What Does Extending Their Rising Star Goalie Mean for the Utah Hockey Club?
On March 6th, 2025, the Utah Hockey Club signed goalie Karel Vejmelka to a five-year contract extension worth $23.75 million. The extension will keep the Czech Republic native in Utah until 2030. Vejmelka’s cap hit will be $4.75 million per year, which ranks 21st in all NHL goalies, making this a steal if the 28-year-old can hold up his end of the bargain. This signing is also huge for the future of the Utah Hockey Club, who inherited all hockey assets, including players, staff and draft capital from the Arizona Coyotes after they suspended operations at the end of the 2023-2024 season and subsequently became the new expansion team playing in Utah.
Drafted in 2015 to the Nashville Predators, Vejmelka lost his signing offer when he opted to play in the Czech Extraliga and moved around to a handful of teams before being signed to an entry-level contract with the Arizona Coyotes in May 2021. While in Arizona, the goalie posted 44 wins and 75 losses with a modest save percentage of .898. Now with the “new” organization, Vejmelka has played better, increasing his save percentage to .910, ranking 12th in the NHL, pushing the expansion team to a 27-25-9 record. With 20 games remaining, the Utah Hockey Club is on the outside looking in, three spots behind the last Wild Card spot in the Western Conference.
While the team that has yet to be given an official name is fighting for a playoff spot, I would contend that extending an experienced goalie with above average statistics is a spectacular start to building the history of a brand new team. In attempts to build a team they believe has the potential for success, the Utah Hockey Club liked what they have seen in two-time winner of the Stanley Cup and defenseman Ian Cole, who agreed to a one-year extension after being signed initially in July 2024. Cole will be on the same team for consecutive seasons for the first time since his 2018-2021 stint with the Colorado Avalanche. The Utah head coach also extended 30-year-old forward Alex Kerfoot to a one-year extension, who has seven goals and nine assists on the season so far, ranked 10th and 12th in their respective categories for the franchise.
Rome was not built in a day, and neither could a professional sports team. The Vegas Golden Knights participated in an expansion draft, building a team they wanted which helped lead them to two Stanley Cup appearances and one win since their inaugural season in 2017. That was not the case for the Utah Hockey Club, as they took what they were given with the assets from Arizona and began building their identity from there. The Coyotes have made the playoffs five times since the 2000 season. No matter how an organization starts, they all need to start somewhere, and for the Utah Hockey Club, they secured a win in my book by extending Karel Vejmelka, a cornerstone of their franchise for years to come.
