FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. – Looking to add offensive firepower to their corps, the Fayetteville Marksmen announce the signing of hot-handed scorer Frankie Melton, ahead of their home weekend series.

Melton, a 22-year-old Forward from St. Louis (MO) is a skilled left-handed forward with impressive stats from his junior hockey career.

After bouncing between the NA3HL (Tier III) and NAHL (Tier II) in 2014-2015 & 2015-2016, Melton finally found a home in the Shreveport Mudbugs in the 2016-2017 Season, putting up over-a-point-per-game with 58 points (35G+23A) in 57 games to lead the entire league in scoring.

The season’s performance would be enough to earn him South Division MVP, South Division Forward of the Year, All-South Division Team, and All-NAHL Team accolades.

Following his MVP year in Juniors, Melton would find himself a spot at NCAA D1 Ferris State (MI) University, where the Forward would net 12 points (4G+8A) in 29 games. That would be his lone year in collegiate hockey, as he transitions his skill to the next level.

Head Coach Jesse Kallechy spoke to the conversant scoring ability of Melton, and his expectations for the Forward.

“Frankie is a player we expect to have a high-ceiling with our team. He’s a playmaker with great hands and a hard shot, and gives our offense depth with another talented natural-scorer,” said Kallechy “We expect Frankie to fit right in with what our offense is capable of continuing to do.”

With Melton’s late-addition to the Marksmen Roster, his playing-time this weekend is expected to be limited – if any. In a corresponding move, the Fayetteville Marksmen have released Forward Matt O’Dea. We wish Matt the best of luck in his professional hockey career.

Welcome to Fayetteville, Frankie!

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Marksmen Hockey returns for their first Home Weekend on November 1st for Halloween N Hockey with in-arena trick-or-treating, costume contest on-ice, and a night of spooky hockey fun, and on November 2nd for Fayetteville Woodpeckers Night as the team dons Woodpeckers Jerseys, with our 1-2-3 Concession Special ($1 Pretzels, $2 Pepsi soft drinks, and $3 Modelo beers), and a bunch of baseball-meets-hockey fun!

If you’re interested in partnering up with the Marksmen organization, or hearing about our season ticket packages, group packages, mini-plans, or advertising benefits in-arena call the Marksmen Office at (910) 321-0123.

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The Fayetteville Marksmen are owned and operated by Union Pro Hockey Group and play their home games at Crown Coliseum. The Marksmen are a committed community asset, designed to provide premium entertainment to families and individuals in Cumberland County and surrounding areas.