DALLAS – Clayton Keller, captain of the Utah Mammoth, played in the 4-3 loss to the Dallas Stars on Friday night, a day after the unexpected passing of his father. As a tribute, Keller was named the first star of the match. “He loves his teammates a lot and his teammates love him a lot,” said Mammoth coach Andre Tourigny. “He drives our passion and our competitiveness every night. He’s the type of person who wants to be better every night. We can’t have a better example of a captain.” Keller, 27, has played all 10 seasons of his career in the NHL with the Arizona-Utah franchise and was named captain before last season, when the club moved to Salt Lake City. The seventh pick of the 2016 draft and a four-time All-Star, he scored 30 goals in each of the last three seasons, including career highs last season with 60 assists and 90 points. In Friday’s match, he was the club’s second-highest scorer with 21 points, including eight goals.
Obviously, Kell is our leader in the locker room, but also off the track. He has done an incredible job leading and guiding us,” said Lawson Crouse, from Utah. “I’ve been with him for over 10 years. It’s really our turn to support him. It’s difficult news and we’re all trying to deal with it the best way we can.
Lawson Crouse, Utah player
I don’t know how the young man played, to be honest with you. Much credit to him. My heart is with him and his family.
Glen Gulutzan, Dallas coach
