Clayton Keller

Clayton Keller (born July 29, 1998) is an American professional ice hockey forward, currently playing for the Arizona Coyotes of the National Hockey League (NHL). Keller was selected 7th overall in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft by the Coyotes.[1]

Clayton Keller
Keller in 2017
Born	July 29, 1998 Chesterfield, Missouri, U.S.
Height	5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Weight	170 lb (77 kg; 12 st 2 lb)
Position	Left Wing
Shoots	Left
NHL team	Arizona Coyotes
National team	United States
NHL Draft	7th overall, 2016 Arizona Coyotes
Playing career	2017–present

Playing career

Amateur

Keller played in the 2010 and 2011 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournaments with the St. Louis Blues minor ice hockey team.[2]

Keller joined the US National Team Development Program in 2014 and finished his NTDP career in 2016, setting the record for all-time points with 189, ahead of Phil Kessel, Patrick Kane, Jeremy Bracco, and Auston Matthews. His record was eventually broken by Jack Hughes in 2019.[3] Keller also finished his NTDP career second all-time in assists.[4]

Keller freshman season with Boston University was the 2016–2017 season, where he led the team in scoring with 21 goals and 24 assists in 31 games. He was named the Hockey East Rookie of the Year for 2016–17.[5]

Professional

Keller was selected 7th overall by the Arizona Coyotes at the 2016 NHL Entry Draft. He was one of the five first round picks in 2016 that hailed from Greater St. Louis.[6] With Boston's exit from the NCAA tournament, [7] he signed a three-year NHL entry-level contract with the Coyotes on March 26, 2017[8][9] and played in his first NHL game the next night against his hometown team, the St. Louis Blues.[10] He earned his first NHL point with an assist in the next game, also against the Blues.[11][12]

Keller was named NHL Rookie of the Month for October 2017 after he became the franchise's first rookie to record at least nine goals in one month since Teemu Selänne in March 1993.[13] He also became the franchise's first rookie to record 15 points in a month since Selänne and Keith Tkachuk in March 1993.[14][13] On March 21, 2018, passed Peter Mueller for most points, 55, by a Coyote rookie since the franchise relocated from Winnipeg before the 1996–97 season.[15] Keller was again named the NHL Rookie of the Month in March, after he led all rookies with 13 assists and 19 points in 17 games and recorded a 10-game points streak, which was the longest by any rookie in the 2017–18 season.[16] Before the conclusion of the regular season, Keller was awarded three team awards; Team MVP, Leading Scorer Award, and the Three Star Award.[17] Keller completed his rookie season with 42 assists and 65 points, leading the team in points and goals, as well as tying for assists.[18] On April 22, 2018, Keller was named one of the finalists for the Calder Memorial Trophy, awarded to top first-year player.[19]

On September 4, 2019, the Coyotes re-signed Keller to an eight-year, $57.2 million contract extension.[20] On December 22, 2019, Keller became the first player in franchise history to go four games with at least three points prior to turning 22.[21] By January, Keller was second amongst the team in scoring with 29 points and was thus listed as a “Last Man standing” option for the 2020 NHL All-Star Game, allowing fans to vote him into the competition.[22] During the pause in play due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Keller competed in a league-wide NHL Player Gaming Challenge tournament with teammate Conor Garland.[23]

International play

Medal record
Representing  United States
Ice hockey
World Junior Championships
	2017 Canada
IIHF World U18 Championship
	2015 Switzerland
	2016 United States

Keller played for Team USA at the 2014 World U-17 Hockey Challenge, winning the silver medal, where he finished as top scorer.[24]

Keller was a member of Team USA that won a gold medal at the 2015 IIHF World U18 Championships. At the 2016 IIHF World U18 Championships, Team USA won the bronze medal and Keller was Team USA's scoring leader. Keller was awarded MVP of the tournament.[25] At the 2017 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, Team USA won the gold medal and Keller led Team USA in scoring [26] and was named to the tournament All-star team.[27]

Keller was selected to represent Team USA at the 2017 IIHF World Championship, held in Paris, France, and Cologne, Germany. Team USA finished in 5th place. Keller registered five goals and two assists in 8 games. On April 19, 2019, Keller was selected to represent Team USA for the second time at the 2019 IIHF World Championship, held in Bratislava and Kosice, Slovakia.[28] Team USA finished in 7th place. Keller registered two goals and two assists in 8 games.

Records

• Arizona/Phoenix Coyotes rookie points record - 65[29]
• Arizona/Phoenix Coyotes record for fewest games needed to reach 100 career points - 132 games[30]

Personal life

Keller was raised in Swansea, Illinois, an eastern suburb of St. Louis.[31] He was born to Bryan, a certified public accountant, and Kelley Keller. Keller's younger brother Jake also plays hockey.[32]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

				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
NHL totals				237	54	104	158	76		9	4	3	7	0

International

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
Junior totals					27	17	30	47	8
Senior totals					16	7	4	11	2

Awards and honors

Award	Year	Cite
College
HE All-Rookie Team	2017	[33]
HE Rookie of the Year	2017	[34]
HE Second All-Star Team	2017	[35]
NHL
NHL Rookie of the Month October, March	2018	[36][16]
NHL All-Star Game	2019
International
IIHF World U18 Championships All-Star Team	2016
IIHF World U18 Championships Most Valuable Player	2016	[37]
IIHF World U20 Championships All-Star Team	2017	[38]

