Mammoth’s Karel Vejmelka placed on injured reserve

Vejmelka’s placement on IR is retroactive to Dec. 23, when he was abruptly ruled out of the lineup for the Mammoth’s game against the Colorado Avalanche. It forced the team to sign emergency backup Colten McIntyre to an amateur tryout. With McIntyre backing up Vitek Vanecek, Utah fell to the Central Division leaders by a score of 1-0.

Per the NHL’s IR rules, Vejmelka will have to miss at least one more game, but is eligible to return to the lineup on New Year’s Day, when the Mammoth pay a visit to the New York Islanders.

While Vejmelka’s numbers haven’t been staggering, the right-handed catching masked man has done his part to keep Utah in the playoff conversation as we close in on January. In 29 games, the 29-year-old has posted a record of 16-10-2, and was riding a stretch of four wins in five starts prior to his injury. Vejmekla has a 2.70 goals-against average and a .896 save percentage, posting a 27-save shutout against the Anaheim Ducks on Dec. 3.

The Trebic native is also a favorite to play for his country in February. Though Ducks goaltender Lukas Dostal was one of the first six players announced for the Czech roster that will be participating at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Vejmelka’s stock is high enough that he should be donning his nation’s colors in Italy.

The Mammoth (18-18-3) sits fourth in the Central, just outside of the last Wild Card spot in the Western Conference. They are set to host the Nashville Predators on Monday night.