Exelby enters his first season as the strength and conditioning coach for Sun Devil Hockey after 18 years in professional hockey as a defenseman.
Over his career, Exelby played in over 400 NHL and 400 AHL games after being initially drafted by the Atlanta Thrashers in the 1999 NHL Draft while playing in the WHL for the Saskatoon Blades. Exelby kicked off his professional career with the Thrashers' minor league affiliate Chicago Wolves in 2001, playing 75 games. In 2002, he made his NHL debut with the Thrashers and played in 15 games while moving up and down from the Wolves. That year, he helped the Wolves win the AHL's Calder Cup Championship. From 2003 to 2009, Exelby played in over 300 games with the Thrashers before being traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs. The defenseman played in 51 games that season for the Leafs.
From 2010 to 2014, he played for the Rockford IceHogs (affiliate to the Chicago Blackhawks), Grand Rapids Griffins (affiliate to the Detroit Red Wings), Providence Bruins (affiliate to the Boston Bruins) and Norfolk Admirals (affiliate to the Anaheim Ducks). Exelby served as the captain in Rockford, Grand Rapids and Norfolk.
His 2014-15 season went overseas, as he played in Austria's professional league -- the Erste Bank Eishockey Liga (EBEL) -- for Dornbirner EC.
Exelby received his NSCA (National Strength & Conditioning Association) personal trainer certification in April.