Kelly shines in NHL debut

It was a Hollywood-esque night for Parker Kelly Wednesday.

In his first NHL game, the 21-year-old grabbed his first goal as he helped the Ottawa Senators to a 4-3 overtime win against Toronto.
"I didn't think my first game would go like that," Kelly said. "I just feel very blessed to have gotten an opportunity. I think it was the first time I touched the puck and it goes in. I'm still in shock. I can't believe it.
"It's such a unique feeling and I'm going to soak it all in."
A video review was needed to confirm the goal with Maple Leafs goaltender Frederik Andersen desperately trying to pull the puck back from behind the goal line but that delay didn't bother Kelly. Afterall, he's a guy who's had to persevere through hard work to get to his first NHL game so waiting an extra minute to confirm his first goal was somewhat fitting.
"Branny took a shot that went short-side wide and it came back off the end wall," Kelly said. "I just tried to get a stick on it. I kind of fanned on it and I saw the goalie try to scramble to get it off the line. I didn't know, I saw Timmy celebrating, the ref was pointing towards the goal, so I was just like 'did that just happen?'
"It's kind of funny with the suspense and the video review and it's something I'll never forget."
Kelly played just 7:32 but it was impactful. He added two hits to his goal, played 1:38 on the penalty kill and also had a takeaway.
"I guarantee guys on the other team knew he played," Sens head coach D.J. Smith said. "He's a guy that gives you everything he's got every shift and he's a guy I think that can be a part of this group going forward and help us win."
A large part of his game, quite frankly, is to get the under the skin of the opposition. And it didn't matter to Kelly that in his first game he was going to be a nuisance to Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, John Tavares and others.
"I just tried to play my game," Kelly said. "It's just another group of guys that didn't really like me tonight but I'm going to try and do that every game if I'm up here. To see guys barking back at you, I think that's a sign you're doing something right. It was kind of cool. There are some big names over there who were pretty unhappy but it just means I'm doing my job."
It's been a long road of perseverance for the Camrose, AB., native. He was a seventh round pick in the WHL Draft in 2014 and went unclaimed in the NHL Draft and after an invite to Ottawa's development camp in 2017, he made such an impression that he penned an amateur tryout with the team for the rookie tournament and then Ottawa's training camp later that year. He parlayed that into an entry-level contract with the team on Sept. 19, 2017. He's also twice won the Jonathan Pitre Memorial Award for the hardest working player at Sens development camp in 2018 and 2019.
"I never was the top guy and always had to work my way up and build trust with the coaches," Kelly said before his debut. "I always worked hard, that's how my parents raised me. That's something that is a big reason why I am here today."
Kelly will return to the Belleville Senators to finish out their season where he has seven goals in 28 points this season. But in that one game with Ottawa, he knows that he can be a difference maker in the NHL.
"Obviously, there's some higher end skill guys but I didn't feel like I felt out of place," he said. "I thought I fit right in and hopefully I can come back in the offseason and get stronger and create a role for myself here and ultimately create a job for myself as well."