Nicolas Meloche

Nicolas Meloche (born July 18, 1997) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who is currently playing for Salavat Yulaev Ufa of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). Meloche was selected 40th overall by the Colorado Avalanche in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft.

Nicolas Meloche
Meloche with the Calgary Wranglers in 2023
Born (1997-07-18) July 18, 1997
LaSalle, Quebec, Canada
Height 6 ft 3 in (191 cm)
Weight 205 lb (93 kg; 14 st 9 lb)
Position Defence
Shoots Right
KHL team
Former teams		 Salavat Yulaev Ufa
San Jose Sharks
NHL Draft 40th overall, 2015
Colorado Avalanche
Playing career 2017–present

Playing career

Meloche was drafted by the Baie-Comeau Drakkar in the 1st round (15th overall) of the 2013 QMJHL Entry Draft. During his first season with Baie-Comeau, Meloche scored 25 points in 54 games to set a franchise record for most points by a rookie defenceman, and his outstanding play was recognized when he was named to the 2013–14 QMJHL All-Rookie Team.[1]

The following season he was chosen to play with the Canada men's national under-18 ice hockey team at the 2014 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament[2] where he helped Canada win the gold medal. Meloche was also named to the play with the QMJHL All-Stars at the 2014 Subway Super Series,[3] and was selected to participate in the 2015 CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game.[4]

Originally rated as a top prospect who was projected to be a possible first round selection in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft.[5] Meloche was subsequently selected 40th overall by the Colorado Avalanche.[6] After attending the Avalanche's 2015 training camp, Meloche began the 2015–16 season in his third year with a rebuilding Drakkar. Despite languishing in the standings, Meloche was leading the defense in scoring with 16 points in 25 games before he was traded by Baie-Comeau to title contenders, Gatineau Olympiques, in exchange for a prospect and two draft picks on December 16, 2015.[7] In being depended upon in a more defensive orientated role with the Olympiques, Meloche contributed with 5 goals and 17 points to end the regular season. He added three points in 9 post-season games before the Olympiques were eliminated in the second-round.

In his final junior season in 2016–17, Meloche was unable to prevent Gatineau from a slow start in the standings. Despite leading the blueline in scoring with 21 points in 26 games, Meloche was again traded to a title contender, in a seven player deal with the Charlottetown Islanders on December 21, 2016.[8] On March 6, 2017, it was announced that Meloche signed his first NHL contract, agreeing to a three-year entry-level deal with the Colorado Avalanche.[9]

Having completed his junior career, Meloche attended the 2017 Colorado Avalanche training camp and played in the opening pre-season game before he was reassigned to AHL affiliate, the San Antonio Rampage, on September 20, 2017.[10]

Prior to the 2019–20 season, unable to make his breakthrough to the NHL with the Avalanche, Meloche was traded to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for Antoine Bibeau on September 27, 2019.[11] He was re-signed on October 6, 2020, to a one-year contract.[12] His NHL debut came on January 14, 2021 in a 4–3 shootout win over the Arizona Coyotes.[13] On February 18, 2021, he recorded his first point in a 2–3 overtime loss to the St. Louis Blues, getting an assist.[14] He signed a one-year extension with the Sharks on June 14, 2021.[15] He scored his first NHL goal on January 26, 2022, in a 4–1 win against the Washington Capitals.[16]

As a free agent from the Sharks, Meloche was signed to a one-year, $950,000 contract with the Calgary Flames on July 13, 2022.[17] He was assigned to the Flames AHL affiliate, the Calgary Wranglers for the duration of the 2022–23 season, posting 21 points through 64 regular season games.

Meloche left the Flames at the conclusion of his contract and remained un-signed as a free agent before accepting a professional tryout deal with the Columbus Blue Jackets in August 2023.[18] After attending training camp, Meloche was unsuccessful in his bid for a contract and was released by the Blue Jackets during the pre-season. On October 4, 2023, Meloche opted to continue his career abroad, agreeing to a one-year deal with Russian club, Salavat Yulaev Ufa of the KHL.[19]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs
Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2013–14 Baie-Comeau Drakkar QMJHL 54 6 19 25 47 22 0 8 8 8
2014–15 Baie-Comeau Drakkar QMJHL 44 10 24 34 99 12 4 6 10 22
2015–16 Baie-Comeau Drakkar QMJHL 25 8 8 16 54 — — — — —
2015–16 Gatineau Olympiques QMJHL 28 5 12 17 38 9 1 2 3 10
2016–17 Gatineau Olympiques QMJHL 26 7 14 21 38 — — — — —
2016–17 Charlottetown Islanders QMJHL 35 9 17 26 35 13 3 4 7 30
2017–18 San Antonio Rampage AHL 58 5 12 17 59 — — — — —
2017–18 Colorado Eagles ECHL 5 1 0 1 0 24 1 5 6 41
2018–19 Colorado Eagles AHL 55 6 15 21 53 4 0 2 2 0
2019–20 San Jose Barracuda AHL 41 0 7 7 34 — — — — —
2020–21 San Jose Sharks NHL 7 0 1 1 0 — — — — —
2020–21 San Jose Barracuda AHL 29 0 9 9 28 4 1 3 4 2
2021–22 San Jose Barracuda AHL 10 1 0 1 14 — — — — —
2021–22 San Jose Sharks NHL 50 2 5 7 39 — — — — —
2022–23 Calgary Wranglers AHL 64 4 17 21 66 5 0 0 0 6
NHL totals 57 2 6 8 39 — — — — —

