Jody Shelley was born February 7, 1976 in Thompson, Manitoba. A graduate of the QMJHL's Halifax Mooseheads, Shelley played three seasons in Halifax registering 98 points (48-50-98) and 933 penalty minutes.
A hard-nosed winger who uses his size to create space for others, Shelley played 19 games with the AUAA's University of Dalhousie in 1997-98 before joining the AHL's Saint John Flames for the remainder of the season. Shelley returned for a handful of games with Saint John in 1998-99 before spending the better part of the season with the ECHL's Johnstown Chiefs. The Thompson, Manitoba native split his time again with Johnstown and Saint John in 1999-00 before signing as a free agent with the Columbus Blue Jackets in January of 2001.
Before joining Blue Jackets, Shelley spent the better part of the 2000-01 season with the AHL's Syracuse Crunch where he led the team and the league in penalty minutes with 357. Shelley saw limited action with Clombus is his first two seasons before becoming a regular in the team's lineup in 2002-03.
On January 29, 2008, Shelly was traded to San Jose by Columbus for San Jose's sixth round draft pick.
On February 12, 2010, the tough guy was dealt to the New York Rangers in exchange for a sixth round draft pick, though he would not spend much time on Broadway, signing with the Philadelphia Flyers as an unrestricted free agent on July 1, 2010.
