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Ian Cole and Clayton Keller of the Utah Hockey Club (Jess Starr/The Hockey Writers)

Utah Mammoth’s 2024-25 Report Cards: Clayton Keller

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers
By Chase Beardsley | Last updated May 26, 2025 9:45 AM ET

The inaugural season for the Utah Hockey Club (now the Utah Mammoth) is officially over. The team finished with a 38-31-13 record while their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Tucson Roadrunners, finished with a 34-32-4-2 record, which was good enough for the seventh playoff spot in the Pacific Division. The Roadrunners went on to lose in the first round of the playoffs 2-1 to the Abbotsford Canucks.

With the season in the books, it’s time to look at the 48 Utah players under an NHL contract (excluding Connor Ingram for obvious reasons) and grade their 2024-25 seasons. We’ll also reflect on how they did during the 2023-24 season and see if they improved or did worse, along with what their future holds. We’re going alphabetically by first name. Next up is Clayton Keller.

Last Season

After an impressive 86-point season, Keller was expected to take another step in his production during the 2023-24 season. At the beginning of the season, he did just that. He had eight points in his first seven games, four of which were goals.

Keller continued his dominance throughout the first half of the season, scoring 31 points in 36 games. He was named to the 2024 All-Star Game as the Arizona Coyotes’ lone representative at the event. It was his fourth All-Star selection and his third straight one as well.

After the All-Star Break, Keller had some good stretches of play, especially during late March and early April, where he had 18 points in 11 games. He concluded his season with 76 points in 78 games. While he had fewer points than the prior season, Keller was still nearly a point per game player. He also didn’t have his usual linemate, Barrett Hayton, for a good portion of the season.

Keller led the entire team in points, goals (33), and assists (43). It was his second straight season where he led the Coyotes in each offensive category.

This Season

Before the season started for Utah, Keller was named captain ahead of the team’s inaugural season. It had long been theorized that Keller, who was one of the longest tenured Coyotes before their move to Utah, would eventually be named captain. Finally, before his eighth full NHL season, he got the “C”.

“It was a bit of a learning process the whole year,” Keller said. “New city, new franchise, being named captain, it was a lot. I’m pretty happy with how I was able to handle it, being a captain and still taking care of business on the ice. I think it’s a step in the right direction. I’m only gonna continue to get better and focus on the things that I want to get better at.”

Like many players on Utah, Keller had a great start to his season, scoring six points in the team’s first three games, including three goals.

There was anticipation around Keller leading up to December that he would be named to Team USA for the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off. The expectation came with his consistent offensive production over the past couple of seasons, including the current 2024-25 campaign. However, come Dec. 4, Keller was surprisingly not on the roster, with general manager Bill Guerin opting to go with more experienced and veteran forwards like Brock Nelson and Chris Kreider.

After the snub, Keller went on a tear, scoring 35 points in 28 games. On Feb. 8, finalized rosters came out for the tournament, and despite his incredible production, he was held off the roster for good. Keller continued to produce, including nine points in the four games after the 4 Nations Face-Off. On top of that, five of those points were scored against Guerin’s Minnesota Wild.

KELLER ALL IN ON HIS OWN pic.twitter.com/efsZ3fHdC2
— Utah Mammoth (@utahhockeyclub) February 8, 2025

As Keller continued to produce, he continued to lead on the ice as well. If he got injured, as in Utah’s January game against the Winnipeg Jets, where he took a puck to the face, he would get back up and try to help his team win. When Utah lost brutally, Keller was honest about the loss and usually criticized his own play first. Looking forward to his future as the captain, the forward said he’ll continue to do anything he can to help the team win.

“I’m harder on myself than anyone,” Keller said. “I’m going to continue to grow and do everything I can to help this team win.”

Keller ended the season with 90 points in 81 games, which set a new career high for him. His 60 assists were also a new personal career high. His 30 goals were the most on Utah, making it the third straight season where he led his team in every offensive category.

However, once again, Keller’s team failed to make the playoffs. In his whole career, he’s only played in nine playoff games, all of which were in the 2020 Playoffs. His personal play is secondary to him. For him, it’s about winning and hopefully making the playoffs again.

Ian Cole and Clayton Keller of the Utah Hockey Club (Jess Starr/The Hockey Writers)

“What drives me is winning,” Keller said. “You want to be a player that’s impactful in the playoffs, in big situations when it matters the most. Until that happens, the rest is good, and I care tremendously about my game and things like that, but it’s not my main goal.”

The Future

Keller was named to Team USA for the 2025 World Championship after the season ended. During the tournament, he was named captain of Team USA and scored 10 points across 10 games. He eventually led his country to the gold medal game, where they beat Switzerland 1-0, capturing the United States’ first World Championship gold medal in 92 years.

As for Keller’s future, two things come to mind. The first obviously is his views on the Mammoth’s future. With the team being so close to the playoffs in 2025, the goal is to make it in 2026. The chemistry and performance, especially by the younger players during this past season, make Keller even more excited for the upcoming 2025-26 season.

“We all kind of got a little taste of it this year of how hard it is to win and how hard it is to be up there with the top teams every single night,” Keller said. “We were a young team this year, and those are the kind of stretches that you have to kind of go through to almost get over the hump. I’m super excited about our group. Our guys, our prospects, we just have a great mold and mix of guys that all love being around each other, and everyone’s like a family on our team.”

It’s great for the Mammoth organization that their best player believes in this group, especially after the numerous rebuilds Keller has been a part of throughout his career. It won’t be surprising if Keller finds another way next season to elevate his game to try to lead the Mammoth to the playoffs as he continues to grow year after year.

The second thing that comes to mind for Keller’s future is the 2026 Winter Olympics. It’ll be the first Olympics since 2014 where NHL players will be able to participate in the tournament. The 4 Nations Face-Off proved that the United States made a mistake with their viewpoint of taking veteran players over more skilled players. With Keller’s impressive 2024-25 season and his great World Championship performance as the country’s captain, it would be embarrassing for the United States to leave him off the roster again.

Final Grade

When Keller finally received the captaincy before the beginning of the season, it was thought that he had finally reached the peak of his career. With multiple impressive offensive seasons under his belt, there was no doubt that, despite the change of scenery, he would continue doing what he does best.

Keller not only continued leading the team offensively but elevated his game as well, reaching the 90-point plateau for the first time in his career. He did so while leading Utah as captain to the team’s best record during their current rebuild. It was an elite season for Keller and one that showed he is a star player in the NHL.

Overall, Keller is getting an A for this season. His offensive production, leadership, and willingness to do whatever it takes to win are irreplaceable and were on a different level throughout Utah’s inaugural season. He’s a player who makes everyone around him better, which is proven by some of his linemates’ impressive seasons.

As more rookies come into the Mammoth lineup, Keller will continue to be a player that those younger players can look up to. He’ll also more than likely be a main offensive contributor per usual while continuing to do whatever it takes to get the Mammoth into the playoffs. Looking forward to next season, hitting the 100-point mark wouldn’t be out of the question for Keller as he continues to improve year after year as a hockey player and a leader.