Jacob Melanson

September 2026 – Melanson cemented himself as an NHL option this year, appearing in 36 games for Seattle with two goals, three assists, and 32 penalty minutes. Those numbers undersell his fantasy relevance considerably. In leagues where hits are tracked, Melanson is already among the most productive players in the game – he ranked among the league leaders in raw hits while playing fewer than half the games of the players above him in total count, with a hits-per-60 rate that led the entire NHL. He is not a scorer and never has been, but a 23-year-old who generates that kind of peripheral production while holding an NHL bottom-six role is genuinely useful in the right format. If his ice time grows toward a regular third-line deployment, the cats-league value increases accordingly. Already rostered in every league that counts hits; acquire wherever he remains available. Ryan Downey

February 2026 – Melanson has become an NHL staple this season, and likely has already been snapped up in every fantasy pool with hits as a category. The 22 year-old, former 50 goal scorer (2022-2023 split between the Sherbrooke Phoenix and Acadie-Bathurst Titan of the QMJHL) is making his mark for throwing his body around.

The 6-0, 207 lb human missile is averaging nearly five and a half hits over 20 games for the Kraken, eclipsing the four and a half per game put up by Kiefer Sherwood. Sherwood is the known commodity, but in the small sample size this year, Melanson is posting better play driving numbers.

Melanson is seeing less than 10 minutes per night, which at the same time makes his hit numbers more impressive, but casts some potential uncertainty with his longevity of his role with the Kraken.

He is an immediate add in all leagues with hits, doubly so if there’s a salary cap. A rebuilding team could likely move Sherwood for Melanson and an extra piece, selling Sherwood as the surer commodity with more offense, but Melanson is a worthwhile, though not guaranteed investment. Alex Wyatt

June 2025 – Melanson completed his second AHL season, posting an eight goal, five assist effort across 42 games. He also added 48 penalty minutes in is AHL time, and saw one NHL game. Melanson is one of many Kraken farmhands who have made the leap from junior to the AHL in recent years, with many more to come. As the organizational depth increases and begins to stratify, Melanson’s role becomes a bit murkier. He’s clearly suited to be a gritty winger in the bottom six, and given his age and development advantage over some of the other players in the pipeline, we will likely see him add to his NHL game totals soon. Fantasy managers will have to watch his deployment and check their league settings to see if he will be a worthwhile investment going forward, as at present it isn’t a sure thing. Alex Wyatt

June 2023 – Melanson managed 50 goals last season across games with Acadie-Bathurst and Sherbrooke of the QMJHL last season, which was good for 6th in the league. He toned down his penalty minutes, which could be a sign of maturity rather than a quieting of his snarl. Melanson will likely graduate to the AHL next season and start building his professional body of work for Coachella Valley. Alex Wyatt

June 2022 – Melanson put up a 35 goal, 21 assist campaign for Acadie-Bathurst of the QMHL, his second season in a row with more than a point per game. His 35 goals were 15th in scoring league-wide. Melanson also led the Titan in penalty minutes. He’s likely to spend another season in the Q, before getting some seasoning in the AHL on his road to the NHL. Alex Wyatt