Philippe Maillet (born November 7, 1992) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre for HC Ambrì-Piotta of the National League (NL). Originally undrafted by teams in the National Hockey League (NHL), Maillet has previously played for the Washington Capitals.

Philippe Maillet
Maillet with the Hershey Bears in 2020
Born (1992-11-07) November 7, 1992 (age 32)
Lachenaie, Quebec, Canada
Height 5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Weight 185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb)
Position Centre
Shoots Left
NL team
Former teams
HC Ambrì-Piotta
Washington Capitals
Metallurg Magnitogorsk
NHL draft Undrafted
Playing career 2017–present

Early life

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Maillet was born on November 7, 1992, in Lachenaie, Quebec (now Terrebonne, Quebec)[1] to firefighter Mario Maillet and consultant Line Richard.[2]

Playing career

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Minor

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Maillet began his youth hockey career with the Collège Esther-Blondin Phénix of the Ligue de hockey Midget AAA du Québec (QMAAA), where he set the franchise record for most assists in a season with 34. His record, which was achieved during the 2008–09 season, stayed intact until the 2011–12 season when it was topped by Laurent Dauphin.[3] Following his record-setting season, Malliet was drafted by the Victoriaville Tigres of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) but requested that they allow him to stay in midget AAA in order to develop.[4] He returned to Phénix where he recorded 10 points in four games before earning a chance with the Victoriaville Tigres. After playing three games for the team and recording one goal, the Tigres agreed to keep him for the remainder of the 2009–10 season.[5] During the season, he remarked that "I prefer to play with better players than me, it pushes me to go further and it allows me to evolve faster. Besides, my ability to follow the game has greatly improved since the start of the season."[6]

Junior

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Upon completing the previous season with 12 points in 58 games, Maillet returned to the team for his first full-length campaign. During the 2010–11 season, the Tigres traded their captain Philip-Michael Devos, forcing Maillet to step up in scoring.[7] He finished the season with a new career high of 69 points in 67 games.[1] The following season, Maillet continued to lead the team in scoring but felt he lacked consistency. He recorded 60 points in 52 games but admitted that "since the start of the campaign, I have produced in sequence... have to work on my consistency to help the team."[8]

Going into the 2012–13 season, Malliet acknowledged this would be his last in major junior before joining U Sports.[9] Malliet led the Tigres in scoring with 83 points in 65 games as they qualified for the 2013 QMJHL playoffs. He competed in eight playoff games, recording nine points, before suffering an ankle injury in the second round against the Baie-Comeau Drakkar and missing the remainder of the competition. In spite of his injury, he was invited to participate in the Vancouver Canucks training camp that September.[10]

University

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Maillet attended the University of New Brunswick as he earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in business administration, playing for the UNB Varsity Reds from 2013–17. Within his first 12 games with the team, he recorded 15 points including five goals.[11] He completed his rookie season leading the Reds in scoring and finished third in the Atlantic University Sport (AUS) conference with 41 points.[12] He received the A.J. MacAdam Trophy as the 2014 AUS Rookie of the Year, and was selected for the Second Team All-Stars and All-Rookie Team respectively.[12]

Malliet continued his offensive output in 2014–15, leading the AUS with 39 points in 28 games.[13] He led the Reds to the 2015 CIS University Cup championship final, where they lost to the University of Alberta Golden Bears.[14] As a result of his play, Malliet was awarded the 2015 Kelly Trophy as League MVP and was selected as a First Team All-Star.[13]

In the 2015–16 AUS season, an injury held back Maillet to 31 points in 17 games played.[15] Without his assistance, the Reds won the 2016 CIS University Cup Championship.[16]

In the 2016–17 AUS season, Maillet recorded a conference leading 55 points, in what head coach Gardiner MacDougall referred to as a "breakout season".[17] The Varsity Reds won the 2017 U Sports University Cup national championship, with Maillet winning the Major W.J. "Danny" McLeod Award as Most Valuable Player of the tournament.[18] He also received the 2017 U Sports Player of the Year Award and the Senator Joseph A. Sullivan trophy.[19] Maillet received UNB's 2017 Male Athlete Of The Year Award[20] and was named the Top Male University Athlete across Canada.[15] Maillet concluded his collegiate career with a total of 166 points in 101 games for the UNB Reds.[1]

Professional

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On March 27, 2017, just days after winning the 2017 University Cup, Maillet signed an Amateur tryout (ATO) agreement with the Ontario Reign of the American Hockey League (AHL).[21]

