The Utah Mammoth's hearts were heavy this week as Clayton Keller battled through the unfortunate loss of his father, Brian. Instead of taking some time off, Keller opted to stay with his teammates and family and get through it with them by his side. In a beautiful twist of fate, Keller and the Mammoth played against the captain's hometown team on Saturday night in his second game since the loss, and the Blues did a beautiful tribute by having a moment of silence pre-game.
Keller took the opportunity after the game to thank the organization. The Blues hold a special place in Keller's heart because of the time he spent watching games with his father and grandfather growing up.
POSTGAME
"First off, teammates, coaching staff, management, have been unbelievable towards me, my family. Big thanks to the Blues for everything they did tonight. They didn’t have to do that. Lots of memories at this rink. Growing up, coming to games here, sitting on my dad’s… pic.twitter.com/mXZbW88M80
— Utah Mammoth PR (@UtahMammoth_PR) November 30, 2025
The strength Keller is showing in playing through this unimaginable loss shows why he is the Mammoth's leader. Many times, players decide that continuing to play is what their lost loved one would've wanted, as we also saw last season when Mark Scheifele honored his father by playing in the playoffs.
Keller's earliest journey into the hockey spotlight was while playing with the St. Louis Jr. Blues. He traveled with the team to the Quebec International Pee-Wee Tournament in back-to-back years from 2009 to 2011, and was one of the tournament's top players, alongside then-teammate Matthew Tkachuk.
Clayton Keller moved on to Shattuck St. Mary's in Minnesota after playing with the Jr. Blues, and would never return to his home state to play. However, his ties to the city remain strong, and St. Louis still considers him one of its own.
