Clayton Keller played for the Utah Mammoth in their 4-3 loss to the Dallas Stars at American Airlines Center in Dallas on Friday, one day after his father, Bryan, unexpectedly died.
The Utah forward and captain had five shots on goal in 18:07 of ice time. He was named the game’s First Star.
“It’s been an emotional 24 hours,” Utah forward Lawson Crouse said after the game. “Obviously, ‘Kells’ is our leader in a locker room, but also away from the rink. Thoughts and prayers go out to his mom, his brother, and Kells. He’s done an incredible job leading us and guiding us. I’ve been with him for 10-plus years now. … It’s hard news and we’re trying to all deal with it in the best way we can. Just trying to be there for him, support him, and give him the love and friendship that he needs.”
Before the game on Friday, Mammoth coach Andre Tourigny said, “Clayton wants to play, wants to be with the team. We want to say our condolences to all the family, Clayton, his mom, his brother. It’s a tough time for the family. We’ll support him by any way we can. … Clayton will play tonight, but all the organization is with him with all our heart. He’s been nothing but an unbelievable teammate and his family is unbelievable. We’re all with him.”
Keller, who was named captain of the Mammoth prior to last season, has 21 points (eight goals, 13 assists) in 25 games.
“He loves his teammates, and his teammates love him so much,” Tourigny said after the game against the Stars. “He drives our passion and our competitiveness every night. He’s the kind of guy that wants to be better every night. We cannot have a better example as a captain.”
The Mammoth (12-10-3), who are fourth in the Central Division, visit the St. Louis Blues on Saturday (8 p.m. ET; FDSNMW, Utah16). Keller is from the St. Louis area.
“I think the emotions are still going to be running,” Crouse said. “Obviously, it’s Kells’ hometown. We can use that energy and lift our group up. It’s a very sad time for everyone, but we’ve just got to do what we can here.”
Keller had NHL career highs in assists (60) and points (90) in 81 games last season. The No. 7 pick by the Arizona Coyotes in the 2016 NHL Draft, Keller has 529 points (204 goals, 325 assists) in 626 regular-season games with the Mammoth and Coyotes, and seven points (four goals, three assists) in nine Stanley Cup Playoff games.
“Put our heart out there, do everything we can to show our love to him and his family,” Tourigny said. “I think that’s what a team is, what a family is. You need to be there for each other, so we’ll be there for him.”
NHL.com independent correspondent Taylor Baird contributed to this report
