2025-26 Utah Mammoth Report Cards: Clayton Keller – Hockey Writers – Utah Mammoth

The Utah Mammoth’s 2025-26 season is officially over. The team finished with a 43-33-6 record, good enough for the first wild card spot in the Western Conference. Despite a strong streak, the Mammoth lost to the Vegas Golden Knights in Round 1 in six games. Meanwhile, their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Tucson Roadrunners, finished with a 34-28-10 record, placing seventh in the Pacific Division, outside of the playoffs.

With the season in the books, it’s time to take a look at the 49 players under contract in the NHL and rate their 2025-26 season. Over the course of this summer, we’ll take a look at their season, their future, and give them the perfect grade. We go alphabetically by first name. Next up is Clayton Keller.

Player information

Age: 27

NHL stats for 2025-26: 26 goals, 62 assists, 88 points in 82 games

Postseason stats for 2025-26: One goal, four assists, five points in six games

Early Achievements: First round pick (seventh overall) in 2016 by the Arizona Coyotes

Contract Status: In the sixth year of an eight-year contract with an average annual value of $7.15 million (AAV). Unrestricted free agent (UFA) in 2028

Season overview

Coming off a career-high 90-point season and winning gold with Team USA at the World Championship, the goal was easy for Keller. Help lead the Mammoths to their first playoff appearance. Keller had only gotten to play hockey once, and that was in the 2019-20 season, a season in which the Coyotes would not have made the playoffs if the NHL used a regular playoff format.

In only his second season as captain, and with no previous experience of playing those tough games on the ground, it was easier said than done. It’s been a slow start to the season for Keller as well, as he’s produced just one point in his first four games.

However, that did not last long. Keller produced four points in the game against the San Jose Sharks. It started four games in which the forward collected 11 points. While Keller had just two points in his next seven games, the streak didn’t last long as the calendar turned to November.

In November, Keller produced nine points in 16 games. However, the big story came at the end of the month. A few days before the Mammoth vs. Dallas Stars game, his father, Bryan, died suddenly in his sleep. Bryan was a big part of Keller’s hockey career and obviously a part of his life. Despite this painful cruelty, the Mammoth captain chose to play in the game with the Stars and in the next game in his hometown of St. It was a true show of how much he cares about his team, but it also showed how people who care about the striker came to support him.

“Sometimes I needed other people more than they needed me,” Keller said. “I needed my mother, my brother, my mental coach, my grandmother. Those are the people I depended on when times were very difficult. In the end, that helps me to be a strong person, no matter if someone is in the same situation or no matter what, who faces something else.”

Keller endured his loss. He produced 12 points in 14 games in December. In early January, after a four-point game against the New York Islanders, he was named to Team USA’s Olympic team, his first Olympic nod. Keller followed that up with 14 points in his next 14 games to finish January, including an overtime winner against the Philadelphia Flyers.

KELLER ENDS THE UTAH QUESTION! 🦣

Mammoth storm back to win the game courtesy of Clayton Keller’s Subway Canada OT winner! pic.twitter.com/0etscuOJ3v

– Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) January 22, 2026

In two games in February before the Olympic break, Keller produced four points before flying to Milano Cortina. In the Olympics, he played only four games, producing zero points. However, Team USA went on to capture the gold, giving Keller her second gold medal in a year.

When the Mammoth captain returned to Salt Lake City, he played his best hockey of the season. On a line with Lawson Crouse and Nick Schmaltz, Keller produced 34 points in the final 25 games of the season. That included scoring a hat trick against the Vancouver Canucks, an overtime winner against the Edmonton Oilers, and finishing the season with 10 points, one of which produced 20 points.

Keller guided the Mammoths to a respectable 43-33-6 record in his second season as captain, earning the first wild card spot in the Western Conference, fulfilling the team’s goal of making the playoffs. He was also nominated for the Bill Masterton Trophy after everything he went through during the season. Keller finished the season with 88 points, once again leading the Mammoth in scoring. He also led the team in assists with 62, a career high for him.

Similar to the regular season, Keller got off to a slow start in the playoffs as he and the top line struggled in the first two games. Returning to Utah with the series tied, the forward helped Dylan Guenther and Crouse’s goals produce his first two points in the playoffs. In Game 4, Keller completed the Mammoth’s four-goal comeback by scoring his first goal of the postseason.

Despite a late comeback, the Golden Knights won Game 4 in overtime and won the next two games to end the Mammoth’s season in six games. Keller finished the postseason tied for the team lead with five points. He was tied for second with four assists.

For Keller, even though it’s his ninth full season in the NHL, it’s been a season full of growth and learning. He took a big step in leadership as a captain, learning to lead through adversity and leaning on his locker room, one filled with other great leaders and voices in the organization.

“I think I definitely took a big step,” Keller said. “Obviously I’ve been through a lot this year, and there were times when I needed my teammates to really help me in that role, and they did. That speaks volumes for the type of players and people that are far from the ranks that we have. It was a good step in the right direction in terms of leadership, and now I’m doing everything I can to keep getting better.”

It’s not just on the ice during games and practices that Keller focuses on developing as a player, leader, and person. Off the ice, he was always trying to find things to improve on, whether it was after games or the next morning. Even after having a 90-point season in the NHL and a 60-plus assist season this past year, Keller just wants to get better in any way he can to continue to help the Mammoth get better.

“Nobody’s tougher than me,” Keller said. “I’m always looking back on things that I’ve done, at night after games, the next day, just trying to make sure I’m doing everything I can to be a good leader and a good person. I’m worried about my game, and I think I’ve done a good job balancing all that. You’re the captain for a reason, and it’s not like I’ve changed who I am.”

The future

Keller now has two seasons left to become a free agent. While that is still a long way off and not something to worry about, it is very impressive to see where Keller was when he signed his eight-year contract and where he is now.

When Keller signed before the 2019-20 season, he was 21 years old, just two seasons removed from college on a rebuilding Coyotes team. Six seasons later, he has three 80-plus point seasons, a World Championship gold medalist, an Olympic gold medalist, two postseason appearances under his belt, and is the captain of the Mammoths. Maybe some saw all that coming. Still, it’s been an impressive six seasons for Keller.

Moving forward, the future is very bright for Keller. Continue to produce by averaging 80-plus points and lead the Mammoth back to the playoffs, hopefully winning a round or two in the process. On last season’s report card it was said that Keller scored 100 points which was not true. Although he had two fewer points this season, that mark should still be in the discussion, especially if he is back on the line with Schmaltz and Crouse next season.

Overall Grade

An Olympic gold medal, 88 points, 62 assists, and a playoff appearance. All while dealing with major losses in his personal life, which earned him the nomination of Bill Masterton. It was an impressive season for Keller. One that tested him as a captain, a player, and a person. Still, with a strong determination to help his team and a supporting cast supporting him, Keller thrived and went on to become one of the best players in the Western Conference, if not the NHL.

Overall, Keller gets an A for his season. It was another regular season for him, leading the team in points again. He helped fulfill the Mammoth’s goal of bringing hockey last season to Utah and did so while playing more hockey than any other player on the team. It was another great season for Keller. There is no better way to say it.

With no world championships this summer, will Keller finally reach 100 points? Even if he doesn’t do that, it is expected to be another strong season for him, especially if the Mammoth end up putting together a top line this past season, which is where this player played his best hockey. 80-plus points and a playoff appearance are the norm now, one Keller can achieve again next season.