Team: University of Minnesota-Duluth (#25) – NCAA
Date of Birth: 01/20/2003 – Maple Grove, MN, USA
Height: 6’1″/185 cm
Weight: 190 lbs/86 kg
Position: Defense
Handedness: Right
Player Introduction
Connor Kelley is an overager, entering his second year of NHL Draft eligibility. After getting overlooked while apart of the stacked 2019-20 USNTDP team, Kelley pursued his college commitment, joining the University of Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs.
He’s failed to be featured in many rankings from public scouts, with his overager status and low scoring making him potentially-easy to overlook. But Kelley is a very promising prospect who has found a unique way to blend the rugged defense taught in college with the creative, instinct-based offense instilled in USNTDP players. It combines to create a very distinct talent, and one that became the spark behind a strong UMD team this season.
Instinct
Kelley thrives in many different areas. But every positive he has is built on the back of great instinct and a true fearlessness. He really seems to have a sixth-sense, allowing him to instantly gauge how “safe” a certain play is. Whether it’s a blue-line pinch, stepping up in the neutral zone, or carrying the puck deep into the offensive zone, Kelley has no fear or hesitations in his decision making because of a seriously confident ability to read the game. It’s impressive, to say the least. Kelley’s ability to read, and quickly react to, the play around him is impressive and leads to a ton of impressive plays.
Offensive Transition
Connor Kelley is a healthy 50/50-mix between USNTDP and NCAA. The former shines through in bunches when he’s tasked with moving the puck up the ice. Kelley absolutely loves carrying the puck. And he does so well with the puck on his stick.
Kelley manages to beat opposing defense through a variety of different abilities. His stickhandling and awareness work in tandem to open up gaps in the other team’s setups that he easily exploits. He also has an incredible ability to build up speed through his crossovers and maintain that speed through open-step transitions. This helps mask his underwhelming top-speed and walk past pressuring forwards with ease.
Kelley is an absolute dynamo in transition. His skillset lends itself to a wide array of attacks, as shown by the above clips. Kelley didn’t use the same approach twice and that’s what makes him so dangerous. Every play is sparked by a great instinct and willingness to join the rush. But what Kelley does after joining the rush is unpredictable, thanks to his strong stickhandling, passing, and agility. He can beat the opposition in any way he sees fit, making him incredibly reliable at getting the puck into the offensive-end.
There are some issues with his transition, though. While Kelley is clearly talented in finding ways to break the puck into the zone, he is still learning what to do with it once there. His passing is strong and he’s a very aware defenseman but he can still find himself troubled for passing-decisions once in the offensive-end. This can lead to an awkward pass or rushed shot.
It’s a slight issue but one that can leave the viewer asking “so what?” after such successful movement through the neutral zone. But his skillset makes improving on this issue incredibly easy. He has strong passing and has shown an ability to work the puck through traffic. If he can improve his vision in the offensive zone, there’s a true playmaker to be had in Kelley. The same can be said about his shot selection. While his shot is strong and accurate, he could afford to be more liberal with his shooting. If he can continue to effectively shoot more frequently, he could find a new layer to his game.
Kelley showed signs of this improvement in the latter half of his season. Of his five points on the year, three came in his final six games. He capped off freshman year with a bang, briefly clawing his way up to UMD’s top-pairing, where his offense really thrived. Continuing this momentum into next season could help Kelley boom into an even-more-promising prospect.
Defensive Transition
Kelley’s USDP-background gives him a leg-up in moving the puck up the ice. The program heavily emphasizes speed and puck-handling through the neutral zone; it’s consistently become the strongest trait of alumni as a result. But the NCAA is a drastically different focus, prioritizing safe, controlled defense over risky offense. This change in mantra is no problem for high-scoring forwards but can leave USNTDP defenseman a bit muddy in their freshman year. Cam York was a good example of how difficult the jump could be, with his freshman year leaving many a bit underwhelmed — something he has, of course, improved on since.
But Kelley took this harsh transition in full stride. After some expected struggles early in the year, he found his footing in the middle of the season and very quickly became a shutdown defenseman through the neutral zone. He reads the play quickly and is able to force the puck-carrier to the boards with ease. After assuring passing lanes are closed, Kelley is fearless in stepping up to pressure the puck-carrier, forcing turnovers consistently in transition.
Kelley loves taking risks. But any time he does, he’s smart about getting back into position before becoming a liability. He showed this off in the above clip, knowing when his involvement in the play had come to an end and when he needed to get back in position.
There are far fewer issues shining through in Kelley’s off-puck neutral zone play. He manages to maintain his position well, even through his pinches, and breaks up play nicely. This is on the back of a great active stick that makes Kelley very tough to beat one-on-one. The only true area of his defensive play that’s lacking is Kelley’s ability to use his large stature to outman opponents. He’s simply not physical — it’s not something that’s prioritized in players with USNTDP-roots — and it leaves an area of his game seemingly undiscovered. He can also get too committed to puck battles at time, leaving him wrapped up with another player while opposing teammates come to retrieve a puck that squirted out. Still, Kelley’s active stick and awareness make him a tough foe as other teams try to break into the zone.
Confidence and Growth
It’s impossible to profile Kelley without talking about his mental. Kelley grew in leaps-in-bounds on-ice, learning how to shutdown the opposition in transition, better skate with the puck, and all-in-all play at a higher level. But every single improvement he has made has been a result of a truly tremendous build up of confidence. When asked how he felt about his growth this year, Kelley told RecScouting:
I think I’ve always had confidence in my game but I really was able to grow in all aspects [this year] by learning from my coaches and the great leaders on my team… in practice and through weekly video with my coaches. Watching how the leaders come to the rink and the detail they put into their game definitely helped me improve my overall performance as the season went on.
Always aware… even off of the ice. Kelley is always looking for ways to improve his game and took opportunity in stride his freshman year. His mind was made for hockey and it shines through in his on-ice instinct and his off-ice learning. It’s this great hockey mindset that will really propel Kelley to an NHL role sometime soon.
Conclusion
Connor Kelley isn’t a perfect prospect. But his areas to improve are clear. With how much he’s already improved in college, there’s no doubting that Kelley can patch up any concerns over the rest of his college career. He’s a smart, intuitive defenseman who has amassed an impressively-diverse skillset through the league’s he’s played in. His great skating and love for offense shows he’s a USNTDP-kid at heart but his calm defense and active stick show how much he’s already taken away from his college coaching. It’s a blend that few defenseman can so confidently manage and one that speak volumes to Kelley’s future potential.
Kelley is currently ranked in my Fourth Round, although his value could place him anywhere between Round 3 and 5. His game lends itself to a lot of confidence in terms of future development, with Kelley’s ceiling being in the bottom-four of an NHL D-core.
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