Denis Meloche

{{short description|Canadian ice hockey player}}

{{Infobox ice hockey player

| name = Denis Meloche

| image =

| image_size =

| position = Centre

| played_for = Philadelphia Blazers
Vancouver Blazers

| shoots = Left

| height_ft = 5

| height_in = 9

| weight_lb = 175

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1952|06|19}}

| birth_place = Montreal, Quebec, Canada

| draft = 134th overall

| draft_team = California Golden Seals

| draft_year = 1972

| career_start = 1972

| career_end = 1978

}}

Denis Meloche (born June 19, 1952) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played in the World Hockey Association (WHA).{{cite web|title=1972 NHL Amateur Draft -- Denis Meloche|url=http://www.hockeydraftcentral.com/1972/72134.html|publisher=Hockey Draft Central|accessdate=March 13, 2014}} Drafted in the ninth round of the 1972 NHL Amateur Draft by the California Golden Seals, Meloche opted to play in the WHA after being selected by the Miami Screaming Eagles in the WHA General Player Draft. He played parts of two seasons for the Blazers franchise — which had moved from Miami before their inaugural season — in Philadelphia and Vancouver.{{cite web |title=Denis Meloche at eliteprospects.com |url=https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/119229/denis-meloche |website=www.eliteprospects.com |access-date=October 16, 2023}} Aside from a nine-game stint with the Maine Mariners of the American Hockey League (AHL) he spent his final four professional seasons with the Salt Lake Golden Eagles of the Central Hockey League, where he was named a CHL Second Team All-Star in 1974–75.

As a youth, Meloche played in the 1963 and 1964 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournaments with teammates Rick Lalonde and Rychard Campeau on minor ice hockey from Saint-Jean-de-Matha, Quebec and Ville-Émard in Montréal, and then also played in the 1965 tournament with Ville-Émard.{{cite web|url=https://www.publicationsports.com/ressources/files/439/Joueurs_Pro.pdf|title=Pee-Wee players who have reached NHL or WHA|year=2018|website=Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament|access-date=2019-01-02|archive-date=2019-03-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190306085544/https://www.publicationsports.com/ressources/files/439/Joueurs_Pro.pdf|url-status=dead}} Meloche's brother, Gilles Meloche, and nephew, Éric Meloche, both played in the National Hockey League.{{cite web |title=Gilles Meloche at eliteprospects.com |url=https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/26968/gilles-meloche |website=www.eliteprospects.com |access-date=October 16, 2023}}{{cite web |title=Éric Meloche at eliteprospects.com |url=https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/10324/eric-meloche |website=www.eliteprospects.com |access-date=October 16, 2023}}