Karel Vejmelka has been a calming presence in net for Utah

The Utah Mammoth entered the year with lofty expectations after a strong first season and solid offseason, and they’ve spent the first few weeks delivering on those hopes to the tune of a 6-2-0 record that includes a five-game winning streak.

A solid defense and lethal top-six forward unit have been major factors, but so has the play of starting goaltender Karel Vejmelka.

Utah put a lot on Vejmelka’s shoulders last year, as he made 55 starts that included a run of 22 in a row down the stretch as he tried to will the team into the Stanley Cup Playoffs. That streak was the longest by any goalie so far in this decade, and while he won’t be asked to do that again this season, he’s still the clear-cut starter with six starts in the Mammoth’s eight games.

He’s continued to do pretty well, allowing a 2.50 goals against average while posting a .896 save percentage that was comfortably above .900 before he allowed four goals in a high-scoring win over St. Louis on Friday.

On Friday’s episode of Daily Faceoff LIVE, host Tyler Yaremchuk and co-host and former NHL goaltender Carter Hutton were joined by Mammoth broadcaster and analyst Nick Olczyk to discuss the factors powering the team’s strong start, including Vejmelka’s steadiness.

Carter Hutton: I had a chance to play with Karel Vejmelka when he first came into the league. This is a guy that bet on himself. He went back to the Czech Republic… and then came back over. This guy was ready; he’s a man. What about him and the calming factor he brings for this team between the pipes?

Nick Olczyk: That’s the word I keep coming back to is calm. He never gets rattled… there are some goalies that are susceptible to the bad goal… I think for Karel Vejmelka, having an opportunity to watch him up close last year into this year, he just seems to know when to make that important save at that right moment. If maybe on a rare occasion there’s a goal he should have had, he doesn’t let it affect him mentally. He’s right back to it.

You can watch the full segment and the rest of the episode here…