The Utah Hockey Membership has anointed Clayton Keller as the primary captain in franchise historical past, the workforce announced Friday.
It’s a becoming honor for the workforce’s first star. However relationship again to this roster’s time in Arizona because the Coyotes, it’s been Keller’s workforce ever since former captain Oliver Ekman-Larsson was traded to the Canucks within the 2021 offseason. The 2016 seventh-overall choose has damaged out as an simple first-line risk since then, averaging simply shy of some extent per recreation over the past three seasons.
The 26-year-old winger took a career-high 228 photographs on objective final season whereas averaging 19:15 per recreation, scoring 33 instances and including 43 assists for 76 factors in 78 contests. It was the second time Keller hit the 30-goal mark in as a few years.
He’ll be the focus of Utah’s offense in Yr One, nevertheless it’ll now not relaxation totally on his shoulders. The work that normal supervisor Bill Armstrong did to assemble a roster rebuild in Arizona ought to begin coming to fruition this season in Salt Lake Metropolis. Names like Josh Doan and Dylan Guenther are slated to be full-time NHLers for the primary time, and 2022 third-overall choose Logan Cooley is primed for a step ahead after hitting 20 objectives and 44 factors in his rookie season.
Keller exceeded the point-per-game mark as soon as throughout his 86-point exhibiting in all 82 appearances in 2022-23. Utah will possible be within the wild-card combine for an excellent lengthy whereas this season with John Marino and Mikhail Sergachev now in tow on the again finish, but when they’re set to carry postseason hockey to Salt Lake Metropolis in 2025, they’ll possible want new career-highs from their new captain.
