Utah Hockey Club Names Clayton Keller Captain

The Utah Hockey Club has named star forward Clayton Keller as their first captain in franchise history.

Introducing: 𝗖layton Keller pic.twitter.com/N2Z1ZbUZ8G
— Utah Hockey Club (@utahhockeyclub) October 4, 2024

Seeing Keller be named captain of the Utah Hockey Club is not particularly surprising. The Chesterfield, Missouri native is the club's best forward and has been a big leader in their room for multiple years. This was especially so after the Arizona Coyotes traded former captain Oliver Ekman-Larsson during the 2021 NHL Offseason.

Keller, 26, was selected as the seventh-overall pick of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft by the Coyotes. In eight NHL seasons, the star forward has 166 goals, 252 assists, and 418 points in 520 points. Overall, he has been a top-six forward throughout his NHL career, but he has taken his game to a higher level in recent years.

During this past season with the Coyotes, he had 33 goals to go along with 76 points in 78 games. This was after he set career highs with 37 goals, 49 assists, and 86 points in 82 games for the Coyotes in 2022-23.

Keller will now look to help the Utah Hockey Club be competitive out of the gate and be a real threat in the Western Conference from here.