{"id":138290,"date":"2025-08-12T00:29:12","date_gmt":"2025-08-12T00:29:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/138290\/"},"modified":"2025-08-12T00:29:12","modified_gmt":"2025-08-12T00:29:12","slug":"mammoth-goalie-karel-vejmelka-featured-on-forbes-magazine-cover-deseret-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/138290\/","title":{"rendered":"Mammoth goalie Karel Vejmelka featured on Forbes Magazine cover \u2013 Deseret News"},"content":{"rendered":"

You know that Bruno Mars song<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n

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<\/a>, \u201cVeggie\u201d stepped up to the plate and knocked it out of the park. <\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

His play earned him a five-year, $23.75 million contract extension<\/a>, which kicks in next season.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s a dream,\u201d Vejmelka said of his new deal<\/a> (translated from Czech by Google Translate). \u201cIf someone had told me that before, I wouldn\u2019t 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\u2019t even have. It\u2019s a fairy tale.\u201d<\/p>\n

How does Karel Vejmelka like Utah?<\/p>\n

Until now, Vejmelka said he\u2019d been renting a place in Utah because he wasn\u2019t sure if he\u2019d be sticking around. But after his experience last season, he\u2019s looking to buy a home.<\/p>\n

He expressed his love for Utah \u201cas a country\u201d during his exit interview in April, and he reiterated it to Forbes.<\/p>\n

\u201cCompared to Phoenix, Arizona, Utah is more European,\u201d he said. \u201cI didn\u2019t know much about Utah before, except that there are a lot of Mormons living there and that the capital is Salt Lake City.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt wasn\u2019t until I moved that I found out that it\u2019s a small town in a valley between the mountains. … It\u2019s 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\u2019s an ideal destination for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

Karel Vejmelka on hearing 16,000 people chant his name every night:<\/p>\n

“It’s hard to describe. It’s a special feeling. I really enjoyed every moment on the ice, especially during those chants.”#UtahHC<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Brogan Houston (@houston_brogan) April 11, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey didn\u2019t have a successful season in Utah, but people still filled the hall that we share with the Utah Jazz, which wouldn\u2019t be possible just anywhere else,\u201d he said. \u201cSo Utah undoubtedly has the potential for top-level sports.\u201d<\/p>\n

All that being said, he wants to return to the Czech Republic when he\u2019s done playing hockey.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love America and I always like going there, but now I can\u2019t imagine being there for five years straight and not returning to the Czech Republic,\u201d he said. \u201cI miss the Czech nature, the Czech people, the Czech cuisine and the Czech beer.\u201d<\/p>\n

The new franchise<\/p>\n

A lot of people were unsure about the NHL\u2019s ability to thrive in a smaller big city like Salt Lake, but if year one is any indication, things will be just fine \u2014 and Vejmelka agrees.<\/p>\n

\u201cI try to understand how the marketing around the team works, and I have to say that they do a great job,\u201d he said. \u201cCompared to Arizona, there is already more merchandising here \u2014 we have a large fan shop where things change regularly. There wasn\u2019t even a fan shop in Arizona. Everything was bought online.\u201c<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\u201cMoreover, 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\u2019t believe it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Czech connection: Karel Vejmelka and V\u00edtek Van\u011b\u010dek<\/p>\n

This season will be Vejmelka\u2019s first in the NHL with a fellow Czech as his full-time goalie partner. He played with V\u00edtek Van\u011b\u010dek on various youth Czech national teams, but he said they haven\u2019t seen each other in a long time.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s always nice to have a Czech on the team, especially a goalkeeper,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s great to have the opportunity to discuss things in Czech with someone outside of the winter camp.\u201d<\/p>\n

What to expect from Karel Vejmelka in 2025-26<\/p>\n

The Mammoth\u2019s goal for season two is to make the playoffs. You can\u2019t do that without consistent goaltending, which is where Vejmelka comes in.<\/p>\n

If he can play at a similar level to last year, he\u2019ll give his team a chance to succeed \u2014 and that\u2019s all you can ask for from a goalie.<\/p>\n

With the arrival of Van\u011b\u010dek, Vejmelka won\u2019t likely be relied upon as heavily this season as he was in 2024-25. He started 23 consecutive games \u2014 the most of any NHL goalie since 2015.<\/p>\n

\"\"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