Clayton Keller has been growing into his role as captain of Utah Hockey Club.
It has not been without its struggles. The 26-year-old has pushed Utah through winless droughts at the beginning of the season while battling his own search for scoring.
On Tuesday, though, Keller played true to the “C” on his chest, scoring twice in a 5-4 shootout loss to the top-of-division Minnesota Wild at Delta Center.
The two power-play goals from the forward put Utah back in the fight, tying the game 3-3 in the third period before Juuso Välimäki scored and the Wild eventually forced overtime. Despite the loss, Keller’s special-teams performance lifted his squad as it continued to play competitive hockey against high-class competition.
“That’s something that our power play has looked for — to come up in those big moments,” Välimäki said. “[Keller] is our leader and obviously a great hockey player. That’s what he can do and I’m happy he was able to get us back in. That’s what he does the best.”
Keller leads Utah with 26 points (nine goals, 17 assists) while skating on the first line and first power-play unit. He carries big responsibility — and personal pressure — for a Utah team pushing to turn a corner this season. He has sizable expectations for his group, too.
(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Hockey Club center Clayton Keller (9) brings the puck down the ice during the game at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Monday, Dec. 2, 2024.
“I feel like I’ve been trying to learn as much as I can every day,” Keller said of his first year as captain. “I’m not going to change who I am. I am just going to try to be the best captain I can be in order to help this team win hockey games and get in the playoffs.”
After scoring one goal through all of November, Keller’s recent production and confidence have seemed like a microcosm of his team’s play. It could, too, be a bit of redemption for Keller, who was left off of the United States’ roster for the 4 Nations Face-Off in February.
“That’s a team that everyone wants to be a part of,” Keller said. “When you’re not selected, you look yourself in the mirror and you go to work the next day with a little extra jump. It’s maybe down the road the right thing for you at the time.”
Either way, Keller has continued to keep Utah in games. That was evident in the team’s push against the Wild after a weaker opening 40 minutes.
“I thought we got better as the game went on,” Keller said. “It was a little sloppy early. Proud of the guys, the way we fought back.”
Utah started with the lead despite Minnesota controlling the beginning of the matchup. Kevin Stenlund extended his scoring streak to three games with the help of linemate Michael Carcone. The give-and-go play ended with Stenlund unleashing a one-timer from the high slot for a 1-0 Utah lead at 13:46 of the first period.
With the assist on the play, Carcone now has four points in his last five games — a span in which the fourth line of him, Stenlund and Kerfoot has exploded with nightly contributions for Utah on the scoresheet.
Minnesota Wild center Marat Khusnutdinov, center, scores against Utah Hockey Club goaltender Karel Vejmelka (70) during the second period of an NHL hockey game Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
“It means a lot right now,” head coach André Tourigny said of the trio. “They played really well, bring a lot of momentum to our team and they play good minutes against heavy lines.”
Utah allowed the Wild to tie things in the second period. Michael Kesselring headed to the bench to shift as Minnesota gained possession and dashed into transition the other way. A defenseman behind, Utah could not catch Marat Khusnutdinov on the breakaway. The forward’s snapshot made it 1-1 at 14:25.
The Wild earned a 2-1 advantage off another broken play from Utah. This time, it was a turnover in the neutral zone after Kirill Kaprizov picked up Nick Schmaltz’s intended pass to Olli Määttä, took it straight to the net and wristed it past Karel Vejmelka at 15:01.
Keller found the 2-2 equalizer for his team on the power play with a snipe from the right circle at 4:42 of the third period, but another Utah miscue let the Wild regain their lead with a goal from Marcus Johansson at 5:39.
Both Keller and Välimäki scored to pull Utah ahead 4-3 with less than 10 minutes to play in regulation, but Marco Rossi knotted the contest 4-4 at 19:16 to force overtime in which neither team was successful. Utah ultimately lost in the franchise’s first-ever shootout.
“The biggest positive for sure was I didn’t think we had our execution the first 40 minutes. A little bit chasing the game,” said Välimäki who has two goals in the last two games. “But the way that we came out in the third period, I thought that was good from our end. We’re playing good hockey.”
Utah is back on the road to play the Colorado Avalanche and San Jose Sharks before returning to Delta Center. The team will look to get the same production from its captain as he becomes more and more comfortable taking on the captaincy.
“I thought those two [goals] were really clutch at a key moment. I like the way he competes,” Tourigny said of Keller. “His game really is taking off — the way he competes, works from the inside, on both sides of the puck.”
