When André Tourigny first met Clayton Keller upon becoming the head coach of the Arizona Coyotes back in 2021, he knew the young forward would be the real deal.
Going into the 2023-24 season, Clayton Keller remains the focal point for the Arizona Coyotes.
The 25-year-old forward is coming off a career year where he had 37 goals, 49 assists and 86 points while playing all 82 games.
Since the first time they met, coach André Tourigny knew that Keller was the real deal on the ice.
“The first thing I learned about Kells when I arrived was how competitive he was,” Tourigny said. “I had dinner before camp the first year and he was talking about what his goals were and where he wanted to be and then I was like wow this guy has high expectations. When I saw him work everyday and compete towards those goals, I said ok he is the real deal. That's what you want from your best player, from your leadership group. You want guys that are hungry, really want to be better and they push through, so he is that kind of guy.”
It hasn’t been all smooth sailing for Keller. On Mar. 30, 2022, Keller suffered a gruesome injury fracturing his leg which required season-ending surgery.
While it wasn’t the easiest road to recovery, Keller ultimately persevered to come back a totally new and improved version of himself this past season impressing everyone in the Coyotes organization including his head coach.
“It was a breakout year for him and having that injury, you put a doubt in your head, will I be back at that level and even if he knew and had confidence in himself, I think there is a difference between knowing and being confident in yourself and doing it,” Tourigny said. “The fact he did it and the way he did it, that's a good boost.”
This is a big season coming up for Keller. The Coyotes went out during the offseason and acquired players including Sean Durzi, Jason Zucker and Matt Dumba who will help the team become more competitive. It's now on Keller to not only play at a high level but step up as a leader to bring everyone together.
If Keller is able to stay on the path he has been on through the past few seasons, he will have the opportunity to further establish himself as one of the premier forwards in the NHL.