The Utah Mammoth are on the cusp of obtaining their first official playoff berth in franchise history. This season also marks six years since the Arizona Coyotes, now the Mammoth, last made the playoffs.
Clayton Keller is one of the select current Mammoth players to play for the Coyotes team that won a qualifying-round series against the Nashville Predators. They would later lose to the Colorado Avalanche in the first round.
Keller helped lead the Coyotes past the Predators by scoring a pivotal power play goal in Game 1 and assisting in many other goals to win the series. With the playoffs on the horizon, the Mammoth will need Keller to return to his scoring glory once again.
The Proof is in the Results
Throughout his career, Keller showed multiple times why he was drafted seventh overall in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft. His high-level play has cemetented him as a cornerstone piece in both the Utah and Arizona organizations. The forward is a four-time All-Star, Olympic Gold Medalist, and the all-time point scorer for the Mammoth. When Keller steps onto the ice, everyone feels his presence, especially his teammates.
The Mammoth are 18-2 this season in games where Keller scores. Last year, Keller set both a franchise and personal record of 90 points. When the captain scored in a game last season, the Mammoth went 18-6.
This phenomenon did not just happen exclusively in Utah. Back in 2020, the Coyotes punched their ticket to the playoffs, with Keller only accumulating 47 points. Though his scoring wasn’t as prevalent that season, when the forward did score, he gave the Coyotes a 83% chance of winning.
Clayton Keller’s Notable Games
Most recently, Keller scored his third career hat trick against the Vancouver Canucks on April 4, 2026. The Mammoth started slow, letting one of the worst teams in the league score an opening goal on them.
It took Keller lighting the lamp and tapping in a power play goal to finally ignite the team’s energy. It gave the Mammoth enough of a boost to help propel themselves to a crucial win.
Keller again ignited the team in an earlier game against the Dallas Stars on March 16, 2026. The Mammoth were coming off a four-game losing skid and looked like they would lose five in a row after an early Stars goal.
Keller decided it was time to set a precedent and, from a faraway spot, fired a circus shot that beat the goalkeeper to score the tying goal. After that, the Mammoth managed to rattle off five more goals to win 6-3.
The last game Keller made his mark was against the Philadelphia Flyers on Jan. 21. The captain put the team on his back in the waning seconds of the third period, scoring a last-second goal to propel the Mammoth into overtime.
Keller then proceeded to take his elite game to overtime and scored the game-winner, further etching his name into Utah sports history with a legendary game.
Lifting Others up
It’s not just the games the captain affects — it’s his teammates as well. When Keller scores, teammate Lawson Crouse is 35% more likely to score a goal, rather than the 20% chance he has when he scores alone. The same goes for running mate Nick Schmaltz.
If the captain scores, Schmaltz is 40% more likely to score a goal with him. A stark comparison when it’s only a 21% chance to score when Schmaltz goes it alone.
Keller Is the Hero the Mammoth Need
He wears the captain’s C for a reason, besides being with the franchise for years; Keller’s gameplay sets a precedent for those around him.
“I think he’s a great leader,” said former Coyote teammate Oliver Ekman-Larsson. “He was always the first guy on the ice and the last off the ice. That says a lot about him.”
Keller is among the most elite playmakers in the league. Last season, he was tied for the ninth-most assists in the league. But if the Mammoth are going to take the necessary step to win a playoff series, or even become a contender, Keller needs to score more. There’s too much evidence of his impact on each game for him not to do so.
If the captain can maintain his elite game, the Mammoth will be a formidable opponent in the Western Conference playoffs. They may even be formidable enough to win a series and bring glory back to a Utah sports fanbase that’s sat dormant for a long time.
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