Karel Vejmelka

Karel Vejmelka (born 25 May 1996) is a Czech professional ice hockey player who is a goaltender for the Utah Mammoth 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.

Playing career Vejmelka made his Czech Extraliga (ELH) debut playing with HC Pardubice (later Dynamo Pardubice) during the 2014–15 Czech Extraliga season. 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.

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.

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.

In his debut North American season, Vejmelka earned a roster spot with the Coyotes to begin the 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. 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. 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.

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 Mammoth; as a result, Vejmelka became a member of the Utah team.

Vejmelka established himself as the starting goaltender in his first season in Utah, leading him to earn a five-year, $23.75 million extension on 6 March 2025.

During the 2025–26 Utah Mammoth season, Vejmelka was the first goalie to reach 30 wins and recorded more time on ice than any other player. He also finished the season with the second most wins, shots against, and saves.

International play

Vejmelka represented Czechia at the 2024 IIHF World Championship and won a gold medal.

Career statistics Regular season and playoffs 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 — — — — — — — — 2024–25 Utah Hockey Club NHL 58 26 22 8 3368 145 1 2.58 .904 — — — — — — — —2025–26Utah MammothNHL6438203369316922.75.8976244022103.13.885 ELH totals 163 77 84 0 9,155 391 13 2.56 .913 14 6 8 789 35 1 2.66 .913 NHL totals 262 108 117 22 14,815 764 8 3.10 .899 6 2 4 402 21 0 3.13 .885

International 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 2025 Czechia WC 6th 5 3 2 262 13 0 2.98 .902Senior totals 17 10 7 911 37 2 2.44 .912