He helped Crowland capture the 1948–1949 Bantam B Championship of Ontario, beating Peterborough in the finals.
Kelly began his coaching career in the Eastern Hockey League with the Jersey Devils and later the Clinton Comets.
Kelly served as head coach and general manager for Charlotte in the Southern Hockey League from 1973–76 guiding the Checkers to a 136–68–12 record, two regular season titles and two postseason titles while earning Coach of the Year honors in the SHL twice.
Following coaching stops in the AHL, Kelly went to Peoria in the IHL where he led the Rivermen to the Turner Cup in his first season behind the bench in 1984–85.
He recorded his 800th career win on January 4, 1987 and was inducted into the Peoria Sports Hall of Fame in February 1990.