Karel Vejmelka

Born in Třebíč, Czech Republic, on May 25, 1996, Karel Vejmelka was selected by the Nashville Predators in the fifth round — 24th pick of that round, 145th overall — of the 2015 NHL Draft. He spent years developing in the Czech Extraliga before making his way to North America, and when he did arrive in the NHL, it was not with Nashville but with the Arizona Coyotes, where he became the franchise's primary starter across three consecutive seasons.

Vejmelka's first full NHL season came in 2021-22, when he appeared in 52 games for the Coyotes, going 13-32 with a 3.68 goals-against average and a .898 save percentage. The following season he played 50 games, finishing 18-24 with a 3.43 GAA, a .900 save percentage, and three shutouts — his highest single-season shutout total to that point in his career. In 2023-24, with the Coyotes in their final and abbreviated season before relocating, Vejmelka appeared in 38 games and went 13-19 with a 3.35 GAA and a .897 save percentage.

When the franchise relocated to Utah and began play as the Utah Hockey Club for the 2024-25 season, Vejmelka remained the team's starter. He appeared in 58 games that year, posting a 26-22 record alongside a 2.58 GAA and a .904 save percentage — the lowest GAA and highest save percentage of his NHL career to that point — with one shutout.

Now wearing number 70 for the Utah Mammoth, Vejmelka has appeared in 64 games in the 2025-26 season, going 38-20-3 with a 2.75 GAA, a .897 save percentage, and two shutouts. Across his 262-game NHL career, he carries 108 wins, 117 losses, 22 overtime losses, a 3.10 GAA, a .899 save percentage, and eight shutouts, totaling 14,815:17 of NHL ice time.

At 6'4" and 221 pounds, Vejmelka is among the taller goaltenders in the league. InGoal Magazine has covered Karel Vejmelka in one drill breakdown.

That coverage came from a March 2025 practice visit with the Utah Hockey Club, where InGoal captured the team's pre-game warm-up routine on video, including a drill developed by Utah goalie coach Corey Schwab ^[1]. Vejmelka described his own experience with the drill, which Schwab calls the Schwabby Slide, saying it is "more about tracking the puck all the way down and just to get your hands working," adding: "It's part of our daily routine and part of the warm-up as well, and it helps having that sense of how the ice is too. It's pretty basic thing." The full drill breakdown — including video from that practice — is available to InGoal readers ^[1].