Clayton Keller will play for the Utah Mammoth against the Dallas Stars on Friday (8 p.m. ET; Utah16, Victory+), one day after his father, Bryan, unexpectedly died.
“Clayton wants to play, wants to be with the team,” Mammoth coach Andre Tourigny said Friday. “We want to say our condolences to all the family, Clayton, his mom, his brother. It’s a tough time for the family. We’ll support him by any way we can. … Clayton will play tonight, but all the organization is with him with all our heart. He’s been nothing but an unbelievable teammate and his family is unbelievable. We’re all with him.”
Keller, who was named captain of the Mammoth prior to last season, has 21 points (eight goals, 13 assists) in 24 games this season.
“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 and 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 had NHL career highs in assists (60) and points (90) in 81 games last season. The No. 7 pick by the Arizona Coyotes in the 2016 NHL Draft, Keller has 529 points (204 goals, 325 assists) in 625 regular-season games with the Mammoth and Arizona Coyotes and seven points (four goals, three assists) in nine Stanley Cup Playoff games.
“Put our heart out there, do everything we can to show our love to him and his family,” Tourigny said. “I think that’s what a team is, what a family is. You need to be there for each other, so we’ll be there for him.”
The Mammoth (12-9-3) enter Friday fourth in the Central Division.
NHL.com independent correspondent Taylor Baird contributed to this report