He made his AHL debut on March 31, 2017, where he scored his first professional goal in the 3–1 win over the Bakersfield Condors.[22] He later recorded his first multi-point game in a 3–2 overtime win against the Stockton Heat on April 12.[23] Maillet completed the 2016–17 season with the Reign and was invited to the Los Angeles Kings training camp prior to the 2017–18 season.[24] He returned to the Reign for the season and increased his previous seasons scoring output to set a new career high in goals, assists, and points.[1] As a result of his play, he upgraded his ATO for a standard player contract with the Reign on July 19, 2018.[25]

Maillet was invited to return to the Reign for the 2018–19 season in what would be his last season with the team.[26] During this season, he recorded his first professional career hat-trick in a 5–4 overtime win against the Tucson Roadrunners.[27] His second career hat-trick would come within the same month in a 7–6 game shootout win over the San Diego Gulls.[28] He ended the season with a career high 54 points in 68 games, garnering the interest of the Washington Capitals organization. He officially left the Reign on July 1, 2019, after signing a two-year, two-way $700,000 contract with the Capitals.[29]

Maillet began the 2019–20 season with the Capitals' AHL affiliate, the Hershey Bears, where he recorded 44 points in 61 games.[1] As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic in North America, the AHL suspended play and he was invited to the Washington Capitals return to play camp on July 13.[30]

After two seasons with the Capitals organization, Maillet, as an impending free agent, left North America and signed a one-year contract with Russian club Metallurg Magnitogorsk of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL), on June 11, 2021.[31]

After two prolific seasons in Russia, on July 1, 2023, Maillet returned to North America as a free agent and signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Montreal Canadiens for the 2023–24 season.[32] Maillet was unable to add to his NHL experience, and played exclusively with AHL affiliate the Laval Rocket, posting and team leading 21 goals for 53 points in 67 regular season games.

As a free agent following a lone season within the Canadiens organization, Maillet opted for a return abroad in securing a one-year deal with HC Ambrì-Piotta of the Swiss-based National League (NL), on July 28, 2024.[33]

Career statistics

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Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2008–09 Collège Esther-Blondin Phénix QMAAA 45 26 34 60 22 15 7 10 17 4
2009–10 Collège Esther-Blondin Phénix QMAAA 4 5 5 10 0
2009–10 Victoriaville Tigres QMJHL 58 3 9 12 4 16 6 1 7 2
2010–11 Victoriaville Tigres QMJHL 67 31 38 69 17 9 4 10 14 2
2011–12 Victoriaville Tigres QMJHL 62 33 43 76 28 4 2 1 3 2
2012–13 Victoriaville Tigres QMJHL 65 25 58 83 17 8 2 7 9 0
2013–14 UNB Varsity Reds CIS-AUS 26 16 25 41 4 4 0 1 1 0
2014–15 UNB Varsity Reds CIS-AUS 28 14 25 39 28 7 5 2 7 0
2015–16 UNB Varsity Reds CIS-AUS 17 7 24 31 4 5 2 2 4 0
2016–17 UNB Varsity Reds CIS-AUS 30 23 32 55 26 9 8 8 16 4
2016–17 Ontario Reign AHL 8 2 2 4 4 4 0 0 0 0
2017–18 Ontario Reign AHL 64 18 18 36 18 4 2 0 2 4
2018–19 Ontario Reign AHL 68 16 38 54 20
2019–20 Hershey Bears AHL 61 17 27 44 18
2020–21 Washington Capitals NHL 2 0 0 0 0
2020–21 Hershey Bears AHL 16 6 15 21 8
2021–22 Metallurg Magnitogorsk KHL 47 15 24 39 14 23 8 13 21 6
2022–23 Metallurg Magnitogorsk KHL 66 22 31 53 18 11 1 5 6 4
2023–24 Laval Rocket AHL 67 21 32 53 14
NHL totals 2 0 0 0 0
KHL totals 113 37 55 92 32 34 9 18 27 10

