| Clayton Keller | |||
|---|---|---|---|
.jpg) Keller with theArizona Coyotes in 2022 | |||
| Born | (1998-07-29)July 29, 1998 (age 27) Chesterfield, Missouri, U.S. | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) | ||
| Weight | 178 lb (81 kg; 12 st 10 lb) | ||
| Position | Forward | ||
| Shoots | Left | ||
| NHL team Former teams | Utah Mammoth Arizona Coyotes | ||
| National team |  United States | ||
| NHL draft | 7th overall,2016 Arizona Coyotes | ||
| Playing career | 2017–present | ||
Clayton Davis Keller[1] (born July 29, 1998) is an American professionalice hockey player who is aforward andcaptain for theUtah Mammoth of theNational Hockey League (NHL). TheArizona Coyotes selected him seventh overall in the2016 NHL entry draft.
Born inChesterfield, Missouri, and raised inSwansea, Illinois, Keller was part of a group of skilled young hockey players around his age growing up in theSt. Louis area. He spent two years attendingShattuck-Saint Mary's before joining theUSA Hockey National Team Development Program in 2014, where he set a program record with 189points in two seasons. While theWindsor Spitfires of theOntario Hockey League selected him in the 2014 OHL Draft, Keller attendedBoston University to playcollege ice hockey for theTerriers in 2016. In his one season there, he was named theHockey East Rookie of the Year and won theTim Taylor Award for the topNCAA Division I rookie. He left Boston University after one season, joining the Coyotes for the end of the2016–17 season.
Playing in every game during his first two seasons of professional ice hockey, Keller led the Coyotes with 65 points in2017–18 and 47 points the following season, and he was anNHL All-Star in 2019. Keller made his postseason debut with Arizona in the2020 Stanley Cup playoffs, where they were eliminated by theColorado Avalanche in the first round (after winning the best-of-five qualifying round versus theNashville Predators). He recorded his 200th career point and received his second All-Star Game selection during the2021–22 season, but suffered a season-ending leg injury at the end of March. He played all 82 games in the2022–23 season and tied the Coyotes single-season points record with 86 points, along with earning his third All-Star Game selection. Following the Coyotes' folding and transfer of hockey assets to the Utah Mammoth, Keller was named the first captain in Utah franchise history ahead of the2024–25 season.
Keller was born on July 29, 1998, inChesterfield, Missouri,[2] and he was raised inSwansea, Illinois by parents Bryan and Kelley Keller.[3][4] Keller and his younger brother Jake would play hockey in the basement of their family home while attendingWolf Branch School District 113,[5] the walls of which were painted to look like an ice hockey rink and were decorated with Keller's favoriteNational Hockey League (NHL) players:Sidney Crosby,Patrick Kane,Pavel Datsyuk,Alexander Ovechkin, andEvgeni Malkin.[6] He became interested in ice hockey at the age of three, when his mother took him to a high school game, and he joined a contingent of other St. Louis-area players around his age, includingLuke Opilka,Luke Kunin, andMatthew Tkachuk.[7] In 2010 and 2011, Keller played in theQuebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with the St. Louis Bluesminor ice hockey affiliate.[8]
In 2012, Keller joined the ice hockey team atShattuck-Saint Mary's, aboarding school inFaribault, Minnesota, and the alma mater of NHL playersSidney Crosby,Jonathan Toews, andKyle Okposo. He scored 58goals and recorded 129points in 60 games during the 2012–13 season.[9] After playing as acenter during his first year with Shattuck-Saint Mary's, Keller moved to thewing for the 2013–14 season.[10] After recording 94 goals and 112assists in two seasons with Shattuck-St. Mary's,[11] winning a national championship in the process, Keller joined theUSA Hockey National Team Development Program (NTDP) for the 2014–15 season.[12][13] After registering 34 goals and 82 points in 60 games that season, Keller added another 37 goals and 107 points in 62 games during the 2015–16 season, the second-highest single-season point total in program history.[14] He spent two seasons in the NTDP, with 71 goals and 118 assists for 189 career points, setting the program record until 2019, when he was surpassed byJack Hughes.[15][16]
As the2016 NHL entry draft approached, Keller had committed to playingcollege ice hockey for theBoston University Terriers, but he also had the option to playjunior ice hockey in Canada, as theWindsor Spitfires of theOntario Hockey League had selected him in the second round, 40th overall, of the 2014 OHL Draft.[17] Keller was one of five players from the St. Louis area who were selected in the first round of the 2016 draft, taken seventh overall by theArizona Coyotes.[18] On August 3, 2016, Keller turned down the Spitfires, choosing instead to attend Boston University.[19]
