Owen Sound is to make a series of this, he’ll need more efforts precisely like the one he provided on Sunday.

Mailloux, for his part, had a bit of a struggle against the neutral zone trap employed by Owen Sound to slow down the London transition game.

Matt Drake @DrakeMT

Owen Sound trapping hard. I'd like to see Mailloux take a stab at using his legs in this situation in the second. Gain the red line, maybe more if you see an opening.

Strictly speaking, he makes the right read here, but much later than he’d have needed to. I’d also have preferred to see him in these situations use his skating, one of his best tools, to try and gain the red line before re-evaluating his options. He won’t get this kind of time and space at the professional level, so he’ll need to be quicker deciding where he’s going to pass it, or whether to take off and try to make something happen himself.

Point and case:

Matt Drake @DrakeMT

When Mailloux does commit and head up ice, he can get through Owen Sound's D.

This is what happens when Mailloux just decides right away that he’s taking off with the puck. As a complement to this ability, a big step would be getting quicker with his outlet passes. We know he can take off whenever he wants and make something happen, but when that isn’t an option, he has to make the quick pass to get things going in transition.

London ended up taking the game 5-4 in OT, and hold a 2-0 series lead, retaining their home ice advantage as the series will shift to Owen Sound.