2 days Ago
Brian Daccord walked out of the Boston University men’s ice hockey team’s make-shift locker room at the Huntington Center in Toledo, Ohio. The Terrier goaltending coach was met by Ryan Barnes, long-time agent of Utah Hockey Club’s Karel Vejmelka. Barnes was in the building watching the NCAA regional games because he had some other clients playing.
“I just wanted to thank you. The way things have turned out and how Vejmelka’s life has changed — you were the guy that headed this whole thing,” Daccord recalled the agent saying. “It was one of those moments where you really enjoy it,” Daccord added.
“There’s so much work that goes into things like that and you never know how it’s going to turn out.” Daccord was the director of goaltending operations for the Arizona Coyotes in 2020-21 when the organization discovered and subsequently signed Vejmelka to his first NHL deal. (Chris Samuels | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Hockey Club goalie Karel Vejmelka is introduced ahead of an NHL game against the Colorado Avalanche in Salt Lake City, Friday, Dec.
27, 2024. Four years later, Vejmelka signed a five-year, $23.75 million contract extension with the Club while solidifying himself as the team’s starter.
Saturday marked the goalie’s 20th consecutive start, too — an NHL high since 2019 — and he made 32 saves in a win over the league-best Winnipeg Jets . “Really proud of him,” head coach André Tourigny said. Things have evidently changed since Daccord was up watching all of Vejmelka’s games in Czechia and forming a presentation for now-Utah general manager Bill Armstrong on why the team should take a chance on the goalie.
For Daccord, it is no surprise to see the heights Vejmelka has reached this season. “He had size, consistency, numbers to back up what we were seeing with our eyes. And he had an intensity to him and an intentionality to him that I really liked and it really resonated with me,” Daccord said.
“There was no BS with him. He was very direct. We all liked the way he played and we thought that his game would translate.
” Daccord worked with Arizona’s entire goalie department to bring Vejmelka over from his native Czechia where he opted to spend five seasons instead of signing (and playing in the minors) with the Nashville Predators who selected him in the fifth round of the 2015 NHL Draft. (Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Hockey Club General Manager Bill Armstrong answers questions during media day at the Delta Center, on Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024.
It started with Teal Fowler — the Coyotes’ European scout — seeing him at a game in Czechia during the 2020-21 campaign. Teal was actually there looking at two other draft prospects, Daccord said, but landed on Vejmelka instead. Vejmelka had been on Arizona’s list of European free-agent goalies they tracked.
With the sign of approval from Fowler, Daccord went to their goalie scout Clay Adams and Magnus Olsson to do a deep dive on Vejmelka. That information hit the desk of Corey Schwab — now Utah Hockey Club’s goaltending coach — who also gave Vejmelka a thumbs up. “From there, I watched every game that he played that year.
We charted every single goal, we charted every single save, we had all the metrics for him,” Daccord said. “To me, it’s the perfect example of why every NHL team needs a goalie department. It wasn’t me — it was an entire department.
I happened to be the head of the department but it was the entire department.” Following a meeting with Vejmelka and his agent and presenting the case to Armstrong, the Coyotes agreed to a one-year, two-way contract that carried a $842,500 cap hit. It was a low-risk move — it didn’t cost the team a draft pick, term, or high value.
It was up to Vejmelka to turn the opportunity into a full-time job. That he has done. (Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Goalie Karel Vejmelka arrives to the cheers of fans gathered as Utah Hockey Club's first NHL season kicks off at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Oct.
8, 2024. “I just want to take my chance if I know I’m going to play the next game and give us a chance to win every night,” Vejmelka said. The 28-year-old is in the midst of a record stretch for his career.
The most consecutive games Vejmelka had played before this season was eight. He has surpassed that number by 12 starts. The heavy workload has stemmed from two truths — Utah believes in Vejmelka as a No.
1 guy and it also does not have another option to turn to at the moment. The Club has been without Connor Ingram for the majority of the season; the netminder is currently in the NHL’s player assistance program. Accordingly, Vejmelka assumed the responsibility in net and it forced him to get more durable and consistent.
He has a 2.56 goals against average and .905 save percentage in 54 games.
