Rod Pelley (born September 1, 1984) is a
Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
former professional
ice hockey
Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...
centre
Center or centre may refer to:
Mathematics
*Center (geometry), the middle of an object
* Center (algebra), used in various contexts
** Center (group theory)
** Center (ring theory)
* Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentricity ...
. After his collegiate career, Pelley signed as a free agent with the
New Jersey Devils
The New Jersey Devils are a professional sports, professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. The Devils compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern ...
, and was with the organization from 2006 to 2011. He was traded to the
Anaheim Ducks
The Anaheim Ducks are a professional ice hockey team based in Anaheim, California. The Ducks compete in the Western Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division, and play their home games at Honda Center.
...
on December 12, 2011.
Playing career
Pelley was born in Kitimat, BC, Canada, where he attended St. Anthony's Elementary School and Mount Elizabeth Secondary School. At the age of 16, Pelley moved on to play hockey in the BCHL, first with the Prince George Spruce Kings, finishing his BCHL career with the Vernon Vipers. He then went on to play NCAA Division 1 Hockey on an athletic scholarship for the Buckeyes of the Ohio State University. Pelley graduated with a degree in Sports Management in 2006.
After his collegiate career, Pelley signed as a free agent with the New Jersey Devils. He scored his first NHL goal on November 8, 2007 against
Martin Biron
Martin Gaston Biron (; born August 15, 1977) is a Canadian American former professional ice hockey goaltender.
Drafted by the Buffalo Sabres in the first round (16th overall) of the 1995 NHL Entry Draft, he spent the first half of his 16-year ...
of the
Philadelphia Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia. The Flyers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home games in Wells ...
.
With New Jersey's AHL affiliate, the Lowell Devils in the
2008–09 season, Pelley contributed 38 points in 75 games. He then played his first full season in the NHL in
2009–10 with New Jersey.
On December 12, 2011, Pelley, along with
Mark Fraser and a 2012 7th round draft pick, was traded to the
Anaheim Ducks
The Anaheim Ducks are a professional ice hockey team based in Anaheim, California. The Ducks compete in the Western Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division, and play their home games at Honda Center.
...
in exchange for
Kurtis Foster
Kurtis Foster (born November 24, 1981) is a Canadian ice hockey coach and a former professional ice hockey defenceman. He played 408 career games in the National Hockey League (NHL).
Playing career Junior hockey Peterborough Petes (1997–2002)
F ...
and
Timo Pielmeier
Timo Pielmeier (born July 7, 1989) is a German professional ice hockey goaltender, currently an unrestricted free agent. He most recently played with ERC Ingolstadt of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL). He was a third-round selection of the San Jo ...
. New Jersey Devils GM, Lou Lamoriello spoke about the trade: "When you have such quality individuals (like Pelley and Fraser) who've given you so much each and every day in practice and in the locker room as support, you try and do the best for them. This is a win situation for both teams. They're getting two role players who will be tremendous for them and we're getting a player who has tremendous upside in the role we see that he'll fit."
A free agent with the
2012 NHL lock-out in place, Pelley signed midway into the
2012–13 season to a professional try-out contract with the Ducks' affiliate, the Norfolk Admirals of the AHL on November 23, 2012.
After the season with the Admirals, Pelley signed a one-year deal worth $550,000 to return to the New Jersey Devils. He played the next four seasons leading the Devils AHL affiliate in
Albany.
As a free agent, Pelly opted to continue in the AHL signing a one-year deal with the
Stockton Heat and agreeing to an invite to participate with NHL affiliate, the
Calgary Flames
The Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary. The Flames compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference, and ...
training camp. On September 19, 2017, Pelley was re-assigned by the Flames to the Heat.
After a solitary season with the Heat, Pelley left North America as a free agent, securing a one-year contract with Danish club,
SønderjyskE Ishockey
SønderjyskE (Ice hockey) is a professional ice hockey team playing in the top Danish ice hockey league Metal Ligaen. The team is part of SønderjyskE which is a sports umbrella with Association football, football, Team handball, handball and ice ...
of the Metal Ligaen on July 24, 2018. Pelley continued his European career the following season, playing with Romanian club,
HSC Csíkszereda
Hoki Sport Klub Csíkszereda ( ro, Hockey Sport Club Miercurea Ciuc) is a professional ice hockey club based in Miercurea Ciuc, Romania. They play in the country's top-level championship, the Romanian Hockey League, and also participate in the in ...
of the
Erste Liga.
Having played 14 professional seasons, Pelley announced his retirement from hockey in September 2020.
Career statistics
Awards and honours
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pelley, Rod
1984 births
Living people
Albany Devils players
Anaheim Ducks players
Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States
Canadian ice hockey centres
HSC Csíkszereda players
Ice hockey people from British Columbia
Lowell Devils players
New Jersey Devils players
Norfolk Admirals players
Ohio State Buckeyes men's ice hockey players
People from Kitimat
Prince George Spruce Kings players
SønderjyskE Ishockey players
Stockton Heat players
Undrafted National Hockey League players
Vernon Vipers players
Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in Romania
Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in Denmark