Keller scored his first collegiate goal in his first game, Boston University's 6–1 season-opening rout ofColgate on October 6, 2016.[20] He was injured during the Terriers' 3–0 win overNortheastern at the start of November, with sophomoreJordan Greenway taking his place as Boston's second-line center in his absence.[21] He missed seven games with the injury, returning to put up two goals and six points in three December games, enough to be named theHockey East Rookie of the Month.[22] He won the award again in January, when he had five goals and 11 points in nine games,[23] and February, when he had seven goals and 12 points in eight games.[24] Keller finished the season with 19 goals and 40 points in 31 games.[25] In addition to being a unanimous selection to the Hockey East All-Rookie Team,[26] Keller was a Hockey East Second Team All-Star, theHockey East Rookie of the Year,[27] and the recipient of theTim Taylor Award for the topNCAA Division I rookie men's ice hockey player.[28]
Despite a late-game goal from Keller, the Terriers were eliminated from the2017 Hockey East Men's Ice Hockey Tournament in the semifinal round by crosstown rivalsBoston College.[29] They received a bid in the2017 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament, facing reigning championsNorth Dakota in the first round.[30] Keller scored the game-winning goal in double overtime against North Dakota,[31] and the Terriers advanced to the Frozen Four, where they lost 3–2 in overtime toMinnesota Duluth.[32]
Once Keller's freshman season at Boston University concluded, he signed a three-year,entry-level contract with the Coyotes on March 26, 2017.[33] He made his NHL debut the next night, playing against theSt. Louis Blues at his hometown stadium, theScottrade Center.[34] He skated on a line withAlexander Burmistrov andChristian Fischer in the game, which the Coyotes lost 4–1.[35] Keller recorded his first point in his first home game atGila River Arena, assisting onAlex Goligoski's third-period goal against the Blues. It was the only goal the Coyotes scored in the 3–1 loss.[36] He played in only three games at the end of the2016–17 season, recording two assists in the process.[37]
After impressing new coachRick Tocchet in training camp, Keller started the2017–18 season as the right winger on the Coyotes' top offensive line.[38] He scored his first NHL goal in the season opener against theAnaheim Ducks, a game which the Coyotes won 5–4.[39] Although the Coyotes began the season with the worst record in the NHL, going 1–11–1 in the month of October, Keller led all rookies with nine goals and 15 points in that same period, and he was named the NHL Rookie of the Month for doing so. His nine goals were the most of any franchise rookie sinceTeemu Selanne in March 1993, and his 15 points were the most since Selanne andKeith Tkachuk that same month.[40][41] After October, however, Keller fell into a 17-game scoring drought from November 6 to December 14. It was broken when he scored onAndrei Vasilevskiy of theTampa Bay Lightning.[42] His slump continued into January and February 2018, when he recorded only three goals and 12 points.[43] With one goal and three assists on February 15, Keller joinedMartin Hanzal andKyle Turris as the only Coyotes rookies to record a four-point game.[44] On March 21, Keller recorded two assists in the Coyotes' 4–1 win over theBuffalo Sabres, giving him 55 points and 35 assists for the season. Those marks passedPeter Mueller andMax Domi, respectively, for the most of any franchise rookie since the Coyotes relocated from Winnipeg prior to the1996–97 season.[45] Keller was named the NHL Rookie of the Month again for March 2018 after finishing the month with 23 goals, 40 assists, and 63 points on the season, all franchise records for a rookie.[46] He finished the season with a team-leading 23 goals and 65 points and tiedDerek Stepan with 42 assists.[47] At the Coyotes' end-of-season banquet, he received the Team MVP Award, the Leading Scorer Award, and the Three Star Award.[48] Keller finished third in voting for the 2018Calder Memorial Trophy, given to the top NHL rookie, behind winnerMathew Barzal and runner-upBrock Boeser.[49]
Keller centered the Coyotes' second line in the first three games of the2018–19 season before he was promoted back to the top line wing with Stepan andRichard Pánik.[50] At the end of November, the Coyotes acquiredNick Schmaltz from theChicago Blackhawks, allowing him to center the top line with Keller andAlex Galchenyuk, a line that showed immediate success.[51] By January 2, Keller led the Coyotes with 29 points in 39 games, including a team-leading 21 assists, four game-winning goals, and 13power play points, and his 96 career points were the most of any Coyotes skater before turning 21. He received his firstNHL All-Star Game selection in 2019 as the representative for his team.[52] On January 19, Keller recorded his 100th career point with a goal in Arizona's 3–2 overtime loss to thePittsburgh Penguins. He reached the milestone in his 132nd NHL game, breaking Max Domi's franchise record of 154 games to 100 points.[53] Keller and Galchenyuk's performance suffered after Schmaltz suffered a season-ending knee injury,[54] but the pair showed some improvement in February after they were partnered withNick Cousins.[55] For the second year in a row, Keller played in all 82 games of the NHL regular season.[56] finishing his sophomore season with 14 goals and a team-leading 47 points.[57]