International
Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2014 Canada Quebec U17 4th 6 1 1 2 4
2014 Canada IH18 1st place, gold medalist(s) 5 0 1 1 6
Junior totals 11 1 2 3 10

Awards and honours
Award Year
CHL
QMJHL All-Rookie Team 2013–14 [20]
Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament Gold Medal 2014 [21]
Subway Super Series QMJHL All-Stars 2014 [22]
CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game 2015 [23]
ECHL
Kelly Cup (Colorado Eagles) 2018 [24]

References
  1. "Meloche draft prospect detail". National Hockey League. June 15, 2015. Retrieved June 19, 2015.
  2. "Canadian U18 team selected for Ivan Hlinka". The Sports Network. September 1, 2014. Retrieved June 19, 2015.
  3. "QMJHL announces 2014 Subway Super Series roster". subwaysuperseries.ca. October 2, 2014. Archived from the original on June 23, 2015. Retrieved June 19, 2015.
  4. "2015 CHL top prospects game". hockeyprospect.com. January 2, 2015. Retrieved June 19, 2015.
  5. "Nicolas Meloche 2015 draft prospect profiles". thehockeywriters.com. June 17, 2015. Retrieved June 19, 2015.
  6. "Avalanche selects seven at draft". Colorado Avalanche. June 27, 2015. Retrieved June 27, 2015.
  7. "Olympiques acquire defenceman Meloche". theqnews.com. December 15, 2015. Retrieved December 17, 2015.
  8. "Meloche was resigned to leaving Gatineau". La Presse. Canada. December 21, 2016. Retrieved December 21, 2016.
  9. "Avalanche sign two prospects to entry-level deals". bsndenver.com. March 6, 2017. Retrieved March 6, 2017.
  10. "Avalanche re-assigns three players". Colorado Avalanche. September 20, 2017. Retrieved September 20, 2017.
  11. "Sharks acquire defenseman Nicolas Meloche". San Jose Sharks. September 27, 2019. Retrieved September 27, 2019.
  12. "Sharks Re-sign Defenseman Nicolas Meloche". National Hockey League. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
  13. "Sharks recover, defeat Coyotes in shootout in season opener". National Hockey League. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
  14. "Perron scores in overtime to lift Blues past Sharks, 3–2". ESPN. Retrieved February 18, 2021.
  15. "Sharks Re-Sign Defenseman Nicolas Meloche". National Hockey League. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
  16. "Reimer makes 32 saves, Sharks defeat Capitals". National Hockey League. Retrieved January 26, 2022.
  17. "Flames sign four free agents, re-sign pair of defenceman". Calgary Flames. July 13, 2022. Retrieved July 13, 2022.
  18. Ellis, Steven (August 23, 2023). "Columbus Blue Jackets add Aaron Dell, Nicolas Meloche on PTOs". Calgary Herald. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
  19. "Nicolas Meloche in Salavat" (in Russian). Salavat Yulaev Ufa. October 4, 2023. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
  20. "The Golden Puck Awards, an unforgettable evening". Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. March 18, 2014. Retrieved June 19, 2015.
  21. "Canada wins Gold at 2014 Ivan Hlinka". Canadian Hockey League. September 15, 2014. Retrieved June 19, 2015.
  22. "Stage set for Game 5 of Super Series". Subway Super Series. May 6, 2014. Archived from the original on June 23, 2015. Retrieved June 19, 2015.
  23. "2015 CHL/NHL top prospects game rosters announced". Niagara IceDogs. January 23, 2015. Retrieved January 25, 2015.
  24. "Back-to-back Kelly Cup Champions". Colorado Eagles. June 10, 2018. Archived from the original on June 20, 2018. Retrieved June 10, 2018.
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