Heading into the World Junior Championship, Arizona Coyotes GM John Chayka was a little concerned with how one of their prized prospects, Clayton Keller, would perform. Keller played just three games before the tournament after suffering a knee injury in November. It would have been understandable if he had trouble finding consistency against the best players in the world his age.
It didn’t take long for Chayka’s concerns to disappear.
“I liked him a lot,” Chayka said of Keller when we chatted. “He was engaged, he was creating and when other teams started to try and focus on him to shut him down, he was able to adapt and adjust his game to find time and space.”
In all, he finished with 11 points in seven games, a point total topped only by Kirill Kaprizov and Alexander Nylander.
Keller also left the tournament with a gold medal.
When it was done, he heard from a lot of people offering up congratulations, but one that stood out the most to him was from Max Domi, his future teammate, and proud Canadian.
"Max Domi shot me a text and said, congratulations and hopefully I’ll see him soon,” Keller relayed when we chatted Monday.
Based on what transpired in the tournament, Domi won’t have to wait long for his future teammate, but he’s not the closest Team USA player to being NHL-ready. Here’s a look at the five Americans from the gold medal WJC team closest to making an NHL impact:
1. Charlie McAvoy, D, Boston Bruins
Current team: Boston University (NCAA)
As good and dynamic as Keller is, McAvoy is the American prospect closest to being NHL-ready. More than one source suggested he could play right now on the Bruins' defense.
McAvoy was a force in this tournament for Team USA, finishing with six points in seven games. McAvoy is a prospect Boston has no interest in dealing, even during the Bruins' attempt to bring a big name to the team for a playoff push this season.
“He’s a great player. I play with him here at school and get to go against him in practice every day,” Keller said. “He’s big, he’s strong, he’s offensive, he plays in his own end as well. He can definitely have an impact in the NHL soon.”
2. Clayton Keller, F, Arizona Coyotes
Current team: Boston University (NCAA)
The Coyotes, like many of the teams with players on this list, are internally discussing the best next step for Keller, especially considering he doesn’t necessarily have an NHL-ready frame.
He’s listed at 5-foot-10, 175 pounds, and the college path usually allows for players adding strength. But the league is now full of skilled, young players making an impact, so you can’t rule out a jump to the NHL next season.
“He has eligibility to play in the AHL next year if he needed more development,” Chayka said.
But Chayka pointed at a player like Mitch Marner making an impact this season as a good example of someone who may not be physically ready but has the elite skill to make an impact. Marner follows a lineage of similar players like Johnny Gaudreau, Jonathan Drouin and even Patrick Kane successful in today’s game.
“[Marner] is a good example of a guy who is physically not ready but through his sense and smarts, he’s able to find a way to be an impact guy for the Leafs,” Chayka said. “We expect [Keller] to be in that category of players.”
3. Jordan Greenway, F, Minnesota Wild
Current team: Boston University (NCAA)
Minnesota fans watching Greenway dominate against Team Canada on New Year’s Eve were surely ready to plug him into Bruce Boudreau’s lineup right now, and have him for the stretch run. Based on what we saw in this tournament, they’re not going to have to wait long.
He has the NHL body ready to go, at 6-foot-5, 230 pounds. He also put up eight points in seven games for Team USA in this tournament.
Wild GM Chuck Fletcher certainly noticed.
“He’s just a force in the offensive zone. He knows how to protect the puck,” Fletcher said Monday. “He’s in a great program, and he’s just getting better and better. He has good puck skills and is a good skater.”
Fletcher said the Wild will sit down at some point with Greenway and Boston University coach David Quinn to map out Greenway’s future, but he’s close to being ready. He’s just the kind of big power forward that teams need in the Western Conference.
4. Jack Roslovic, F, Winnipeg Jets
Current team: Manitoba Moose (AHL)
Roslovic has an edge over the others on this list because he’s already playing in the AHL, where he’s put up 19 points in 25 games after one season at Miami University (Ohio). He’s got loads of skill, although he didn’t put up the big numbers in this tournament that some of his teammates produced. He finished without a goal, and had just two assists in seven games.
Another candidate for this spot might be Ottawa's Colin White -- currently playing for Boston College -- who was much more productive. White had eight points in seven games, but scouts noticed a couple of bad habits creeping into his game that will have to be fixed before he’s NHL-ready.
5. Luke Kunin, F, Minnesota Wild
Current team: University of Wisconsin (NCAA)
Kunin has now captained two Team USA teams to a gold -- this one, and the 2015 under-18 team. He was part of a group of Wild prospects that were impressive in this tournament, an important development for that franchise considering how many draft picks have been traded during the Wild’s efforts to make a playoff run. Kirill Kaprizov, a fifth-round pick by the Wild in 2015, had 12 points in seven games in the WJC for Russia.
“It’s a credit to [assistant GM] Brent Flahr and the scouts,” Fletcher said. “I haven’t given them a lot of picks.”
Kunin was one of four Minnesota picks in the 2016 draft, and it appears they hit again. He had two goals and two assists in seven games for Team USA, and played a shutdown role for the Americans, going toe-to-toe against Kaprizov when Team USA played the Russians.
He’s a mature player who does everything well.
“He’s always a great leader, he’s someone I always trusted,” Keller said. “He’s such a good player -- good offensively and defensively. He shut the other teams' top guys down all tournament. Yeah, he’s definitely close.”