Mammoth Captain Keller To Play After Father’s Death

DALLAS (AP) — Utah Mammoth captain Clayton Keller will play in Friday night’s game against the Dallas Stars following the unexpected death of his father the night before.

“Clayton wants to play and be with the team,” Mammoth coach Andre Tourigny said early Friday. “We want to express our condolences to the family, Clayton, his mom (Kelley), his brother (Jake). It’s a tough time for the family, and we will support him in any way we can. We and the family ask everyone to respect their privacy.”

Keller, 27, has played all 10 of his NHL seasons with the Arizona-Utah franchise and was named captain before last season when the club moved to Salt Lake City. The seventh overall pick in the 2016 draft and a four-time All-Star, he has been a 30-goal scorer each of the past three seasons, including career highs last season with 60 assists and 90 points. He entered Friday’s game second on the team with 21 points, including eight goals.

“There’s nothing really you can say or do in that moment but be there,” Tourigny said. “Big thing for us is to be there to support him. Loyalty is when people need you to be there; it’s not when you pick and choose. In this tough time, we want to make sure we show up for Keller and his family.”

Keller’s statistics reflect a successful career with 204 goals and 529 points in 625 career games. The Mammoth enter Friday’s game in fourth place in the Central Division with a record of 12-9-3.