Clayton Keller, C/LW
Shoots: L	Height: 5-10	Weight: 170
Born: 1998-07-29	Hometown: Swansea, IL, USA	Drafted: 7th overall in 2016 to the Arizona Coyotes

 

 

 

 

 

 

Observations:

March 2018- After starting 2017-18 on fire and putting himself the front runner for the Calder Trophy, Keller's offensive production has since slowed, seeing him fall behind in the rookie of the year race. That's not to say Keller isn't a good player, he currently leads the Coyotes in pretty much every offensive catagory, including goals, tied for most assists, overall points and power play points. It just shows how good rookies like Mathew Barzal and Brock Boeser have been. With the Coyotes showing some life lately, 7-2-1 in their last 10 games, Keller with be a big part of the offence and is still a must add in all fantasy formats. Keith Duggan 

 

October 2017- The Coyotes have struggled so far this season, starting the campaign a league worst 0-9-1, the worst NHL start since 1943-44. One bright spot though has been the play of Keller. With seven goals and 11 points in 10 games, he's the leading rookie goal scorer and point producer. Keller's 38 shots on goal rank 16th among all NHL players. Also he's averaging 19:49 minutes per game, currently ranking 29th in the NHL among forwards. To show how impressive that stat is, Keller is averaging more playing time than NHL stars Stamkos (19:13), Tarasenko (19:31) and Jamie Benn (19:32). Don't wait, if he's still available in your fantasy leagues snatch him up now. Keith Duggan

 

October 2017- To what should be to no one's surprise, Keller has made the Coyotes opening night roster. He completed a very strong preseason that saw him finish tied for third in scoring with eight points. Keller is expected to begin the season on the first line playing with Derek Stepan and Max Domi. Keith Duggan

 

September 2017- Keller is having an excellent preseason with the Coyotes, leading the team in scoring with three goals and six points in three games. He's impressed new coach Rich Tocchet and looks to have a top six role with the team locked down, finding chemistry playing on the top line with center Derek Stepan and winger Max Domi. Keith Duggan

 

September 2017- A lot of excitement surrounds Keller as he enters his first rookie and training camps with the Coyotes. He's an early season favorite for the Calder Trophy heading into the 2017-18 and it would be shocking to see him not have a top six role in Arizona. "If I do what I do, I'm going to be fine," Keller recently said. He's consistently drawn comparisons to Blackhawks superstar Patrick Kane, and while that's a high bar to set, Keller has the skill, vision and creativity to live up to those expectations. He should be a top pick in keeper leagues but also a mid to late round pick in redraft leagues, Keller's that good. Keith Duggan

 

May 2017- Keller had an outstanding World Championship with Team USA, finishing with five goals and seven points in eight games for the Americans before they fell 2-0 to Finland in the quarterfinals. Three of those goals came in the preliminary-round game against Denmark as Keller scored off a rising shot from the right faceoff circle, a cut to the middle and then a lucky bounce off a defender's skate in front to complete his hat trick. He plans to relax for a few weeks before returning to Arizona to start his offseason training. He'll work with team personnel;getting faster and stronger are his objectives, and Keller also wants to focus on his on-ice skills like stickhandling. "I'm ready for the next step," Keller recently said, "and making an impact on every game." Keith Duggan

 

May 2017- Keller's didn't see a ton of ice time in his short NHL stint at end of the season, appearing in just three games and a healthy scratch in five with the Coyotes. But in those three games even with just an average of 12:45 of ice time he picked up two assists. Also his season isn't over yet as Keller will represent USA at the upcoming 2017 IIHF World Championship, where he's expected to play on a line with fellow Coyote Christian Dvorak. While it would have been nice to see the skilled Keller play more with the lowly Coyotes, this experience will help him going into next season where he is already a early 2017-18 Calder candidate. Keith Duggan  

 

March 2017- To no one's surprise, with BU's season coming to an end on Saturday losing to Minnesota Duluth in the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals, the Coyotes signed Keller to a three-year, entry-level deal on Sunday. He immediately joined the team, practicing with the Coyotes on Sunday afternoon and is expected to make his NHL debut playing against his hometown St. Louis Blues on Monday night. Also with Keller just 19 as of September 15th this year and with less 10 games left this season, he will not burn a year of his entry-level deal joining the Coyotes to finish the campaign. Keller had an outstanding season at BU, leading the team in points with 45 in 31 games as a freshman. He recorded at least one point in 28 of 31 games, tallied 14 multi-point games and finished tied for seventh in all of college hockey with a 1.45 points per game average. Keller was Hockey East Rookie of the Year, Hockey East All-Rookie Team and Hockey East Second All-Star Team. Keith Duggan

