Tom Mellor (ice hockey)

Thomas Robert Mellor (born January 27, 1950) is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman. He played 26 games in the National Hockey League with the Detroit Red Wings during the 1973–74 and 1974–75 seasons. Internationally Mellor played for the American national team at the 1972 Winter Olympics, winning a silver medal.

Tom Mellor
Born (1950-01-27) January 27, 1950 (age 74)
Cranston, Rhode Island, U.S.
Height 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight 185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb)
Position Defense
Shot Right
Played for Detroit Red Wings
London Lions
Västra Frölunda IF
National team  United States
NHL draft 68th overall, 1970
Detroit Red Wings
Playing career 1973–1977
Medal record
Men's ice hockey
Representing  United States
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place 1972 Sapporo Team

Playing career

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Before being drafted by the Detroit Red Wings, Mellor played hockey for Boston College. In the 1968–69 season, he scored nine goals and 19 points in his 17-game rookie season. In his sophomore season, he scored 21 goals and 44 points in 26 games. He scored a hat trick for Boston College in a 13–6 win over Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.[1] In his junior year in the NCAA he had 40 points in 25 games for the Boston Eagles.[2] During his years at Boston College, he led Boston College in assists on two occasions (1971: 30; 1973: 45) and was ranked third for most assists in a season at Boston College. He was also a two-time recipient (1971, 1973) of Boston College's Norman F. Dailey Memorial Award as the team's Most Valuable Player. He was inducted into the Boston College Varsity Club Athletic Hall of Fame in 1980.[3]

Mellor was drafted 68th overall by the Detroit Red Wings in 1970 NHL Amateur Draft and played 26 regular season games in the National Hockey League for Detroit between 1973 and 1975. Mellor also played in the American Hockey League for the Virginia Wings; in the International Hockey League for the Toledo Goaldiggers; and in the Swedish Elitserien with Västra Frölunda. As a player in the IHL, he was named to the First-Team All-Star Team, he won the James Gatschene Memorial Trophy and the Governor's Trophy in 1977, his last season as a professional player before retiring.[3]

As an amateur, Mellor represented the United States national team at the 1972 Winter Olympics in Sapporo, winning a silver medal.[4] Mellor also played in the 1971, 1972 and 1973 Ice Hockey World Championship tournaments.[2]

Mellor was formally inducted into the Rhode Island Hockey Hall of Fame in 2022. At the same enshrinement ceremony, his 101-year-old father, Don Mellor, a pioneer youth hockey organizer, was honored by the Hall with the Malcolm Greene Chace Memorial Trophy for "Lifetime Achievement of a Rhode Islander to the game of hockey."

Career statistics

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Regular season and playoffs

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Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1966–67 Northwood School HS-NY
1967–68 Northwood School HS-NY
1968–69 Boston College ECAC
1969–70 Boston College ECAC 26 21 23 44 40
1970–71 Boston College ECAC 25 10 30 40 43
1970–71 United States National Team Intl 18 1 4 5 8
1971–72 United States National Team Intl 7 4 8 12 6
1972–73 Boston College ECAC 30 6 45 51 50
1973–74 Detroit Red Wings NHL 25 2 4 6 25
1973–74 Virginia Wings AHL 23 5 18 23 40
1973–74 London Lions Intl 6 2 5 7 20
1974–75 Detroit Red Wings NHL 1 0 0 0 0
1974–75 Virginia Wings AHL 73 17 35 52 147 5 0 2 2 17
1975–76 Västra Frölunda IF SWE 34 8 8 16 41
1975–76 Toledo Goaldiggers IHL 13 3 12 15 19 4 0 2 2 7
1976–77 Toledo Goaldiggers IHL 75 13 61 74 118 19 4 17 21 16
NHL totals 26 2 4 6 25

International

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Year Team Event GP G A Pts PIM
1971 United States WC 10 1 3 4 2
1972 United States OLY 6 0 0 0 4
1973 United States WC-B 10 1 3 4 2
Senior totals 26 2 6 8 8


Awards and honors

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Award Year Ref
All-ECAC Hockey Second Team 1969–70
1970–71
[5]
All-ECAC Hockey First Team 1972–73 [5]
AHCA East All-American 1972–73 [6]

References

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  1. ^ "Tom Mellor". Hockey Draft Central.
  2. ^ a b "Tom Robert Mellor". Hockey Hall of Fame.com.
  3. ^ a b "Mellor, Tom - Boston College - Defenseman - (1969-71, 1973)". ecachockey.com.
  4. ^ Jessi Pierce (October 9, 2013). "1972 Olympics: Silver Medals and Friends of Gold". USAHockeyFoundation.com.
  5. ^ a b "ECAC All-Teams". College Hockey Historical Archives. Retrieved May 19, 2013.
  6. ^ "Men's Ice Hockey Award Winners" (PDF). NCAA.org. Retrieved June 11, 2013.
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Awards and achievements
Preceded by ECAC Hockey Rookie of the Year
1969–70
Succeeded by
Preceded by ECAC Hockey Player of the Year
1972–73
Succeeded by