On September 4, 2019, the Coyotes signed Keller to an eight-year, $57.2 million contract extension carrying an average annual value (AAV) of $7.15 million.[58] He moved to left wing for the start of the2019–20 season, with Stepan centering and newcomerPhil Kessel on the right wing.[59] While facing theDetroit Red Wings on December 22, Keller scored twice and assisted once in the Coyotes' 5–2 victory, becoming the first player in franchise history to record four three-point games before his 22nd birthday.[60] By the end of 2019, his 29 points (10 goals and 19 assists) in 40 games were second on the team, and althoughDarcy Kuemper was the Coyotes' representative at the 2020 NHL All-Star Game, Keller appeared on the Last Man In ballot, which allowed fans to vote him into one of the final spots of the tournament.[61] The Last Man In for theCentral Division that season was ultimatelyDavid Perron of the St. Louis Blues.[62] By the time that theCOVID-19 pandemic suspended the NHL season in mid-March, Keller had 17 goals and 44 points in 70 games.[63] As part of the league's Return to Play protocols, the Coyotes reached the2020 Stanley Cup playoffs, facing theNashville Predators in the qualifying round, and Keller was one of 31 players invited to the playoff quarantine bubble inEdmonton.[64] One of eight Coyotes making his postseason debut in 2020, Keller led his team in scoring with four goals and seven points in nine playoff games before theColorado Avalanche eliminated Arizona in the second tournament round.[65]
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Keller dropped to the Coyotes' third line for the beginning of the2020–21 season, playing on newcomerDerick Brassard's left wing withTyler Pitlick on the right.[66] Facing the Blues on February 9, Keller scored the game-tying goal with 0.7 seconds left in regulation, forcingovertime. The Coyotes won the game 4–3 with shootout goals fromConor Garland andChristian Dvorak.[67] At the start of February, Tocchet placed Keller on a line with Schmaltz and Garland,[68] which he nicknamed the "Short Leash Line" for their high offensive output but poor defense.[69] In the seven consecutive games in which the Coyotes faced the Blues, the Short Leash Line combined for 21 points, with Keller registering three goals and three assists.[70] Playing in all 56 games of the COVID-shortened 2020–21 season, Keller recorded 14 goals and 35 points.[71] He was one of 11 players the Coyotes chose to protect from being taken by theSeattle Kraken in the2021 NHL expansion draft that July.[72]
At the request of his coaches, Keller gained weight during the 2021 off-season, and he entered the2021–22 season with a greater physicality and defensive presence. Through his first 24 games, he had six goals, 16 points, 18penalty minutes, and 15blocked shots.[73] Included in those 16 points was the 200th of Keller's career, which occurred on November 19 with a third-period assist against theColumbus Blue Jackets. Keller reached the milestone in his 310th career game, becoming the 11th Coyote to register 200 points and the fifth member of the 2016 NHL Draft class to do so.[74] Keller received his second NHL All-Star Game selection in 2022, leading his team with 12 goals and 26 points through 34 games, including two game-winning goals and two overtime goals.[75] Following an injury toJay Beagle, Keller also became analternate captain for the Coyotes partway through the 2021–22 season.[76] On March 30, 2022, Keller crashed into the boards during a game against theSan Jose Sharks and was taken off the ice on a stretcher. He announced later that he would miss the remainder of the season with a leg injury. At the time of the injury, the Coyotes had been mathematically eliminated from playoff contention, but Keller had a team-leading 63 points, including a career-high 28 goals, in 67 games.[77][78]
Keller returned for the2022–23 season following six months of rehabilitation, and was able to play a full 82-game season. With 86 points, he tied the Coyotes record since their relocation to Arizona, and his 37 goals were the third-most in the same span. He was his team's representative in the2023 All-Star Game,[79] and was named a finalist for theBill Masterton Memorial Trophy, awarded to "the NHL player voted to best exemplify the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey."[80]
During the2023–24 season, while leading the Coyotes in scoring (31 points) through 36 games, Keller was selected to participate in the2024 All-Star Game, making it his third consecutive and fourth career All-Star Game. His fourth selection to the All-Star Game made him the only player in Coyotes history to be selected to more than three such games.[81]
Shortly after the end of the 2023–24 regular season, the Coyotes' franchise was suspended and its hockey assets were subsequently transferred to the expansionUtah Mammoth; as a result, Keller became a member of the Utah team.[82] On October 4, 2024, Keller was named as the firstcaptain in franchise history.[83]
