Karel Vejmelka (born 25 May 1996) is a Czech professional ice hockey goaltender for the Utah Hockey Club of the National Hockey League (NHL). Vejmelka, who started his career in the Czech Extraliga, was selected by the Nashville Predators in the fifth round (145th overall) of the 2015 NHL entry draft.
| Karel Vejmelka | |||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Vejmelka with the Arizona Coyotes in 2022 | |||
| Born |
25 May 1996 Třebíč, Czech Republic | ||
| Height | 6 ft 4 in (193 cm) | ||
| Weight | 203 lb (92 kg; 14 st 7 lb) | ||
| Position | Goaltender | ||
| Catches | Right | ||
| NHL team Former teams |
Utah Hockey Club HC Dynamo Pardubice HC Kometa Brno HC Dukla Jihlava Arizona Coyotes | ||
| National team |
 Czech Republic | ||
| NHL draft |
145th overall, 2015 Nashville Predators | ||
| Playing career | 2014–present | ||
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Playing career
editVejmelka made his Czech Extraliga (ELH) debut playing with HC Pardubice (later Dynamo Pardubice) during the 2014–15 Czech Extraliga season.[1] He was selected by the Nashville Predators of the National Hockey League (NHL) in the fifth round, 145th overall, of the 2015 NHL entry draft.[2]
During the 2015–16 season, after making just a solitary appearance for Dynamo, Vejmelka transferred his contract to fellow ELH club, HC Kometa Brno, on 28 November 2015.[3]
With a shortened loan to HC Dukla Jihlava, Vejmelka, un-signed by the Predators, played the next five seasons with HC Kometa Brno before he was signed as a free agent to a one-year entry-level contract with the Arizona Coyotes of the NHL on 5 May 2021.[4]
In his debut North American season, Vejmelka earned a roster spot with the Coyotes to begin the 2021–22 season. He made his NHL debut with the Coyotes, stopping 32 of 33 shot attempts in a 2–1 shootout loss to the Buffalo Sabres on 17 October 2021.[5] With injury to initial starting goaltender Carter Hutton, Vejmelka assumed a larger role and established himself in the league. On 21 March 2022, the Coyotes signed Vejmelka to a three-year, $8.175 million contract extension that carries a $2.725 million cap hit.[6] Vejmelka holds the NHL record for the shortest time that a starting goaltender has spent on the ice before being pulled to the bench - 59 seconds against the Seattle Kraken on 6 November 2021.[7][failed verification]
Shortly after the end of the 2023–24 regular season, the Coyotes' franchise was suspended and team assets were subsequently transferred to the expansion Utah Hockey Club; as a result, Vejmelka became a member of the Utah team.[8]
International play
edit| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Representing Czech Republic
| ||
| Men's ice hockey | ||
| World Championships | ||
 |
2024 Czech Republic | |
 |
2022 Finland | |
Vejmelka represented Czechia at the 2024 IIHF World Championship and won a gold medal.[9]
Career statistics
editRegular season and playoffs
edit| Regular season | Playoffs | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | W | L | OT | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | GP | W | L | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | ||
| 2013–14 | HC Dynamo Pardubice | Czech.20 | 36 | 16 | 20 | 0 | 2053 | 88 | 1 | 2.57 | .930 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | HC Dynamo Pardubice | Czech.20 | 37 | 21 | 16 | 0 | 2222 | 94 | 2 | 2.54 | .928 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | HC Dynamo Pardubice | ELH | 7 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 419 | 20 | 0 | 2.86 | .923 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 338 | 17 | 1 | 3.02 | .916 | ||
