Keller hints at future Utah name, thinking playoffs in first year
Published
In the move from Arizona to Salt Lake City in the off-season, the Utah Hockey Club decided to forego having a name in its inaugural season.
However, Utah forward Clayton Keller dropped a hint of what it could be, starting in 2025-26, at the NHL North American Players Media Tour on Wednesday.
“It sounds like it’s going to be the Yeti, but I don’t know,” Keller told NHL.com. “We’ll see what happens. Whatever they choose, I think it’ll be a good one.
“It’s just part of the excitement of being part of something new.”
Taken seventh overall by the Arizona Coyotes in 2016, Keller is heading into his eighth NHL season and it will the first time he is not opening camp in the desert. He feels the nerves of starting a new season in a different place but excited at the new opportunity in Utah.
“You’re excited to be with the guys again,” Keller said. “You’re excited to compete again. And now, with this situation, going into a new situation, a new fan base, things like that, I think it’s super exciting.”
Keller saw his new hockey home for the first time on April 24, five days after the franchise was awarded. The former Coyotes players and management were greeted with more than 12,000 fans at the Delta Center.
The 26-year-old visited the city a couple times over the summer but is now there full time with training camp set to open next week.
“I’ve been there for a couple of weeks now and the living seems super easy and convenient,” he said. “Everything seems close. We all live within 10 minutes of each other.
“I really think it’s going to be an easy transition for sure.”
Playoffs on Keller's mind
One thing Keller hopes to see change in Utah is success on the ice.
In his first eight seasons, Keller has played in the postseason just once, back in 2019-20 when the Coyotes beat the Nashville Predators in a five-game series in the qualifying round established during the NHL’s bubble playoffs at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Coyotes lost in the first round to the Colorado Avalanche and haven’t been back since.
Keller had 33 goals and 76 points in 78 games last season as the Coyotes finished seventh in the Central Division for the second year in a row.
However, he will have some more help this season as Utah made a pair of trades to solidify its blueline, bringing in two-time Stanley Cup champion Mikhail Sergachev from Tampa Bay and 27-year-old defenceman John Marino from the New Jersey Devils.
“Our core guys have developed, a good coach in the locker room,” Keller said. “We have a lot of young players who are coming in and are ready to take that next step. We’ve done a good job of helping them and guiding them in the right direction. And adding guys like Marino and Sergachev who have had playoff success is really going to help.
“The playoffs are definitely on our minds for sure.”