In his final game at the IIHF World Championship in Europe, Coyotes forward Clayton Keller lost his chance at a medal and had his left front tooth knocked out by a puck.

“I still haven’t been able to eat everything yet,” said Keller, who had a fake replacement inserted. “But it’s better.”

Dental work, however, wasn't the only takeaway from his time with the U.S. team at the tournament as Keller banked experience playing against older competition – insight that could help the 18-year-old land a roster spot with the Coyotes when he auditions in the fall after a brief preview at the end of last season.

“It’s fast, skilled and guys are really smart with the puck, and everyone’s always one step ahead,” Keller said. “It was great to play in the tournament and play against men.”

Keller finished with five goals and seven points in eight games for the Americans before they fell 2-0 to Finland in the quarterfinals.

Three of those goals came in a preliminary-round game against Denmark as Keller scored off a rising shot from the right faceoff circle, a cut to the middle and then a fortuitous bounce off a defender’s skate in front to complete his hat trick.

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“Clayton just showed what he can do at the pro level, and that’s put up points and be impactful in the offensive end, which is important for us,” Coyotes General Manager John Chayka said. “So it was good to see him do that at a high level.”

NHLers whose teams didn’t advance to the playoffs or have been eliminated were included on a number of teams with the likes of Johnny Gaudreau (Calgary), Jack Eichel (Buffalo) and Dylan Larkin (Detroit) teammates of Keller’s – players Keller previously watched compete for the U.S. while hoping he, too, could one day have the same opportunity.

“It’s pretty cool to see how they take care of themselves, just the little things behind the scenes that they do to make them such great players,” Keller said. “It was great to be around them and learn a few things.”

A few fellow Coyotes were also teammates of Keller’s at the Worlds. Defenseman Connor Murphy was captain for the Americans, and center Christian Dvorak was also on the team. Murphy chipped in a goal and an assist in eight games, while Dvorak tallied one goal in that span.

Winger Tobias Rieder also skated in the tournament before suffering a lower-body injury in a preliminary-round game for Germany against Russia. The injury does not require surgery, coach Dave Tippett said. Rieder had a goal in three games before getting hurt.

“It’s not something that’s going to keep him out come fall,” Tippett said.

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Defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson was the lone Coyote to medal at the tournament, winning gold Sunday after Sweden outlasted Canada 2-1 in a shootout. He scored in the shootout and ended up with two goals and five points in eight games.

On Saturday, the Coyotes’ American Hockey League affiliate announced that it had signed Ekman-Larsson’s brother, Kevin, to a one-year contract.

Earlier this month, the Coyotes also signed forward Mario Kempe to a one-year, two-way contract and defenseman Cam Dineen to an entry-level contract.

Keller signed his entry-level deal in March, ending his college career with Boston University after one season in which he amassed a team-high 21 goals and 45 points in 31 games as a freshman. The seventh overall pick in 2016 went on to play three games with the Coyotes, notching two assists before participating in the Worlds – this after he captured gold in January at the World Junior Championship.

“He plays a lot like Gaudreau from Calgary – shifty, great vision,” TSNanalyst Ray Ferraro wrote in an email.

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Back home in Illinois, Keller plans to relax for a week or two before returning to Arizona to start his offseason training. He’ll work with team personnel; getting faster and stronger are his objectives, and Keller also wants to focus on his on-ice skills like stickhandling.

“I know that if I work hard and really give it my all this summer that I’ll put myself in a good spot coming into training camp,” he said.

Working out in the Valley will also enable him to get more comfortable with the area – familiarity that could come in handy if he sticks with the Coyotes next season, which Keller is confident he can.

“I’m ready for the next step,” he said, “and making an impact on every game.”

Reach the reporter at sarah.mclellan@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-8276. Follow her at twitter.com/azc_mclellan.