The 2025-26 season was a busy one for Utah Mammoth goaltender Karel Vejmelka. Utah’s starter set multiple career-highs and had his first taste of the playoffs. Let’s take a look back at last year.
On the Ice
Vejmelka built off his first year in Utah with a strong second season as the Mammoth’s starting goaltender. This year, Vejmelka had a 38-20-3 record, a 2.75 goals-against average, a .897 save percentage, and two shutouts. His 64 games played led the NHL and Vejmelka’s 38 wins were only second to Tampa Bay’s Andrei Vasilevskiy. He also set a franchise-record win streak in October with six-straight wins.
There were plenty of strong performances by Vejmelka which earned him praise from his teammates and coach alike. In addition, Utah’s netminder gained some NHL recognition. On Jan. 19, Vejmelka was named the NHL’s Third Star of the Week. Less than a month later, on Feb. 6, he was named the NHL’s Third Star of the Week once again.
During the 2025-26 season, Vejmelka also hit two career milestones. On Oct. 11, Vejmelka played his 200th career game, and helped the Mammoth to a 3-2 overtime win over the Nashville Predators. On Mar. 7, he recorded his 100th career win in Utah’s 5-4 overtime victory against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Vejmelka had his first taste of the Stanley Cup Playoffs this year and played all six of Utah’s postseason games. He had a 2-4-0 record, a 3.13. goals-against average, and a .885 save percentage. It was a solid second season in Salt Lake City for Vejmelka, and one he’ll look to build off of next year.
The Winter Olympics
In early January, Vejmelka was named to Czechia’s team for the Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina. It was the first time he has been named to an Olympic team, and was the fifth-straight year as a member of his home country’s senior men’s national team.
