The Arizona Coyotes have not had a team captain for over 3 years, their last captain being star defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson. On July 23rd, 2021, at the 2021 NHL Entry Draft, the Coyotes traded Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Conor Garland to the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for Loui Eriksson, Antoine Roussel, Jay Beagle, the ninth pick of the 2021 NHL Draft, a 2022 second-round pick, and a seventh-rounder in 2023.
The team has been playing without a captain since 2021, and now with a move to Utah, the team should start deciding on naming a permanent captain.
Here are our Top 3 Candidates for Utah Hockey Club’s First Captain:
Clayton Keller
The four-time all-star and longest-tenured Coyote, (tied with only Lawson Crouse), is looking like a perfect fit for Utah’s first-ever captain.
(Photo credit: Jeff Curry, USA TODAY Sports)
In Keller’s 8 seasons playing for the Coyotes, he has led the team in points for 5 seasons of the 8. He has shown a warrior mentality on and off the ice, as he was named a finalist for the Bill Masterton Trophy in 2023. The Bill Masterton Trophy, named after the only player in the NHL to die of injuries suffered during a game, is awarded every year to the NHL player who best demonstrates perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey.
The winner is selected by a poll of the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association after each team nominates one player in the competition. It is often awarded to a player who has come back from a career– or even life-threatening illness or injury. Clayton Keller was named a finalist for this award as he broke his tibia the season prior. We think that Clayton would be a great captain for the Utah Hockey Club because of his grit and warrior mentality.
Lawson Crouse
The longest-tenured Coyote, (tied with only Clayton Keller), is most definitely looking like a lock for Utah Hockey Club’s first captain.
(Photo credit: Norm Hall, Getty Images)
Lawson credited his former teammate Shane Doan for helping him handle the ups and downs of playing professional hockey. Including being sent down to the American Hockey League after his rookie season. “Early on in my career, I was losing sleep over a single bad play. It took me a couple of years to figure it out” said Crouse.
Throughout his life, people have looked up to him. Not only because he is 6 feet, 4 inches tall, but because he’s a natural leader. He may be a kind soul off the ice, but on it, he’ll go to battle for his teammates. We think that these traits would give Lawson Crouse a little edge over other players competing for the captaincy role for Utah Hockey Club.
Nick Schmaltz
Our third and final pick for the first captain of the Utah Hockey Club would be no one other than the offensively talented center, Nick Schmaltz.
(Photo credit: Dilip Vishwanat, Getty Images)
Within Schmaltz’s 6 seasons with the Coyotes, he has made an impact on the team’s Top 6. For the past 3 seasons, Nick has registered more than 20 goals and 30 assists per season, and with Nick turning 29 in February he is about to enter the prime of his career. In Nick’s first season with the Coyotes he registered 14 points in 17 games, which is not too bad at all, we hope Nick will return to that pace next season.
We think that Nick would be a great captain for Utah Hockey Club as he is very underrated, and offensively talented, with a high shooting percentage and a high faceoff percentage. We think that with him entering the prime of his career, if he was captain he would demonstrate great leadership and would try to help Utah the best he could, with their push for the playoffs.
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