Karel Vejmelka believes in Utah's rising core, and an NHL 27 simulation just gave Mammoth fans an unexpected reason to dream even bigger.
Karel Vejmelka isn't the only one feeling optimistic about what the Utah Mammoth can accomplish this season.
The veteran goaltender told reporters on Wednesday that he is excited about Utah's young core and feels "great energy" heading into training camp, an encouraging sign for a team fresh off an impressive first playoff appearance.
And while Vejmelka's confidence is easy to understand, there is now another rather unusual source of optimism surrounding the Mammoth: a video game thinks they are going to win the Stanley Cup.
Vejmelka is coming off the busiest and most productive regular season of his NHL career, making a career-high 64 appearances while posting a 38-20-3 record, a 2.75 goals-against average and a .896 save percentage. The save percentage dipped from his 2024-25 mark, but his 38 victories were easily a career best.
With Vejmelka established as Utah's No. 1 goaltender, the Mammoth will be counting on him to once again shoulder a significant workload as the organization takes another step forward.
There is plenty for him to be excited about.
Utah has assembled a talented group built around Clayton Keller, Dylan Guenther and Logan Cooley, while the organization added even more experience during the offseason. The Mammoth are no longer simply a young team hoping its prospects eventually turn into stars. There is a growing expectation that this group can start competing with the NHL's better teams.
Apparently, even the virtual version of the NHL agrees.
The Hockey News recently conducted a season simulation using EA Sports' NHL 27, and the result was about as optimistic as it gets for Utah fans: the Mammoth won the Stanley Cup.
In the simulation, Utah defeated the New York Islanders in seven games to capture the first championship in franchise history. Keller emerged as the postseason star, winning the Conn Smythe Trophy after recording 14 goals and 12 assists for 26 points in 26 playoff games.
Guenther wasn't far behind.
The young forward finished the simulated postseason with 10 goals and 10 assists, while offseason addition Vincent Trocheck contributed seven goals and 13 assists for 20 points in 26 games.
But perhaps the most interesting part of the simulation from Vejmelka's perspective was what happened in net.
The Mammoth goaltender posted a remarkable 15-4-4 record during the simulated playoffs, along with a 2.23 goals-against average, .932 save percentage and two shutouts. Those numbers were good enough to put him firmly in the Conn Smythe conversation, even though Keller ultimately took home the award.
Of course, a video game simulation isn't a prediction of what will actually happen once the puck drops.
But it does make for an entertaining coincidence.
Vejmelka believes Utah has something special brewing. The Mammoth have a young core that is continuing to mature, a growing collection of talent around it and the experience of finally reaching the postseason.
And now, at least in the virtual world, the Mammoth have already lifted the Stanley Cup.
Vejmelka isn't the only one feeling good about Utah's future.
Apparently, NHL 27 is pretty optimistic about it, too.
