A scrappy defenceman who could also score, Paul Jerrard sampled the NHL for five games with the Minnesota North Stars in 1988-89. He was solid player in college and ended up being a fixture in the IHL for several years.
The native of Winnipeg, Manitoba played a year with the fabled Notre Dame Hounds in Saskatchewan. After scoring 71 points in 60 games for the Hounds, the New York Rangers plucked him 180th overall in the 1983 NHL Entry Draft. Jerrard opted to attend Lake Superior State University rather than develop in the minors. He scored 113 points in four seasons for the Lakers while clearing the front of his net on a regular basis.
During his first pro season in 1987-88, Jerrard scored 20 goals for the Colorado Rangers of the IHL. On the eve of the 1988-89 season he was involved in a trade between the Rangers and North Stars which involved former first overall pick Brian Lawton and rugged defenceman Mark Tinordi.
Jerrard played five games for Minnesota that year but received the bulk of his ice time with the Kalamazoo Wings of the IHL. He spent most of the next six years with the Wings but also skated for the short-lived Albany Choppers, the Milwaukee Admirals, and the AHL's Hershey Bears before retiring in 1995.
