Former Prince Albert Raider Parker Kelly will make his NHL debut with the Ottawa Senators against the Toronto Maple Leafs Wednesday night. (Twitter/Ottawa Senators)

By paNOW Staff

Pesky Parker

Kelly to suit up for Senators in NHL debut Wednesday

May 11, 2021 | 3:14 PM

Wednesday will be a day to remember for former Prince Albert Raider Parker Kelly, who is set to make his National Hockey League (NHL) debut with the Ottawa Senators.

The Camrose, Alta. product will suit up in the Senators final game of the year as they take on the Toronto Maple Leafs at 6 p.m.

This is Kelly’s second season in the American Hockey League after signing with the Senators back in the fall of 2017. With Ottawa’s affiliate team in Belleville, Kelly has played in 28 games this year, chipping in with seven goals and five assists.

Asked by media about the decision to bring Kelly into the lineup, Senators head coach D.J. Smith said simply that he has earned it.

“Parker is purely on merit with how he’s played and how he works hard every day,” Smith said.

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Since leaving Prince Albert after the Western Hockey League (WHL) championship season in 2018-19, Kelly has suited up in 85 games in Belleville, and has one year remaining on his entry-level contract with the Ottawa organization.

Kelly made the Raiders lineup as a 16-year-old rookie despite not being selected until the seventh round of the 2014 WHL Bantam Draft. At the pro level, Kelly was undrafted in the 2017 NHL Draft, but earned an entry-level contract based on a rookie camp invite that fall.

Fonstad heading to Cleveland

Former Raider Cole Fonstad has signed an amateur tryout agreement with the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters, the top affiliate of the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets.

Fonstad has just completed his final WHL season with the Everett Silvertips, where he posted 34 points in 23 games while serving as co-captain.

The Estevan, Sask. product was drafted by the Raiders in the 2015 WHL Bantam Draft, and played 219 games with the Raiders before being dealt to Everett on Oct. 13, 2019.

Fonstad was selected in the fifth round of the 2018 NHL Entry Draft by the Montreal Canadiens, but was not signed to a contract, making him a free agent.

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panews@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @princealbertnow