Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
- Clayton Keller has been appointed as the first-ever captain of the Utah Hockey Club, marking a significant milestone for the team.
- Keller, known for his impressive performance in recent seasons, expressed his gratitude for this leadership role and highlighted his readiness to guide the team toward their playoff aspirations.
- Head coach Andre Tourigny and general manager Bill Armstrong praised Keller's growth as both a player and a leader, acknowledging his influence on the franchise during its transition to Utah.
SALT LAKE CITY — Utah Hockey Club head coach Andre Tourigny thinks selecting a captain should be simple.
"The fans think they choose the captain. The media think they choose a captain. The president thinks he chooses the captain. The owner thinks he chooses the captain. The coach thinks he chooses, the GM thinks he chooses a captain, and the players think, 'That's a captain,'" Tourigny said. "For me, that's when that's a real captain."
Tourigny has spent three years with the organization now called the Utah Hockey Club. In those three years, no player has donned the captain's C … until now.
The Utah Hockey Club announced Friday that forward Clayton Keller will serve as the franchise's first-ever captain.
"I'm extremely honored to be named captain of Utah Hockey Club," Keller said. "I'm grateful for this opportunity and want to thank the entire organization for believing in me. I understand it's a privilege to be a captain in the NHL, and a huge honor to know that management, coaches, and my teammates have the belief in me to lead this team. It's a huge responsibility and one I have prepared my whole life for. We have a room full of great leaders and together, we will work hard to achieve our goal of becoming a playoff team."
Keller is entering his eighth full season with the organization after being drafted by Arizona with the seventh pick of the 2016 NHL draft. In the last two seasons, he's been far away the franchise's best player. Last season, he netted 33 goals and added 43 assists. In 2022-23, he scored 37 goals and had 49 assists to finish with a career-high 86 points.
But racking up points doesn't always mean a player is ready to be a captain. This is the team leader in the locker room, the team representative in the community and on the ince with referees, and, in Utah's case, a player who will establish a new franchise.
Keller has shown he's up to the task.
In June 2022, Keller attended the Tempe City Council and made the case to keep the team in Arizona.
"I speak for myself, my family, my teammates when we say that we love living here and being a part of this community," the star forward said as part of a presentation to try and push a new arena deal forward for the Arizona Coyotes.
That displayed early leadership. Leadership that has only continued to grow in Utah.
"To be named captain of Utah Hockey Club is an enormous honor and one that Clayton has earned," said general manager Bill Armstrong. "Clayton has evolved into an excellent hockey player and has become an even better person who has earned the respect of the entire organization. He's looking forward to the challenges that come with serving as a captain and will be surrounded by a strong leadership group that will be able to support and help lead this team."
Keller, 26, will be the youngest player to captain an inaugural season since 1979-80 when 25-year-old Ron Chipperfield was named captain of the Edmonton Oilers in their first NHL campaign.
"We have a lot of young players, a lot of guys that took a lot of strides last season," Keller said last month. "I think our core group guys have done a great job in helping them take that next step. And I think as you grow as a team, every day you get better. We're a close group. We hang out a lot and just super excited to go out on the ice and perform."
He's been a voice of comfort for the team during the transition to a new home, and now he's ready to make a new mark on the ice.
"We definitely want to take that next step and be in the playoffs," he said. "We have a good mix of veteran guys, guys that are 25, 26, you know my age, and some guys are younger. So I think it's a good mix of guys to really make that push, and we're super excited for it."
