Coyotes sign Keller to 8-year extension

GLENDALE, ARIZONA – Arizona Coyotes President of Hockey Operations and General Manager John Chayka announced today that the Coyotes have signed forward Clayton Keller to an eight-year contract extension through the 2027-28 season. As per Club policy, terms of the contract were not disclosed.

“Clayton is elite in every sense of the word,” said Chayka. “He is not only an All-Star and one of the premiere offensive playmakers in the league, but he is equally special as a person with his drive and determination to be great.  We are thankful to Clayton for believing in our future and look forward to him playing a vital role on this team for many years to come.  We are also very appreciative of Mr. Meruelo’s willingness to invest in our future and solidify one of our core players here in Arizona for a long time.”

“Clayton’s long-term commitment to our team, our city and our Coyotes family is a pivotal step forward for our franchise,” said President & CEO Ahron Cohen. “We are thankful to Clayton for buying into our mission of creating longstanding success here in Arizona.  John and Coach Tocchet deserve tremendous credit for creating a culture and identity to this team which makes high-end players such as Clayton want to be here for a long time.  This is a great day for our organization and for everyone who is a part of our Coyotes family.”

“This is a truly special day for my family and I,” said Coyotes forward Clayton Keller. “I love everything about being a Coyote.  My teammates are great.  We have a great coaching staff.  Everything about this organization is on the right track and I know we have an opportunity to do some special things here for a long time.  Arizona is where I want to be and I’m proud to commit to the Coyotes long term.  I’m thankful to the organization for believing in me and believing in what we can accomplish moving forward.”

The 21-year-old Keller led the Coyotes in scoring last season, recording 14-33-47 and 24 PIM in 82 games. He was also selected to his first NHL All-Star game, becoming the youngest player in Coyotes history to play in an All-Star game.

Last season, he became the third player in franchise history (Dale Hawerchuk and Teemu Selanne) to record four separate point streaks of six games or longer within his first 100 career games. He also has scored the most goals (28) and tallied the most points (79) through a player’s first 100 career games in Coyotes history.

Keller also set the Coyotes record for most points before a player’s 21st birthday by recording his 90th career point versus Colorado on December 22, 2018.

The 5-foot-10, 175-pound native of Chesterfield, MO registered a career high and set a Coyotes rookie record with 23-42-65 during his rookie season in 2017-18, earning a finalist nomination for the Calder Trophy.

The then 19-year-old forward became the first rookie in Coyotes history to record multiple rookie of the month awards and set the rookie mark for the longest point streak (10 games) and points in a month (6-13-19; March 2018).

Keller has recorded 37-77-114 and 48 PIM in 167 career NHL games. His 77 assists rank third and his 114 points rank fifth among all players selected in the 2016 draft.

Keller was drafted by the Coyotes in the first round (7th overall) in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft.