Keller Looking Forward to Hometown Return, ‘It’s Always Special’

ST. LOUIS, Mo. -- A quick look at Clayton Keller’s career stats show that he feels right at home in St. Louis.

That makes perfect sense, considering he called it home long before setting foot in the desert.

Keller, who was born in Chesterfield, Mo., has a habit of playing well when the Coyotes face the St. Louis Blues. He’s visited the Gateway City 12 times in his NHL career – facing them a total of 24 – and has averaged a point-per-game over that span. The 25-year-old got his start in the Midwest, kicking off his hockey career with the St. Louis AAA Blues, where he was coached by former St. Louis defenseman Jeff Brown, as well as Blues and Coyotes great Keith Tkachuk.

Keller’s hockey career began in America’s heartland, and that eventually turned into a full circle moment when he made his NHL debut.

It all started in St. Louis.

“I grew up going to games there. I loved watching the Blues, and always cheered for them. They were my team,” Keller said. “I’ve played there quite a bit now, and every time I go there it’s still really special.”

His path to the NHL started in St. Louis before eventually taking him to the powerhouse Shattuck St. Mary’s program, where he put up a staggering 58 goals and 71 assists in 60 games played in the 14U AAA division. He later joined the US National Development Program – again opening eyes in all directions – before committing to Boston University for the 2016-17 season.

He recorded 21 goals and 24 assists with the Terriers before ultimately making his debut with the Coyotes – who drafted him seventh overall at the 2016 NHL Draft – and officially made his first NHL appearance in what was a poetic moment for the winger, suiting up for his very first game in St. Louis.

Though he went scoreless in his debut, that streak didn’t last long. He recorded an assist against them the very next game (in Arizona), and the three-time All-Star now averages a point-per-game against his hometown team.

He has three game-winning goals against them, to boot.

His trips back to his hometown also bring back important memories that he shared with his grandfather, Bill, who took him to so many practices and games when he was a child. Bill tragically passed away from cancer in 2015 – he never had the opportunity to see Keller play in the NHL.

Some of the memories he cherished most were with his grandfather at Blues games, where they routinely arrived early to ensure they’d catch warm-ups.

“I was always super excited to be there, so every time we’re there (with the Coyotes), it always has a little more meaning to it,” Keller said. “He was a huge part of my life, all the sacrifices that he made, and I’ve always been so thankful for everything that he did. It has a lot of meaning, and it was really special to have someone like that in my life.”

Tkachuk witnessed how talented Keller is from the moment he stepped on the ice with the AAA Blues – a team that had five players eventually drafted in the NHL’s first round (Keller, Logan Brown, Trent Frederic, Matthew Tkachuk, and Luke Kunin). 

He said both he and Brown “could just tell” that he was a gifted hockey player almost immediately.

That Keller turned his head speaks volumes, both then and now. The former Coyotes forward knows something about talent considering he holds the team’s single-season points record (86), which he set in the 1996-97 season (more on that later).

Tkachuk spent 10 years with the Jets/Coyotes franchise, and another nine with the Blues, and amassed 538 goals and 527 assists in 1,201 career games. He was the then-Phoenix Coyotes' captain from the 1996-97 season through 2000-01 until he was traded to the Blues in 2001.

“He was the most skilled guy on the ice,” Tkachuk said. “He was a year younger than most of these kids. We saw it firsthand, and it never changed after that. He just continued to get better and better every year, and it was amazing to see how far he’s come, he’s continued to have success, and continued to get better.”

That ascent through the ranks is something that has never dipped. Throughout the levels of Shattuck, the USNDP, and the NCAA, Keller continued to progress at a rapid rate, culminating in a 65-point output in his first NHL season. He was named to the All-Rookie team, and also finished as a runner-up for the Calder Trophy.

He then combined for 136 points over the next three seasons before breaking out in 2021-22, averaging nearly a point-per-game over 67 games. Then came March 30, 2022, when he experienced a devastating leg injury after sliding feet-first into the boards at a high rate of speed against the San Jose Sharks.

Keller broke his femur, starting a long and painful recovery process in the offseason that, despite all odds, ended with an 86-point output in the 2022-23 season after playing all 82 games.

That tied Tkachuk’s Coyotes points record and earned him a finalist nod for the Masterton Trophy at the 2023 NHL Awards.

“I was proud of him. I was hoping he would break the record last year,” Tkachuk said. “I have to give him a lot of credit for putting a lot of work in, working with the training staff, getting better and getting healthy, and getting confident enough to go out and have a year like he did last year.

“He’s a guy that’s going to be an offensive threat for a long time in this league. Especially coaching him, why wouldn’t you want someone who you coached at one time in St. Louis to break the Coyotes record? That would have been great.”

Keller remained modest about tying the record because he’s not big on individual achievements, but he’s always kept close some words of wisdom from Tkachuk, dating back to his days with the AAA Blues:

“He always told us to shoot low,” Keller said. “At that age, we all wanted to go bar-down every time. That was something that always stuck with me.”

It helped that the coaching was coming from hockey players that he both respected and admired.

“We had such a great team,” Keller said. “[Tkachuk] was still playing at least a couple of the years, so that was so cool to have him be out there with us. Then I’d go to the next Blues game, and he would be out there.

“That was so cool.”

Tkachuk said it’s sometimes hard to look at Keller as anything other than a kid, considering how his career started back in earnest along with his own two sons, Matthew and Brady. All three are in the midst of promising careers that continue to ascend.

Matthew is a two-time All-Star coming off consecutive 100+ point seasons, while Brady enjoyed a career-best 83-point season last year.

“They’ve known each other for so many years, they all root for each other, but they all want to beat each other when they play each other. It’s a great rivalry,” Keith said. “[Keller’s] a motivated kid, and he’s a kid that’s goal oriented, so you don’t worry about him straying away. That’s what I love about him.”

So what makes him so special in today’s NHL?

“He always wants the puck, he demands the puck, and the puck follows him,” Tkachuk said. “He likes to control, he’s like a quarterback out there. He’s very unselfish where he’s looking to make plays, and just because he’s lighter and smaller than guys, he outsmarts you.

“I think it’s amazing how much success he’s had just based on that: His brain, and how it allows him to beat guys.”

Keller said he’ll likely visit his grandma, some cousins, and a few old friends when he’s in town, but other than that, his old home has changed significantly since his first few trips back early in his career.

When he hits the ice on Thursday, though, some of those old feelings are likely to come rushing back, and his mind will go back to the days when he and his family would go to practice, or even the occasional Blues game.

Home is where the heart is, and a piece of Keller’s heart will always remain in St. Louis.

“I’m thankful that I had people in my life at such a young age because of all the sacrifices and that knowledge that they gave me that some other people didn’t get. Some never get,” he said. “It was awesome, and I’ll always be grateful for it.”