The Utah Mammoth today announced that the National Hockey League has named goaltender Karel Vejmelka the NHL’s Third Star for the week ending Jan. 18.
Vejmelka, 29, earned a 3-0-0 record in three games with Utah last week, registering his league-leading 23rd win of the season on Saturday against Seattle. He has now won each of his last six starts dating back to Jan. 5, tied for his longest win streak of the season and the longest of his NHL career. Vejmelka’s latest win also extended the longest home win streak of his NHL career to six games, with a 1.66 goals-against average (GAA) and .935 save percentage (SV%) at the Delta Center since Dec. 21.
The 6-foot-4, 221-pound netminder has registered a 7-1-0 record, 2.00 GAA, and .922 SV% over his first eight appearances in 2026. With his win over St. Louis on Jan. 9, he joined Dominik Hašek (Buffalo, 1997-98 and 1998-99) as the second Czech goaltender in NHL history to pace all league netminders to 20 wins in any campaign.
A native of Trebic, Czechia, Vejmelka, has recorded a 23-11-2 record, 2.55 GAA, .902 SV%, and one shutout over 37 appearances with the Mammoth this season. Vejmelka leads all NHL goaltenders in wins (36) and games played (61) dating back to Feb. 19, 2025, and he is set to represent Czechia at the 2026 Winter Olympics in February.
Vejmelka is the fourth player in franchise history to be named one of the NHL’s Stars of the Week, alongside Dylan Guenther (First; Oct. 14, 2024), Barrett Hayton (Third; Jan. 27, 2025), and Logan Cooley (Second; Oct. 27, 2025). This is the first such recognition of his NHL career. Vejmelka is joined by Tage Thompson (Buffalo) and Roman Josi (Nashville) as the Three Stars for the week ending Jan. 18.