References

1. "Coyotes Select Keller 7th Overall at 2016 NHL Entry Draft". nhl.com. June 25, 2016. Retrieved March 30, 2017.
2. "Pee-Wee players who have reached NHL or WHA" (PDF). Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament. 2018. Retrieved January 2, 2019.
3. "Jack Hughes breaks NTDP points record, Cole Caufield breaks goals record". mihockey.com. March 15, 2019. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
4. "All-Time Records". usahockeyntdp.com. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
5. "BOSTON UNIVERSITY'S CLAYTON KELLER IS 2017 TIM TAYLOR NATIONAL ROOKIE OF THE YEAR". Hockey Commissioners Association. April 7, 2017.
6. "Five St. Louis Hockey Players Drafted in NHL's First Round". FOX2now.com. June 25, 2016. Retrieved January 6, 2020.
7. Vest, Dave (March 26, 2017). "Keller Scores Goal, But BU Exits NCAA Tournament". nhl.com. Retrieved March 28, 2017.
8. "Coyotes Sign Keller to Entry-Level Contract". nhl.com. March 26, 2017. Retrieved March 28, 2017.
9. "Coyotes Sign Clayton Keller". SB Nation College Hockey. March 26, 2017. Retrieved March 26, 2017.
10. Vest, Dave (March 28, 2017). "'Yotes Notes: Keller Makes NHL Debut in Hometown". nhl.com. Retrieved March 28, 2017.
11. "Keller earns first NHL point on assist". foxsports.com. March 30, 2017. Retrieved March 30, 2017.
12. Vest, Dave (March 30, 2017). "'Yotes Notes: Keller Notches First NHL Point". nhl.com. Retrieved March 30, 2017.
13. "Keller named NHL's top rookie in October". NHL.com. November 1, 2017.
14. "Coyotes Clayton Keller NHL rookie of the month". Belleville News-Democrat. November 1, 2017.
15. Yerdon, Joe (March 21, 2018). "Keller sets Coyotes rookie records in win against Sabres". NHL.com. Retrieved March 21, 2018.
16. "Keller Named NHL Rookie of the Month for March". NHL.com. April 1, 2018. Retrieved April 1, 2018.
17. "Coyotes Announce 2017-18 Award Winners". NHL.com. April 7, 2018. Retrieved April 27, 2018.
18. Morin, Richard (April 10, 2018). "Arizona Coyotes rookie Clayton Keller has captained the team's youth movement". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved April 27, 2018.
19. "Calder Trophy finalists unveiled". NHL.com. April 22, 2018. Retrieved April 23, 2018.
20. "Coyotes Sign Keller To Eight-Year Contract Extension". Arizona Coyotes. Retrieved September 4, 2019.
21. @PR_NHL (December 22, 2019). "Clayton Keller is the first player in @ArizonaCoyotes team history to register four games with at least three points prior to his 22nd birthday" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
22. Criddle, Dean (January 3, 2020). "Swansea's Clayton Keller could be an NHL All-Star in St. Louis. But he needs your help". bnd.com. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
23. "Coyotes' Clayton Keller, Conor Garland to team up in NHL 20 series". arizonasports.com. Arizona Sports. May 5, 2020. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
24. "Nov 2014 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge". hockeycanada.ca. November 2, 2014. Retrieved March 31, 2017.
25. Aykroyd, Lucas (April 24, 2016). "Keller named MVP". iihf.com. Archived from the original on October 18, 2016. Retrieved March 30, 2017.
26. "Team USA Wins Gold at World Juniors In Epic Fashion". usahockey.com. January 5, 2017. Retrieved March 30, 2017.
27. Aykroyd, Lucas (January 6, 2017). "Chabot named MVP". iihf.com. Archived from the original on January 6, 2017. Retrieved March 30, 2017.
28. "First 17 players named to 2019 U.S. Men's national team". USA Hockey. April 19, 2019. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
29. "Clayton Keller breaks Coyotes rookie points record in win over Sabres". March 22, 2018.
30. "Clayton Keller breaks Arizona Coyotes record previously set by Max Domi". January 20, 2019.
31. Timmermann, Tom. "Swansea native Clayton Keller off to fast start with Coyotes". stltoday.com. Retrieved January 6, 2020.
32. Benjamin, Amalie (December 20, 2017). "Keller packing big game into small frame for Coyotes". NHL.com. Retrieved December 26, 2018.
33. Sarah Hall (March 26, 2017). "Clayton Keller signs Entry Level Contract with the Coyotes". Five For Howling.
34. "BOSTON UNIVERSITY'S CLAYTON KELLER IS 2017 TIM TAYLOR NATIONAL ROOKIE OF THE YEAR". Hockey Commissioners Association. April 7, 2017.
35. Mark Brown (March 27, 2017). "Coyotes Look For Keller to Develop". Hockey Wrtiters.
36. "Keller on Rookie of the Month". NHL.com. November 2, 2017.
37. "Keller named MVP". u18worlds2016.iihf.com. April 24, 2016. Archived from the original on October 18, 2016. Retrieved March 30, 2017.
38. "5 Things learned from Day 1 of World Juniors". NHL.com. December 26, 2016.

External links

• Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database