Winger Clayton Keller to represent Coyotes at 2023 NHL All-Star game

The NHL announced Thursday that Arizona Coyotes winger Clayton Keller will represent the team at the 2023 NHL All-Star Game at the home of the Florida Panthers.

This will be Keller’s third All-Star Game appearance and second consecutive, tying Keith Tkachuk and Teppo Numminen for the most All-Star game appearances in Coyotes history.

“I couldn’t have done it without my teammates,” Keller told Matt McConnell Thursday. “There are so many great players — guys that make it easy on me — and I think we’re a close group, so it’s a great group to be a part of and I can’t thank them enough.”

The No. 7 pick in the 2016 Draft leads the team in scoring with 14 goals and 22 assists for 36 points over 36 games this year. He is tied for the team lead in goals and leads Arizona in assists.

The 5-foot-10 winger is second on the Coyotes in shots (79), tied for the team lead in power-play goals (four) and game-winning goals (two).

This continues to be a career year for Keller, who recorded his first career hat trick on Dec. 11 and became the second player in franchise history to register six different 10-plus goal seasons before turning 25, the team said in a press release.

“It means a lot,” Keller said. “Coming into this year I didn’t really know what to expect. With the rehab and stuff like that, it was great to recover fast. … Everyone made it easy on me coming back and allowed me to get my legs back and feel good again.”

He ended his 2021-22 season after fracturing his leg in a hit against the boards in a game against the San Jose Sharks.

Keller has recorded 292 points in 396 games in his seven-year career with Arizona, notching his 100th career goal this season. This was the third-fewest games to reach the mark since the franchise relocated to Arizona in 1996.