Eric Meloche

Infobox Ice Hockey Player
position = Right Wing
shoots = Right
height_ft = 5
height_in = 10
weight_lb = 202
team = Straubing Tigers
league = DEL
nationality = Canada
birth_date = Birth date and age|1976|5|1|mf=y
birth_place = Montreal, QC, CAN
career_start = 2000
draft_team = Pittsburgh Penguins
draft_year = 1996
draft = 186th overall


former_teams = Pittsburgh Penguins
Philadelphia Flyers

Eric Meloche (born May 1, 1976 in Montreal, Quebec) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player. He plays right wing for the Straubing Tigers in the DEL. He is the son of former player Gilles Meloche.

Playing career

Eric began his career by playing junior hockey with the Cornwall Colts of the OCJHL. After playing there for two seasons, he was selected by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the in the seventh round, 186th overall, of the 1996 NHL Entry Draft.

From there he played collegiate hockey with the Ohio State Buckeyes in the CCHA. After graduating in 2000, he played his first full season of professional hockey for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, the AHL affiliate of the Pittsburgh Penguins. Until 2004 he would split his seasons between the two teams, but the Penguins decided to let him become an unrestricted free agent once his contract ran out.

On July 14, 2004, he signed with the Philadelphia Flyers, who assigned him to the Philadelphia Phantoms of the AHL, where he spent the whole season due to the lockout. Despite being a part of the Calder Cup winning team, Eric was never called up to the NHL until he was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks along with Patrick Sharp for Matt Ellison and a draft pick on December 5, 2005. He was immediately assigned to the Norfolk Admirals and finished the season there.

On August 2, 2006, the Philadelphia Flyers traded European prospect Vaclav Pletka to the Chicago Blackhawks in order to regain the winger. He signed with the Straubing Tigers of the DEL on May 1, 2007.

Awards

* 2004–05: Calder Cup "Philadelphia Phantoms"

Career statistics

References

*"Chicago Blackhawks".
**(5 Dec 2006). [http://www.chicagoblackhawks.com/news/news.asp?story_id=3040 Blackhawks Acquire Sharp, Meloche] . Press release.
**(2 Aug 2006). [http://chicagoblackhawks.com/news/news.asp?story_id=3378 Hawks Acquire LW Pletka For Meloche] . Press release.
*hockeydb|26133 Retrieved 3 August 2006.
*"Norfolk Admirals".
** [http://www.norfolkadmirals.com/player_profile.php?id=26 Eric Meloche] . Retrieved 3 August 2006.
**{3 Aug 2006). [http://www.norfolkadmirals.com/release_story1.php?id=363 Chicago Trades Eric Meloche to Philadelphia for Vaclav Pletka] . Press release.
*"Philadelphia Flyers". (2 Aug 2006). [http://www.philadelphiaflyers.com/pressbox/archive/2671.asp Flyers Acquire Eric Meloche From Chicago] . Press release.
*"Philadelphia Phantoms". [http://www.phantomshockey.com/lockerroom/RosterDetail.asp?PlayerID=225 Eric Meloche] . Retrieved 3 August 2006.
*"Sports Network, The". [http://tsn.ca/nhl/teams/players/bio/?id=2707&hubname=nhl-flyers Eric Meloche] . Retrieved 3 August 2006.