“I don’t really think about it. Don’t overthink. Doesn’t really help you and I just try to focus for another game, another shift, another shot,” Vejmelka said.
“That’s the kind of mindset I’ve had and we just need to keep going.” (Dirk Shadd | Tampa Bay Times) Utah Hockey Club goaltender Karel Vejmelka (70) is pulled from the game in favor of goaltender Jaxson Stauber (33) against the Tampa Bay Lightning during second period action at Amalie Arena on Thursday, March 27, 2025 in Tampa, Fla. In the modern NHL, most teams utilize two goaltenders.
Gone are the days of the early 2000s when Andrew Raycroft played 72 of 82 games for the Toronto Maple Leafs and Henrik Lundqvist played 70-plus games a year from 2006-2010 for the New York Rangers. Thanks to the advancement in recovery technology and sports science, rest has been prioritized at the goalie position. “With the amount of travel, condensed schedule and the busy weeks, I think it’s really helpful to have two goalies,” said Daccord, who spent five seasons with Toronto in goaltending scouting and development before going to Arizona.
“What has really changed in the load management is the actual metrics that can be obtained. Before it was more the eye test. Alright, our goalie is starting to look a little tired, look a little sluggish, not getting to their spots as quick.
Eye test says, ‘Hey we’re wearing this guy down, he needs a break.’ Now it’s all just numbers. The numbers can support the eye test.
” (Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Hockey Club goaltender Matt Villalta (31) as Utah Hockey Club hosts the Los Angeles Kings, NHL pre-season hockey in Salt Lake City on Monday, Sept. 23, 2024. Utah is well aware of this.
This is why the team relies heavily on its backup and emergency backup goalies (EBUGs) during practice. Matt Villalta — who was recalled from the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners on March 28 — takes most of the action during practice to allow the players to run through drills while still letting Vejmelka rest. The Club has also had an EBUG — who are usually just in the building for games — at every morning skate and practice for the last month or so.
Funny enough, Utah’s current EBUG is Henry Graham, who played under Daccord at Boston University in the 2023-24 season. “The big thing is to be able to do the load management we need to. And that is not something you know in two weeks what you will need.
It’s something that is monitored by our high-performance group and all the tests they do,” Tourigny said. “Having that resource, that person who can keep our quality practice and keep the load management of our goalie at the right spot [is good].” Villalta quickly bought into doing whatever he could to help ease Vejmelka’s work.
The 25-year-old has a 3.01 GAA and .906 SV% through 41 games with Tucson this year.
He was with the Roadrunners on a road trip in San Diego — and had just left the Padre’s MLB home opener — when he got the call-up. (Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Hockey Club head coach Andre Tourigny calls out during the game against the Detroit Red Wings at Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Monday, March 24, 2025. Villalta got on a 10:15 p.
m. red-eye flight to meet the Club in Florida and has been with the group ever since. “Any day you’re up here, you’re living the dream.
Very lucky to say the least,” Villalta said. “My role right now is whatever the boys need out there. If Veggie needs a day off or if he needs his rest, I can get out there on the ice and be the guy in practice.
The way I look at it, too, is you know the practice days are pretty much my game days. It’s going out there and competing, working hard and not letting them score on me. I feel like that’s all you can do in the position I’m in now.
” While Utah’s odds of making the playoffs are close to zero now, the reason for starting Vejmelka (trying to keep themselves in the fight) is starting to fade. But it doesn’t take away from the importance of this stretch for him and the team to know what the netminder is capable of going forward. (Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Hockey Club goaltender Karel Vejmelka (70) during a game at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Thursday, Jan.
16, 2025. “This is a great experiment for Utah on Veggie,” Daccord said. “The sports science people will be able to tell you what impact it has had physically on him.
And then it’s a matter of understanding your goalie. Where does that goalie need to be at and where’s the drop-off?” It has also been a meaningful learning experience for guys like Villalta, Jaxson Stauber (who was previously backing Vejmelka up) and even an EBUG like Graham. “Veggie is the man.
You look at his workload — he’s had a hell of a year,” Villalta said. “Playing unbelievable for Utah. He’s a hell of a goalie and to be able to watch him every day, to see how he prepares and how he gets out there on the ice and plays — it’s pretty special.
”.
