The '03 native of Braintree, MA is in his second season with the Avalanche, and over the course of 63 career games in the Eastern Hockey League (EHL), Kelly has tallied 28 total points to his credit on 15 goals and 13 assists.

"Talk about a player that deserves it and has earned it the whole way," said Avalanche head coach and general manager Chris Cerrella. "Connor came to us last season from Tilton Prep and has worked on his game every single day. He came here to play juniors for us with one thing in mind and that was to achieve an NCAA commitment. Not only has Connor committed to his athletics, he has also committed to his academics, and through his hard work he will be attending St. Anselm's next season. I could not be more proud for Connor and his family. I wish him the best of luck!"

Cerrella alluded to the tremendous development that Kelly has shown throughout his time in New Hampshire, and look no further than his point production for proof. After notching eight total points throughout the entire 2022-23 season, Kelly has more than doubled his production so far this year, with already 20 points collected to date. Kelly is very proud of the next level that he has reached, and beyond grateful to everyone who helped him reach this point.

“I am honored to announce that I will be continuing my athletic and academic career at Saint Anselm College," said Kelly. "I would like to thank my family for their endless support throughout my hockey journey. I am very thankful for all my coaches, especially my coaches at Archbishop Williams High School, Brooks McQuade at Tilton, and of course, Coach Cerrella and Coach [Mario] Martiniello with the Avalanche for making this possible. Lastly, I would like to thank Coach [Larry] Rocha for this incredible opportunity. I am very excited to join Saint Anselm in the fall and spend the next four years as a Hawk.”

Kelly and the Avalanche have won seven straight games, and thanks to that, have opened up a nine-point lead at the top of the North Division standings. New Hampshire will look to increase that margin when they host the 2nd-place Seacoast Spartans on Thursday afternoon at 12:00 pm.

Learn more about the Avalanche on the team's official website, and check out the full 2023-24 NCAA commitment list.