Steve Kelly
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Position | Left Wing |
Shoots | Left |
Height Weight |
6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 210 lb (95 kg) |
DEL Team F. Teams |
Frankfurt Lions Edmonton Oilers Tampa Bay Lightning New Jersey Devils Los Angeles Kings |
Nationality | Canada |
Born | October 26, 1976, Vancouver, BC, CAN |
NHL Draft | 6th overall, 1995 Edmonton Oilers |
Pro Career | 1996 – present |
R. Steve Kelly (born October 26, 1976, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada) is an ice hockey Left Wing currently playing for the Frankfurt Lions of Deutsche Eishockey-Liga in Germany. Kelly was drafted in the first round, 6th overall, of the 1995 NHL Entry Draft by the Edmonton Oilers. Kelly played his junior hockey with the Prince Albert Raiders of the WHL, where he compiled 254 points in 268 games. In 1995-1996, Kelly tallied 101 points and 203 penalty minutes to lead the Raiders to a 47-win season and second place in the WHL Eastern Division.
Despite his high draft status, Kelly has never appeared in more than 43 games in an NHL season and has just 21 points in 147 games. Kelly played just 27 games for the Edmonton Oilers during the 1996-97 and 1997-98 seasons before being traded in February of 1998 to the Tampa Bay Lightning along with Bryan Marchment and Jason Bonsignore in exchange for Roman Hamrlik and Paul Comrie.
After 58 games over two seasons with the Lightning, Kelly was sent to the New Jersey Devils prior to the 1999-2000 season, where he spent the majority of the season with their AHL affiliate, the Albany River Rats. Kelly notched 57 points for Albany, but made just one appearance with the Devils. However, injuries during the Devils' playoff run forced Kelly into the NHL lineup, where he appeared in 10 games during the Devils' Stanley Cup winning drive. In February 2001, after 25 games in New Jersey, Kelly was traded to the Los Angeles Kings for forward Bob Corkum. With L.A.'s AHL affiliate, the Manchester Monarchs, Kelly enjoyed his best statistical seasons as a pro, amassing 133 points in just 113 games from 2002-2004, and representing the Canadian All-Stars in the 2004 AHL All-Star Classic.
Following the 2003-2004 season, Kelly signed in Germany's Deutsche Eishockey-Liga with the Mannheim Eagles. In November 2005, Kelly signed with the Frankfurt Lions of the same league, where he scored 20 points in 22 games.
While showing promise at the beginning of his pro career, most would regard him as the 'biggest bust' of the 1995 NHL draft.
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Categories: 1976 births | Edmonton Oilers players | Tampa Bay Lightning players | New Jersey Devils players | Los Angeles Kings players | Hamilton Bulldogs (1996-2002) players | Albany River Rats players | National Hockey League first round draft picks | Canadian ice hockey players | Frankfurt Lions players | Deutsche Eishockey-Liga players | Living people | Stanley Cup champions | Prince Albert Raiders alumni