Karel Vejmelka

Karel Vejmelka (born 25 May 1996) is a Czech professional ice hockey goaltender for the Utah Hockey Club 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 in the fifth-round, 145th overall, by the Nashville Predators of the National Hockey League (NHL) in 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 Hockey Club; as a result, Vejmelka became a member of the Utah team.

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