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Utah Hockey Club Goaltender Was Team’s Most-Improved Player This Season

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After the Minnesota Wild defeated the San Jose Sharks, the Utah Hockey Club was officially eliminated from playoff contention. It was a tough season for Utah as the injuries were troublesome and the team’s inconsistent play cost them crucial points. Although Utah came close to making the postseason in their inaugural year, they could not catch the Wild and the St. Louis Blues. Now, their regular season had concluded, but they would never have been in the race if not for goaltender Karel Vejmelka. Although being a goalie is a tougher position in the sport, Vejmelka showed up this season. His play made him a fan favourite, so much that the Utah fans chant “Veggie” after every big save. He will be an important player for Utah in the future. 

Utah Hockey Club Goaltender Showed the Most Improvement

Vejmelka’s time with the Arizona Coyotes was difficult for him. In three seasons, including one with 32 losses, he posted an overall .898 SV% and a 3.50 GAA. Now, the 28-year-old finishes the season with a record above .500 for the first time in his career. After the move from Arizona, younger players like forwards Logan Cooley and Dylan Guenther had great seasons and showed extreme growth. However, it was Vejmelka’s play that improved the most. 

He went 26-22-8 in 58 games with a .904 SV% and 2.57 GAA, which ranks 12th in the league, per ESPN. Considering a workload that saw Vejmelka start 23 consecutive games, his numbers were impressive. In his final eight appearances this year, Vejmelka went 5-2-1, giving up just one goal on three occasions. Vejmelka had a rough outing against the Blues, which could have been from fatigue. However, the stretch included defeating two of the league’s best teams, the Winnipeg Jets and the Dallas Stars. He made 32 saves against the first-place Jets, who won the Presidents’ Trophy.  

Handled the Pressure

Vejmelka’s strong efforts did not go unnoticed. Before the season finished, some Utah players received end-of-the-season awards. Therefore, Vejmelka’s teammates chose him as the winner of the “Team MVP Award”. It clearly shows how much Vejmelka means to the team and how he nearly brought them into a playoff spot.

After proving that he can be the backbone of the team, Utah rewarded Vejmelka with a new five-year contract. This will undoubtedly make him the team’s starting goaltender in the foreseeable future. Connor Ingram’s season was disrupted by injury and personal reasons, which cleared the way for Vejmelka to take control of the crease. 

There was plenty of pressure on Vejmelka to exceed expectations and that is exactly what happened. To play his best season under the circumstances and get 26 wins is certainly an accomplishment. Vejmelka never had 20 or more wins in a single season once in his career, but that changed this time around.

He also played his most minutes this season, allowing less goals than his worst campaign (170 GA in 2021-2022, 145 GA in 2024-2025). There is no doubt that Vejmelka was locked in and handled the pressure.

Building off This Season

Having a career season on a rebuilding team is great news for any player, especially a goalie. However, whether Vejmelka can repeat this play or not next year remains uncertain. With the new contract, he will be expected to do just that. As a team, Utah ends the year with a 12 point improvement over last season. The team’s young players will continue to grow into stars and get better as the rebuild continues. Perhaps Utah reaches the playoffs in 2025-2026.

The post Utah Hockey Club Goaltender Was Team’s Most-Improved Player This Season appeared first on Last Word On Hockey.