Clayton Keller played through one of the hardest stretches of his life last November, taking the ice in Dallas and then in his hometown of St. Louis just days after his father, Bryan, died unexpectedly in his sleep on Thanksgiving.
Nearly a year later, the Utah Mammoth captain opened up about what actually motivated him to get back out there, including a small gesture from his own team that meant more than most people probably realized at the time.
Appearing on The Cam & Strick Podcast, Keller was asked directly what pushed him to play through it.
“I think it was a little bit of everyone — family, friends, teammates. Just so many people were there supporting me, obviously, during a tough time, and to play. I think that’s obviously what my dad would have wanted,” Keller said.
Clayton Keller on father’s death
He also reflected on the emotional timing of returning to St. Louis so soon after the loss.
“It’s just weird how it kind of happened. The next game being in St. Louis and kind of seeing all my family right away, basically, like a day later, and having their support and things like that. And just the memories of going to games with my dad and my grandpa, sitting there watching the Blues play all the time. It’s just kind of weird how it worked out,” he said.
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Keller added that the team went out of its way to make a difficult trip a little easier, choosing to delay its own travel simply so he could have more time with his family.
“But obviously, they made it easier on me just being able to see them so soon. Our team actually stayed a day extra for me and my mom and brother, who were in St. Louis, and got to spend some more time with them. They actually stayed at the hotel. So got to spend some more time with them for sure,” he said.
Keller finished the 2025-26 season as Utah’s leading scorer for the second straight year, adding an Olympic gold medal with Team USA in the middle of it all, before helping the Mammoth reach their first playoff appearance as a franchise.
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