The Minnesota Wild, parent club of the AHL’s Houston Aeros, on Monday announced the signing of former AHL All-Star center Steve Kelly to a 2007-08 contract.
Kelly, 30, has played with three AHL teams – Hamilton, Albany and Manchester – totaling 269 points (82 goals, 187 assists) and 609 penalty minutes in 297 games. He played on the Canadian All-Star team in the 2004 AHL All-Star Classic, and reached the Calder Cup Finals as a rookie in 1997.
The 6-foot-2, 210-pound forward has appeared in 147 career NHL contests with Edmonton, Tampa Bay, New Jersey and Los Angeles, recording 21 points (9g, 12a) and 83 PIM. Kelly has also appeared in 25 career NHL playoff contests and was a member of the 1999-2000 Stanley Cup champion New Jersey Devils. The Vancouver, B.C., native was originally selected by Edmonton in the first round (sixth overall) of the 1995 NHL Entry Draft.
Kelly has spent the past three seasons playing in Germany. He collected 38 points (9g, 29a) and 209 penalty minutes in 47 games with the Frankfurt Lions in 2006-07.