| 2014–15 | SK Horácká Slavia Třebíč | Czech.1 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 176 | 4 | 0 | 1.36 | .953 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015–16 | HC Dynamo Pardubice | ELH | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 44 | 1 | 0 | 1.36 | .933 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015–16 | HC Kometa Brno | ELH | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 163 | 4 | 1 | 1.47 | .941 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015–16 | SK Horácká Slavia Třebíč | Czech.1 | 42 | 21 | 21 | 0 | 2425 | 106 | 0 | 2.62 | .920 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2016–17 | HC Kometa Brno | ELH | 31 | 14 | 17 | 0 | 1729 | 72 | 3 | 2.50 | .905 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2016–17 | SK Horácká Slavia Třebíč | Czech.1 | 10 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 595 | 23 | 1 | 2.32 | .929 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2017–18 | HC Kometa Brno | ELH | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 364 | 11 | 2 | 1.81 | .937 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2017–18 | HC Dukla Jihlava | ELH | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 240 | 10 | 0 | 2.50 | .901 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2017–18 | SK Horácká Slavia Třebíč | Czech.1 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 803 | 31 | 2 | 2.32 | .908 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018–19 | HC Kometa Brno | ELH | 31 | 17 | 14 | 0 | 1762 | 70 | 1 | 2.38 | .915 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018–19 | SK Horácká Slavia Třebíč | Czech.1 | 10 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 616 | 21 | 1 | 2.05 | .925 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2019–20 | HC Kometa Brno | ELH | 43 | 22 | 19 | 0 | 2414 | 109 | 3 | 2.71 | .911 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | HC Kometa Brno | ELH | 35 | 14 | 21 | 0 | 2020 | 94 | 3 | 2.79 | .911 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 451 | 18 | 0 | 2.39 | .910 | ||
| 2021–22 | Arizona Coyotes | NHL | 52 | 13 | 32 | 3 | 2773 | 170 | 1 | 3.68 | .898 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2022–23 | Arizona Coyotes | NHL | 50 | 18 | 24 | 6 | 2941 | 168 | 3 | 3.43 | .900 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2023–24 | Arizona Coyotes | NHL | 38 | 13 | 19 | 2 | 2040 | 112 | 1 | 3.29 | .897 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| ELH totals | 163 | 77 | 84 | 0 | 9,155 | 391 | 13 | 2.56 | .913 | 14 | 6 | 8 | 789 | 35 | 1 | 2.66 | .913 | ||||
| NHL totals | 140 | 44 | 75 | 11 | 7,754 | 450 | 5 | 3.50 | .899 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
International
edit| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | W | L | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Czechia | WC | 
|
8 | 5 | 3 | 413 | 17 | 1 | 2.46 | .896 | |
| 2023 | Czechia | WC | 8th | 4 | 2 | 2 | 236 | 7 | 1 | 1.78 | .944 | |
| Senior totals | 12 | 7 | 5 | 649 | 24 | 2 | 2.21 | .917 | ||||
References
edit- ^ "Karel Vejmela signs senior contract with Pardubice" (in Czech). HC Dynamo Pardubice. 2 June 2014. Retrieved 2 June 2014.
- ^ Mastey, Remy (5 September 2023). "Karel Vejmelka's Journey Into Professional Hockey". The Hockey News. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
- ^ "Brno welcome Karel Vejmelka from Pardubice" (in Czech). HC Kometa Brno. 28 November 2015. Retrieved 28 November 2015.
- ^ "Coyotes Karel Vejmelka signs one-year ELC". CBS Sports. 5 May 2021. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
- ^ "Coyotes get first point of season in shootout loss to Sabres". arizonasports.com. 17 October 2021. Retrieved 17 October 2021.
- ^ "Coyotes sign Vejmelka to three-year contract extension". Arizona Coyotes. 21 March 2022. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
- ^ "Coyotes finally find first win by rallying over Kraken, 5-4". ESPN. Associated Press.
- ^ Ortiz, Jenna (17 April 2024). "Coyotes give fans a win in final Arizona game, fans show plenty of love". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
- ^ "Czechs strike gold on home ice". IIHF.com. 26 May 2024. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
External links
edit- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database
- Karel Vejmelka merch