Iron Malek
Devils goalie prospect Jakub Malek will enter his second year of hockey in North America this season. He made his NA debut last season with Utica, posting a 13-14-3 record with a 2.75 goals-against average and .895 save percentage.
On the precipice of his second go around, Malek feels much more comfortable for what to expect.
“My excitement is bigger than last year because I didn’t know (what to expect),” the Czechia native said. “Now I’m excited because I know what’s going to happen.”
Like all Europeans, Malek, 24, had to adjust to the ice size, the pro schedule, the language barrier and living abroad for the first time in his life.
“Everything was different. Practices, games, even traveling both games sometimes,” he said. “The rink size, I didn’t know it would be this big a difference. There’s more on the positioning of the angles. It’s important to get used to it. It took longer than I expected. Now it’s fine.”
Malek’s game ebbed and flowed last year, which included a two-game stint with Adirondack of the ECHL. But much of that, according to Utica head coach Ryan Parent, was due to the players surrounding him.
“With a goaltender, he carries a lot of weight on his own, but it’s the team in front of him that is a big factor in his success,” Parent said. “As a team we struggled in front of him at the start of last year.
“There was a lot of positive growth for him. We started playing better in front of him and things started going our way and his way. That’s where you see where he left off at the end of the year. He had a lot of success down the stretch.”
Malek, the team’s fourth-round pick (100th overall) in 2021, knows there are a lot of bodies in the goaltending position within the organization.
“I just keep it day by day and see how it’s going to be,” Malek said. “Most important for me will be development for myself. The results are also important, but the results will come if you work well. Those are the goals.”
