The NHL has announced that Seattle Kraken forward Jacob Melanson will be suspended for two games.
The league’s department of player safety announced that Melanson was punished for an illegal check to the head on Edmonton Oilers forward James Hamblin,
Melanson, 19, clipped Hamblin in the head with an elbow during the second period of a Monday night game.
As Hamblin chipped the puck along the boards through the neutral zone and moved to the inside of a Kraken defender, Melanson came from behind and moved in front of Hamblin catching him with a high hit.
Melanson was assessed a 10-minute match penalty on the play.
The suspension is effective immediately and is to be served in the next two consecutive games in which he is eligible to play.
“After the puck is gone, Melanson initiates a high hit making the head the principal point of contact on a hit where such head contact was avoidable,” the Department said in a statement. “It is important to note that both elements of the illegal check to the head rule are satisfied on this hit.
“First, the head is the main point of contact as Melanson’s shoulder makes contact with Hamblin and it is the head that absorbs the majority of the contact from this hit.
“Second, the head contact on this hit is avoidable. Melanson choose an angle of approach that cuts across Hamblin’s body missing his core and picking his head.
“If Melanson wants to deliver this hit, he must stay low and choose an angle that is a full body check through the shoulder or chest, instead of one that makes the head the main point of contact.”