Keller first represented the United States internationally at the2014 World U-17 Hockey Challenge. He led the tournament in scoring with 13 points in six games, but the United States finished in second place, losing 2–1 toRussia in the championship game.[84] He won a gold medal the following year at the2015 World U18 Championships, with four goals and 11 points in eight games.[85] Although the United States only took bronze at the2016 World U18 Championships, Keller had four goals and 14 points in seven games, and he was named tournament'smost valuable player (MVP) and a member of the Media All-Star Team.[86]
Keller was selected to theUnited States junior team for the2017 World Junior Championships, scoring two goals in the opening-day 6–1 rout ofLatvia.[87] He faced his Arizona teammateDylan Strome in the gold medal game againstCanada, which the United States won 5–4. Keller finished the tournament with a three goals and a team-leading 11 points.[88] CanadianThomas Chabot was named the tournament MVP, but Keller was named to the All-Star Team.[89]
Three Coyotes played for theUnited States senior team at the2017 World Championship, including Keller.[90] The youngest player in that year's tournament, Keller scored five goals in seven preliminary-round games,[91] including ahat-trick in United States' 7–2 victory overDenmark.[92] He finished the tournament with five goals and seven points in eight games as the United States lost 2–0 againstFinland in the quarterfinals.[93] He returned to play for the United States two years later at the2019 World Championship,[94] He recorded two goals and four points in eight games for the seventh-place United States team.[85][95]
Keller represented the United States at the2025 World Championship, where he recorded three goals and seven assists in 10 games and helped the United States team win their first gold medal since1933.[96]
On January 2, 2026, he was named to the United States' roster for the2026 Winter Olympics.[97]
Keller's younger brother Jake is a junior ice hockey player in theNorth American Hockey League. After playing with theMinnesota Magicians for the 2019–20 season and two years atWayzata High School, he signed with theNew Mexico Ice Wolves for the 2021–22 season.[98]
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2014–15 | U.S. National Development Team | USHL | 61 | 34 | 48 | 82 | 28 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015–16 | U.S. National Development Team | USHL | 62 | 37 | 70 | 107 | 40 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2016–17 | Boston University | HE | 31 | 21 | 24 | 45 | 26 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2016–17 | Arizona Coyotes | NHL | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2017–18 | Arizona Coyotes | NHL | 82 | 23 | 42 | 65 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018–19 | Arizona Coyotes | NHL | 82 | 14 | 33 | 47 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2019–20 | Arizona Coyotes | NHL | 70 | 17 | 27 | 44 | 28 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 0 | ||
| 2020–21 | Arizona Coyotes | NHL | 56 | 14 | 21 | 35 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2021–22 | Arizona Coyotes | NHL | 67 | 28 | 35 | 63 | 28 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2022–23 | Arizona Coyotes | NHL | 82 | 37 | 49 | 86 | 49 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2023–24 | Arizona Coyotes | NHL | 78 | 33 | 43 | 76 | 32 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2024–25 | Utah Hockey Club | NHL | 81 | 30 | 60 | 90 | 28 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 601 | 196 | 312 | 508 | 231 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 0 | ||||
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | United States | U17 |  | 6 | 6 | 7 | 13 | 4 | |
| 2015 | United States | WJC18 |  | 7 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 0 | |
| 2016 | United States | WJC18 |  | 7 | 4 | 10 | 14 | 2 | |
| 2017 | United States | WJC | | 7 | 3 | 8 | 11 | 2 | |
| 2017 | United States | WC | 5th | 8 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 2 | |
| 2019 | United States | WC | 7th | 8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2025 | United States | WC | | 10 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 2 | |
| Junior totals | 27 | 17 | 30 | 47 | 8 | ||||
| Senior totals | 26 | 10 | 11 | 21 | 4 | ||||
| Award | Year | Ref |
|---|---|---|
| College | ||
| Tim Taylor Award | 2017 | [28] |
| Hockey East Rookie of the Year | 2017 | [27] |
| Hockey East Second All-Star Team | 2017 | [27] |
| Hockey East All-Rookie Team | 2017 | [26] |
| NHL | ||
| NHL All-Star Game | 2019,2022,2023,2024 | [52][75][79][81] |
| International | ||
| World U18 Championship Most Valuable Player | 2016 | [86] |
| World U18 Championship All-Star Team | 2016 | [86] |
| World Junior Championship All-Star Team | 2017 | [89] |
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Arizona Coyotes first round draft pick 2016 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Hockey East Rookie of the Year 2016–17 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Hockey East Three-Stars Award 2016–17 With:Anders Bjork,Tyler Kelleher | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Tim Taylor Award 2016–17 | Succeeded by |
| Sporting positions | ||
| Preceded by Position created | Utah Hockey Club/Mammoth captain 2024–present | Incumbent |
