SALT LAKE CITY — Clayton Keller, a prominent player for the Utah Hockey Club, reached a significant milestone over the weekend, becoming the second individual from Missouri and the fourth-youngest current United States player in the NHL to accumulate 500 regular-season points.
During Saturday night’s game against the top-ranked Winnipeg team, Keller played a pivotal role. In the first period, he scored a goal, followed by assisting on a power-play goal by teammate Barrett Hayton less than a minute into the second period. In return, Hayton assisted Keller on what marked Keller’s 26th goal of the season.
This achievement places Keller in an elite group alongside Hall of Famer Pat LaFontaine, as the only two Missouri natives to surpass the 500-point milestone. Among current U.S.-born players in the league, only Auston Matthews, Matthew Tkachuk, and Patrick Kane have reached this milestone at a younger age than Keller, who is 26 years and 250 days old.
Keller was the seventh overall pick in the 2016 draft when the team was based in Arizona and known as the Coyotes. His impressive performance on the ice makes him a strong contender for the U.S. Olympic team in 2026, especially after being overlooked for the 4 Nations Face-Off roster.