Kelly played junior hockey with the North Bay Trappers from 1930 to 1932. Then he did something very rare in hockey. In 1932-33 he played for the Newmarket Redmen as they won the Memorial Cup, The next year he switched to the St, Michaels College Majors and they, too, won the Memorial Cup in 1934. In 1940 he was traded to the Hawks but his career was on the downswing. He only got into 21 games in 1940-41 and then played 8 games for the Brooklyn Americans in 1941-42, playing the rest of his time in the minors.