You know that Bruno Mars song where he talks about wanting to be a billionaire and grace the cover of Forbes Magazine? Utah Mammoth goaltender Karel Vejmelka only has about $10 million in career earnings, so far, but he can check the Forbes part off his list.

A year ago, most members of the media had penciled Vejmelka in as a mere backup goalie. But when Connor Ingram missed most of the season, “Veggie” stepped up to the plate and knocked it out of the park.

He played in 58 games (tied for sixth-most in the league among goalies), posting career-best numbers in goals-against average, save percentage, goals saved above average, and many other categories.

His play earned him a five-year, $23.75 million contract extension, which kicks in next season.

“That’s a dream,” Vejmelka said of his new deal (translated from Czech by Google Translate). “If someone had told me that before, I wouldn’t have believed them. On the other hand, I know very well what I did for it, what I sacrificed. That it will be on a new NHL team is a very wild dream that I honestly didn’t even have. It’s a fairy tale.”

How does Karel Vejmelka like Utah?

Until now, Vejmelka said he’d been renting a place in Utah because he wasn’t sure if he’d be sticking around. But after his experience last season, he’s looking to buy a home.

He expressed his love for Utah “as a country” during his exit interview in April, and he reiterated it to Forbes.

“Compared to Phoenix, Arizona, Utah is more European,” he said. “I didn’t know much about Utah before, except that there are a lot of Mormons living there and that the capital is Salt Lake City.”

“It wasn’t until I moved that I found out that it’s a small town in a valley between the mountains. … It’s kind of like a nation of its own. But I was enchanted by the nature there, the mountains are right next to the city, so Utah has a lot to offer for me outside of hockey. It’s an ideal destination for me.”

He also talked about the Utah Jazz, and how the fans still show up to support them despite being a bottom team in the league.

“They didn’t have a successful season in Utah, but people still filled the hall that we share with the Utah Jazz, which wouldn’t be possible just anywhere else,” he said. “So Utah undoubtedly has the potential for top-level sports.”

All that being said, he wants to return to the Czech Republic when he’s done playing hockey.

“I love America and I always like going there, but now I can’t imagine being there for five years straight and not returning to the Czech Republic,” he said. “I miss the Czech nature, the Czech people, the Czech cuisine and the Czech beer.”

The new franchise

A lot of people were unsure about the NHL’s ability to thrive in a smaller big city like Salt Lake, but if year one is any indication, things will be just fine — and Vejmelka agrees.

“I try to understand how the marketing around the team works, and I have to say that they do a great job,” he said. “Compared to Arizona, there is already more merchandising here — we have a large fan shop where things change regularly. There wasn’t even a fan shop in Arizona. Everything was bought online.“

“Moreover, during the games in Utah, they not only sell team jerseys, but they also print specific names of people on the backs right in the stadium. When I go out onto the ice, I look around the stands, and when I see my jersey, I almost can’t believe it.”

The Czech connection: Karel Vejmelka and Vítek Vaněček

This season will be Vejmelka’s first in the NHL with a fellow Czech as his full-time goalie partner. He played with Vítek Vaněček on various youth Czech national teams, but he said they haven’t seen each other in a long time.

“It’s always nice to have a Czech on the team, especially a goalkeeper,” he said. “It’s great to have the opportunity to discuss things in Czech with someone outside of the winter camp.”

What to expect from Karel Vejmelka in 2025-26

The Mammoth’s goal for season two is to make the playoffs. You can’t do that without consistent goaltending, which is where Vejmelka comes in.

If he can play at a similar level to last year, he’ll give his team a chance to succeed — and that’s all you can ask for from a goalie.

With the arrival of Vaněček, Vejmelka won’t likely be relied upon as heavily this season as he was in 2024-25. He started 23 consecutive games — the most of any NHL goalie since 2015.

Utah Hockey Club goaltender Karel Vejmelka (70) blocks the puck, not allowing the Winnipeg Jets to score during an NHL game at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, April 5, 2025. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News