Kelly Zajac
Kelly Zajac (born June 6, 1988) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He played for the Union Dutchmen in the NCAA Men's Division I ECAC Hockey conference and in the American Hockey League for the Albany Devils, Manitoba Moose and Hershey Bears.
| Kelly Zajac | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born |
June 6, 1988 Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) | ||
| Weight | 174 lb (79 kg; 12 st 6 lb) | ||
| Position | Forward | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| Played for |
Albany Devils Lukko Manitoba Moose Hershey Bears | ||
| NHL Draft | Undrafted | ||
| Playing career | 2012–2018 | ||
Playing career
After finishing his collegiate hockey career with Union College, Zajac signed as a free agent with the AHL's Albany Devils in 2011. In August 2015, Zajac left the Devils organization and signed a one-year contract with Finnish Liiga club, Lukko, which included an initial two month try-out.[1] Three months later, Zajac returned to the AHL after signing with the Manitoba Moose.[2] The Moose released Zajac on February 12, 2016 after which Zajac signed with the South Carolina Stingrays.[3]
Zajac originally opted to return to Europe for a second season in agreeing to a contract with Tingsryds AIF, however on May 22, 2016, Zajac decided to stay in North America after the conclusion of the 2015–16 season with the Stingrays.[4] He then signed a two-way contract with the Hershey Bears and Stingrays for the 2016–17 season.[5]
Personal life
Kelly is the younger brother of professional hockey players Travis and Darcy Zajac. Their youngest brother, Nolan, played with the NCAA Denver Pioneers. Their father, Tom, also played for the University of Denver.[6]
Career statistics
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2006–07 | Salmon Arm Silverbacks | BCHL | 59 | 11 | 20 | 31 | 20 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| 2007–08 | Salmon Arm Silverbacks | BCHL | 60 | 21 | 41 | 62 | 28 | 11 | 3 | 8 | 11 | 4 | ||
| 2008–09 | Union College | ECAC | 39 | 6 | 14 | 20 | 29 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2009–10 | Union College | ECAC | 39 | 10 | 14 | 24 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2010–11 | Union College | ECAC | 40 | 13 | 29 | 42 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2011–12 | Union College | ECAC | 41 | 8 | 34 | 42 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2011–12 | Albany Devils | AHL | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | Albany Devils | AHL | 14 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | Trenton Devils | ECHL | 15 | 6 | 10 | 16 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2013–14 | Albany Devils | AHL | 67 | 12 | 32 | 44 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 2014–15 | Albany Devils | AHL | 24 | 3 | 10 | 13 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015–16 | Lukko | Liiga | 11 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015–16 | Manitoba Moose | AHL | 14 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015–16 | South Carolina Stingrays | ECHL | 21 | 9 | 13 | 22 | 0 | 19 | 3 | 15 | 18 | 2 | ||
| 2016–17 | South Carolina Stingrays | ECHL | 59 | 13 | 39 | 52 | 14 | 22 | 6 | 11 | 17 | 2 | ||
| 2016–17 | Hershey Bears | AHL | 9 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2017–18 | South Carolina Stingrays | ECHL | 60 | 20 | 36 | 56 | 16 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2017–18 | Hershey Bears | AHL | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| AHL totals | 133 | 21 | 49 | 70 | 26 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | ||||
Awards and honours
| Award | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| College | ||
| All-ECAC Hockey Second Team | 2010–11 | [7] |
| All-ECAC Hockey Third Team | 2011–12 | |
| ECAC Hockey Best Defensive Forward | 2011–12 | [8] |
References
- "Kelly Zajac given a look for the offense". Lukko (in Finnish). August 30, 2015. Retrieved August 30, 2015.
- "Moose sign Kelly Zajac". MooseHockey.com. November 16, 2015.
- "Stingrays Sign Kelly Zajac". ECAC Hockey. February 18, 2016. Retrieved February 28, 2016.
- "Kelly Zajac will not connect to Tingsryds" (in Swedish). Tingsryds AIF. May 22, 2016. Retrieved May 22, 2016.
- "Stingrays Kelly Zajac has become one of the elite forwards in ECHL". The Post and Courier. January 5, 2017.
- "Family Ties Run Deep At Devils Camp". Fox News. July 13, 2011. Retrieved July 15, 2011.
- Elite Prospects - Hockey Awards & Achievements - NCAA (ECAC) Second All-Star Team
- ECAC Hockey Mobile - League Announces Regular-Season Awards
External links
- Kelly Zajac career statistics at EliteProspects.com
- Kelly Zajac career statistics at The Internet Hockey Database
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Adam Presiznuik |
ECAC Hockey Best Defensive Forward 2011–12 |
Succeeded by Greg Miller |