Awards and honours

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CIS University Hockey
Award Year Ref
Second Team All-Stars 2014 [12]
All-Rookie Team 2014
A.J. MacAdam Trophy 2014
Kelly Trophy 2015 [13]
First Team All-Stars 2015
BLG Awards 2017 [15]
Major W.J. "Danny" McLeod Award 2017 [18]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "Philippe Maillet". Eliteprospects.com. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
  2. ^ "UNB Varsity Reds hockey player named a top Canadian university athlete". University of New Brunswick. May 2, 2017. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
  3. ^ "Laurent Dauphin premier Phénix avec 100 points". RDS.ca (in French). February 7, 2012. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
  4. ^ "Philippe Maillet en tête". CHL.ca (in French). Victoriaville Tigres. March 11, 2011. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
  5. ^ "Philippe Maillet à Victo pour y rester". RDS.ca (in French). September 29, 2009. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
  6. ^ Cousineau, Karine (April 7, 2010). "Philippe Maillet: un joueur vaillant et déterminé". La Revue de Terrebonne (in French). Retrieved July 19, 2020.
  7. ^ "«Son meilleur match en carrière»". CHL.ca (in French). Victoriaville Tigres. January 31, 2011. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
  8. ^ "Maillet souhaite prendre sa vitesse de croisière avant les séries". CHL.ca (in French). Victoriaville Tigres. February 22, 2012. Retrieved July 19, 2020.
  9. ^ Chenel, Pierre-Luc (October 30, 2012). "Dernière saison pour Philippe Maillet". La Revue de Terrebonne (in French). Retrieved July 19, 2020.
  10. ^ "Maillet au camp des Canucks". CHL.ca (in French). Victoriaville Tigres. April 24, 2013. Retrieved July 19, 2020.
  11. ^ "Philippe Maillet connaît un bon départ dans les rangs universitaires". CHL.ca (in French). Victoriaville Tigres. December 16, 2013. Retrieved July 19, 2020.
  12. ^ a b c "Murdock MacLellan honored as Godfrey award recipient". Saint Francis Xavier University Athletics. March 6, 2014. Retrieved July 19, 2020.
  13. ^ a b c "V-Reds take home AUS MVP, Rookie and Coach of the Year". University of New Brunswick Athletics. March 4, 2015. Retrieved July 19, 2020.
  14. ^ "Golden Bears hockey does it again". University of Alberta. March 16, 2015. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
  15. ^ a b c "Laval's Roy-Petitclerc, UNB's Maillet Named U Sports Athletes Of The Year". Borden Ladner Gervais. May 1, 2017. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
  16. ^ Nugent-Bowman, Daniel (March 20, 2016). "UNB Varsity Reds Win Another University Cup". The Hockey News. Retrieved July 20, 2020.
  17. ^ Mingo, Rita (April 20, 2017). "Maillet one step closer to the ultimate dream". Calgary Herald. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
  18. ^ a b "Past Awards - University Cup Tournament MVP (Major W.J. 'Danny' McLeod award)". U Sports. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
  19. ^ "Maillet Hat-Trick Lifts UNB To UCup Win". University of New Brunswick Athletics. March 16, 2017. Retrieved July 19, 2020.
  20. ^ "Kaye And Maillet Named Athletes Of The Year". University of New Brunswick Athletics. April 5, 2017. Retrieved July 19, 2020.
  21. ^ "Reigns Add University Cup Champion Philippe Maillet". Ontario Reign. March 27, 2017. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
  22. ^ "Maillet nets first pro goal in debut, Reign roll past Condors 3-1". Ontario Reign. March 31, 2017. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
  23. ^ "Maillet and Amadio Roll Reign Past Heat In Overtime". Ontario Reign. April 12, 2017. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
  24. ^ "Kings Assign 23 players TO Ontario Reign". Ontario Reign. September 27, 2017. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
  25. ^ "Reign Add Two On AHL Contracts". Ontario Reign. July 19, 2018. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
  26. ^ "Ontario Reign Announced Training Camp Roster". Ontario Reign. September 23, 2018. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
  27. ^ "Final - Ontario 5, Tucson 4 (OT)". Ontario Reign. December 2, 2018. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
  28. ^ "Game summary: San Diego Gulls – Ontario Reign, December 22, 2018". TheAHL.com. December 22, 2018. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
  29. ^ "Capitals Sign Philippe Maillet". Washington Capitals. July 1, 2019. Retrieved July 18, 2020 – via NHL.com.
  30. ^ Vachon, Matthew (July 12, 2020). "Reprise des activités dans la LNH : Philippe Maillet avec les Capitals". La Nouvelle Union (in French). Retrieved July 19, 2020.
  31. ^ "ФИЛИПП МАЙЕ И «МЕТАЛЛУРГ» ДОСТИГЛИ ДОГОВОРЁННОСТИ О ЗАКЛЮЧЕНИИ КОНТРАКТА". Metallurg Magnitogorsk (in Russian). June 11, 2021. Retrieved June 11, 2021.
  32. ^ "Canadiens agree to one-year contracts with Philippe Maillet and Brady Keeper". Montreal Canadiens. Retrieved July 1, 2023 – via NHL.com.
  33. ^ "Philippe Maillet in biancoblù, Virtanen rinnova fino al 2028" (in Italian). HC Ambrì-Piotta. July 28, 2024. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
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