Clayton Keller #9 of the Utah Hockey Club skates against the Los Angeles Kings on September 23, 2024 at Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)
(Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah Hockey Club has named forward Clayton Keller the first captain in franchise history. This announcement was both completely obvious and surprising.
The surprise comes from the fact that with Arizona, GM Bill Armstrong hadn’t named a team captain since 2021, instead opting to go with three alternate captains. In an interview with Dan Rosen in 2023, Armstrong said, “I think all our guys that wear the A’s are captain material. I think the way that Bear has done it is he’s put in a sense that, you’re all leaders, you’re the leadership group, so let’s go from here. I think it’s unique, people say “where’s your captain?” Well do you have to have one? is there a written rule that we have to have one? Everybody knows who the actual leader is behind the scenes the players know that but I don’t know you necessarily have to have a captain to win it.”
According to the NHL rulebook, rule 6.1, “One Captain shall be appointed by each team, and he alone shall have the privilege of discussing with the Referee any questions relating to the interpretation of rules which may arise during the progress of a game. The Captain shall wear the letter “C”. No co-Captains are permitted. Either one Captain and two Alternate Captains or, no Captain and no more than three Alternate Captains are permitted.”
Simply put, on the ice, a captain is a liaison between the coaching staff and the refs. The alternates step up if the Captain is either not on the ice or is the one getting the penalty.
The Captain holds a vital leadership role for the entire organization off the ice. The Captain is the emotional and professional core of the team, motivating and leading players through training camp, close games, tough practices, bad calls, and high-pressure situations. In the locker room, the Captain and the alternates also keep morale up, create unity by organizing team functions, being an in-house therapist for the players to talk to, and helping the team stay focused.
Captains also do a lot of community involvement events. Teams look for maturity, work ethic, and natural leadership when choosing a captain.
And now for the completely obvious part of this announcement. If you’ve listened to GM Bill Armstrong talk about his rebuilding plan, you know he preaches not making rash decisions on current issues that might not fit the long-term plan. Giving someone else the C for a couple of years ago could have appeased some media and kept the social media warriors from cursing Armstrong, but Keller has always been the clear choice. He just needed a little bit more time to mature.
Keller is 26 years old and is entering his 8th season in the NHL. Taken with the 7th pick in the 2016 draft, Keller was an obvious choice to start a rebuild around.
Keller averaged more than a point a game in Juniors, College, and on the national stage with Team USA. In the NHL, he has 418 points in 520 games on a team that often wasn’t competitive. But being a captain isn’t about points but leadership, selflessness, and character. Those around Keller always knew he had the tools to be a captain in the NHL, but it was a scary, potentially career-ending injury that was pointed out as a pivotal moment in his development. His work ethic and determination to return to the lineup impressed everyone and was the test that propelled Keller from prospect to veteran leader.
Utah Puck Report asked GM Bill Armstrong what he expects out of a captain in the NHL and the difference between wearing an A or a C.
He replied, “The definition for me of a good captain is that you play for the good of the team and not yourself. That’sthat’s the biggest thing for me. It has to be a driving factor inside the Captain’s mind, like he has the thoughtfulness of his team, driving that team forward, and you know. I think that’s based upon playing with guys that were good or bad captains, so the difference between being a C and an A, it’s just a different role that you play, you know, you probably have a more one-on-one relationship with the coach maybe I shouldn’t speak for Bear, but that’s you know there’s a good impact on that. I think it’s you stand out in front, and you know there’s nowhere to hide I think when you have the C on.”.
Utah Puck Report is a podcast all about Utah hockey, from interviews with NHL stars to which Grizzlies players are about to take the next step, Utah Puck Report has everything for a Utah hockey fan. Find it wherever you find podcasts or on KSLSports.com. The show is hosted by Jay Stevens.