 

March 2017- Coyotes General Manager John Chayka recently came out saying he hopes to sign Keller as soon as his season at BU is over. "I think (Keller's) ready to take that next step for sure," Chayka told USA TODAY Sports. "He's been a dominant player at that level and the World Junior Championships. We think he's a special player who can make an impact on a team." Now the question is when will BU season's end? They play BC on March 17th in the Hockey East semifinals and if they win that game on to the finals the next day against the winner of UMass Lowell and Notre Dame. Beyond that the NCAA college hockey regionals are the weekend of March 24-26 and the Frozen Four is scheduled April 6-8 in Chicago. NHL season ends April 9th. In 28 games this season, Keller has 19 goals and 40 points, his 1.43 point per game eighth in college hockey, first among freshman. He's won three straight Hockey East's Pro Ambitions Rookie of the Month awards and been named by TSN hockey analyst Craig Button the top prospect outside the NHL while also The Hockey News best prospect in their recent Future Watch issue. Keith Duggan

 

January 2017- It was an outstanding World Junior Championship for Clayton Keller. He helped Team USA win gold by setting up the game-tying goal as the United States rallied from a two-goal, third period deficit to beat Canada in the final. Keller lead his team in points with 11 in seven games, one point behind tournament leaders Kirill Kaprizov and Alex Nylander. He was named one of Team USA's three best players of the Tournament and was named to the Media All-Star Team. Before heading back to BU, Keller gave an interview, hinting that he most likely will turn pro after this season. "I'm definitely going to focus on the rest of the year at BU and hopefully finish on a high note," Keller said. "I'll see where I'm at at the end of the year, but everyone wants to be in the NHL as fast as possible." Keith Duggan

 

December 2016- In his first game of the 2017 U20 World Junior Championship, Keller racked up two goals for USA against Latvia, helping his team to a 6-1 win. A big scorer for USA at the U18 tournament, Keller is expected to keep that going and it wouldn't be surprising to see him lead everyone in points at the end of the day. Despite missing some time last month with a lower body injury since returning to the BU lineup on December 9th, he's put up six points showing no rust in his game. Keith Duggan

 

November 2016- After helping Boston University men's ice hockey team take three out of four points in a weekend series with Northeastern, Clayton Keller has been named the Hockey East Pro Ambitions Rookie of the Week. He racked up two goals and two assists in the weekend series including a shorthand tally. This is the second Hockey East Rookie of the Week honor for Keller, who has nine points on the year, leading the team with five goals and four assists. Unfortunately in the second game of the weekend, he left in the third period with a knee injury. While the extent of it is not known yet, this could be a big blow to BU. Despite some pressure from OHL's Windsor General Manager Warren Rychel to leave college and join his team, Keller seems to be enjoying his time at BU, in what has been so far a dominating season. Keith Duggan

 

June 2016- The Arizona Coyotes surprised at the 2016 NHL draft by selecting the super skilled Clayton Keller seventh overall. Originally thought the Coyotes would take a defense prospect instead they went with the scoring juggernaut who turned heads in the United States Development Program. Committed to Boston University, Keller will play there for at least a season or two before turning pro. Keith Duggan

 

March 2016 – Clayton Keller is an offense first forward who uses his high end skating and excellent puck control to be a dangerous player in the offensive zone. With exceptional on-ice vision, Keller has the ability to make defenders look foolish on a nightly basis with shifty dangles, a lethal wrist shot, and deadly accurate passing. He has excellent situational awareness which enables him to also play a sound two-way game and be used in all situations, including on the penalty kill. Diminutive in stature but not shy in traffic, Keller will need to grow into his body and show that he can withstand a long season against larger forwards before he can cement a job in the NHL. – Aynsley Scott

Fantasy Outlook: A

While size is a concern, Keller has huge upside as a top line player in the NHL, drawing comparisons to Patrick Kane.

Footage:

Clayton Keller Highlights:

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Clayton Keller:

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