Clayton Keller made his way up to the stage.
The Arizona Coyotes had just selected him seventh overall in the 2016 NHL Draft at the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York.
The pick before him was Matthew Tkachuk, then came Logan Brown at 11th overall, Luke Kunin at 15th overall and Trent Frederic at 29th overall. Out of the 12 American players selected in the first round of the 2016 draft, five of them were brought up through the St. Louis youth hockey system.
It was a distinct shift in where the league’s next stars were coming from.
“It was super special to be with those guys,” Keller said. “We still keep in touch today. To share that moment with them is something I’ll never forget.”
Keller was part of a growing youth hockey movement in the St. Louis area, fueled by the support of former NHL players like Keith Tkachuk, Jeff Brown and Al MacInnis. On Thursday, Keller returned to St. Louis as the captain of a Utah Hockey Club team that hopes to build a similar culture in its own city for its young fans.
“It means everything to me. I love playing [in St. Louis]. Every time I go back it’s really special,” Keller said. “... So anything we can do in the community to make kids excited for hockey and want to play hockey — that’s definitely a work in progress, but everyone is super excited for it.”
No one in the Keller family played hockey before Clayton. After going to a friend’s skating birthday party as a kid, Keller was hooked. His parents would take him to the local high school hockey games, and Keller played in smaller youth programs around his hometown of Chesterfield, Missouri.
Then he moved to the St. Louis AAA Blues, an organization that runs teams for players ages 9-18.
Keller and his AAA Blues teammates had the guidance of NHL talent to help shape their careers. Keith Tkachuk — a favorite St. Louis Blues player of Keller’s growing up — was one of those people. Tkachuk had a 19-year NHL run, including five seasons with the Phoenix Coyotes and nine with the Blues. He decided to stay in St. Louis and help build the next generation of hockey players.
“We just tried to help out a little bit, but ultimately it was the kids. The kids loved to play hockey and wanted to play. You had to make it enjoyable for them, but also push them a little bit,” Tkachuk said.
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Hockey Club player Clayton Keller, answers questions during media day at the Delta Center, on Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024.
Keller eventually went on to play at Shattuck St. Mary’s, the United States National Team Development Program and Boston University before making his debut in the league, but his gritty, determined mentality was clear from his days with the AAA Blues. Tkachuk remembers Keller playing up a year with his son Matthew.
“He wasn’t going to take a backseat to anybody. He put the work in, that’s the bottom line. He just continued to get better and better,” Tkachuk said. “It’s just his drive that gets him to the next level because no one’s going to tell him he can’t do it. He’ll go out and do it.”
(Jeff Roberson | AP) St. Louis Blues' Keith Tkachuk skates around the ice with two of his children, Taryn, 7, and Braeden, 10, right, during a ceremony following an NHL hockey game against the Anaheim Ducks Friday, April 9, 2010, in St. Louis. Tkachuk went on to mentor a number of future NHL stars, including Utah's Clayton Keller.
Beyond the on-ice instruction, Keller was able to look up to the St. Louis Blues players as a mark of where he one day wanted to get to. His dad’s company had tickets to Blues games that they would split up, allowing Keller to see the NHL up close.
“Every chance that I could go, I would go with my grandpa or my dad,” Keller said. “I remember those memories really well.”
Tkachuk watched as the players in the AAA Blues program went from kids with a hobby to young men with a passion to professionals with a career. While the rest of the hockey world may have been surprised by the influx of St. Louis selections at the 2016 draft, all Tkachuk felt was pride.
“I think a lot of people outside of St. Louis were probably like, ‘Are you kidding me? What’s going on in St. Louis there?’” Tkachuk said.
“I think around the United States you’re seeing players come from everywhere, not just the typical Massachusetts, Michigan and Minnesota. Especially in St. Louis, it’s a smaller group of players to choose from, but there’s a lot of people that put a lot of work in — especially the kids.”
Winning helped St. Louis become a recognized hockey city, too. The Blues hoisted the Stanley Cup in 2019 with the help of now Utah defenseman Robert Bortuzzo and general manager Bill Armstrong who served as assistant general manager and director of amateur scouting for St. Louis at the time.
Utah Hockey Club now has the unique opportunity to grow the game at all ages and become not just an NHL market, but a youth hockey one as well. The Los Angeles Kings’ Trevor Lewis is currently the only active NHL player who was born in Utah — the Hockey Club eventually wants to change that.
Arizona Coyotes' Clayton Keller (9) celebrates after scoring with less than a second left during the third period of to tie an NHL hockey game against the St. Louis Blues Monday, Feb. 8, 2021, in St. Louis. The Coyotes won in a shootout. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
In October, Utah Hockey Club announced the beginning stages of its statewide youth hockey initiatives. This season will include Hockey 101 events, street hockey leagues, learn-to-play and hockey PE programs.
Utah gear, a stick, ball, and a ticket to a home game will be provided for street hockey clinic participants. The learn-to-play program — which is set to start in early 2025 — will span six to eight weeks and include a full set of gear and on-ice instruction. All of Utah’s youth initiatives will include both co-ed and girls-only options.
“We have a young team. They’re not that far removed from their youth hockey days, so they understand the impact of having role models and mentors, people providing that example and inspiration to get these kids to choose hockey over the other sports,” said Utah team president Chris Armstrong.
Utah’s biggest goal in the short run is to give kids the chance to play hockey in some shape or form. This will become easier next season when the team’s practice facility at Southtown opens — those rinks will be available for community programs to use.
“We know access to ice here in Utah is a premium. We hope to help contribute to more supply of ice sheets across the state,” Armstrong said.
As the first-ever captain of Utah Hockey Club, Keller will be one of the players young Utahns dream of becoming. It is a responsibility he does not take lightly; Keller is a product of local investment in youth hockey.
“I looked up to all the Blues players growing up,” Keller said. “We’re going to do everything we can to help grow the game here.”
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