Coyotes Sign Goaltender Karel Vejmelka to One-Year Contract

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Wednesday, May 5, 2021
GLENDALE, ARIZONA - Arizona Coyotes General Manager Bill Armstrong announced today that the Coyotes have signed free agent goaltender Karel Vejmelka (KAHR-uhl vay-MEHL-kuh) to a one-year contract for the 2021-22 season. As per club policy, terms of the contract were not disclosed.

"We are very pleased to sign Karel," said Armstrong. "He is a talented young goaltender with the combination of size and quickness. We look forward to working with him next season and will monitor his development."
The 6-foot-4, 202-pound Vejmelka is a two-time Extraliga Champion and a Silver Medalist at the U18 World Championships. This past season, he played 35 games with HC Kometa Brno (Czech), posting a 2.79 goals against average (GAA) and a .911 save percentage (SV%) along with three shutouts and a 14-21-0 record. He also posted a 2.39 GAA and a .910 SV% in eight postseason games with a 3-5-0 mark.
In nine seasons in the Czech League with HC Kometa Brno, Dukia Jihlava and HC Pardubice, the 24-year-old native of Trebic, CZ has a career 2.56 GAA, a .913 SV% and a 77-84-0 career record.
Vejmelka was originally drafted by the Nashville Predators in the fifth round (145th overall) in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft.