The Utah HC captain spoke to the media Tuesday morning at Delta Center on the franchise's historic opening night against Chicago.

For months, Clayton Keller has been around a community buzzing with excitement.

He woke up this morning "super excited", he said, on what will be an epic night at Delta Center as the Utah Hockey Club will face the Chicago Blackhawks in its first game as an NHL franchise (8:00 p.m. MT, ESPN/ESPN+).

Despite the hype surrounding tonight's game, Keller said his message as captain in the locker room was simple:

He's just going to be himself.

"It's a historic night, so it's going to be pretty crazy," Keller said. "We've got to focus on our job and what we're trying to do."

It won't be easy, especially in a game where both teams are trying to take a step forward, but Keller said head coach Andre Tourigny has helped the team stay even-keeled throughout the summer.

Now, they'll get a chance to put that on display for a state and a nation ready to see them take the ice.

"We're growing the game here," he added. "We're super excited; it's going to be a huge night."

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