- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 400,249
- Reaction score
- 43
You must be registered for see images attach
Utah Hockey Club center Clayton Keller (9) celebrates after scoring a goal during an NHL game against the Tampa Bay Lightning at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, March 22, 2025. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News
Prior to the 2024-25 NHL season, Clayton Keller hadn’t worn a “C” on his chest since he was a child — 10 years old, by his estimate.
He became the youngest captain of a first-year expansion franchise since1979 and the fourth-youngest of all time.
The weight of the captaincy is much heavier than the ounce or two that the little fabric “C” adds to the player’s jersey. There’s a laundry list of responsibilities in addition to the already-high expectations that come with being one of the best players on the team.
“I think he’s a great leader,” said Oliver Ekman-Larsson, who captained Keller for three seasons in Arizona. “I think he can be vocal when he has to be. ... He’s a really good guy and a really good hockey player.”
“When he first got into the league, he was always the first guy on the ice and the last off the ice,” Ekman-Larsson continued. “That says a lot about him.”
Keller’s workhorse mindset comes from advice his dad used to give him: “Play every shift like it’s your last.” It’s that mentality that has him tied with Sidney Crosby for 11th in league-wide scoring this season.
He’s on pace to set a new career high in points, living up to the mantra head coach André Tourigny introduced at the press conference when they named Keller captain: “We want to be obsessed by improvement.”
“I like his drive, I like his passion, I like how much he cares for his teammates,” Tourigny said in a late-March interview. “I like the fact he wants to be a difference maker. I like the fact he wants to be better at everything — not just offensively, (but) defensively, physically, battles, everything.”
What does a captain do in the NHL?
Based on his 15-year career playing junior and professional hockey, general manager Bill Armstrong described a “good captain” at a press conference prior to the season.
“The definition, for me, of a good captain is leading for the good of the team, not yourself,” he said. “That’s the biggest thing for me. It has to be the driving factor inside the captain’s mind.”
Among many other things, the captain serves as a liaison between the players and the coaches to do exactly that. When the players feel strongly about changes that need to be made, the captain reasons with the bosses to try to make them happen.
At the same time, he helps the players understand where the coaches are coming from with certain decisions.
“We’ll have discussions about certain things,” Keller said of his relationship with Tourigny. “We had a good relationship before, so we chat. Every time we’re at the rink, whether it be about hockey, travel, you name it. He’s a great guy to work with and communicate with.”
Tourigny agreed.
“He’s a guy who’s fun to work with because he has that drive of wanting to be better, and I think it’s contagious in our team,” Tourigny said.
The captain, along with his alternates, is also responsible for things such as petitioning the officials for calls and answering to the fans through the media after tough losses.
A group effort
Though the letter on Keller’s chest draws more attention to him than anyone else, Utah HC leans on a group of veterans to lead the team.
Lawson Crouse sports an “A” on his jersey every game, while the third letter rotates between Mikhail Sergachev, Alexander Kerfoot and Nick Schmaltz. Other veterans also provide valuable input when necessary, regardless of their designated statuses.
Keller appreciates the support.
“If there’s something (Tourigny) wants to talk about, it’s not just always me,” he said.
Clayton Keller’s leadership style
When talking to Keller, it’s immediately apparent that he’s not the most outspoken person. His leadership style revolves less around words and more around action.
“He’s so competitive that it’s contagious,” Crouse said in a December interview. “He wants to win, he wants the team to win. He wants everyone to be playing their best. When you have that out of your leader, it’s easy to get behind and follow. It really pushes guys to be the best each and every day.”
“I’m not going to change the person I am just because I’m the captain,” Keller said. “I’m here for a reason and that’s who I’m going to be.”
That said, he has tried to improve his communication.
“I’ve been a lot more vocal on the bench during games than I was before, so I think that’s a step in the right direction,” he said.
And no matter what he does, it’s always with the goal of continual improvement.
“Being the captain means so much to me, and I hold myself to a super high standard and do everything I can to get better each and every day,” Keller said. “If I’m doing that, everyone draws in together.”
You must be registered for see images attach
Utah Hockey Club centers Logan Cooley (92) and Clayton Keller (9) both talk during a game against the Minnesota Wild at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025. | Brice Tucker, Deseret News
Continue reading...
