It's not every day that we get to see an NHL athlete on the cover of Forbes magazine. However, today, for Utah Mammoth fans, they can say that they now have. Today, in the Forbes Czechia edition, the cover featured Mammoth's starting goalie Karel Vejmelka.
He was also interviewed by the magazine, and he shared some thoughts on the first season in Utah.
“I knew that the first year would be extraordinarily important: for the fans, the internal organization, and the sponsors. I took it as a big challenge and responsibility; not many people get such an opportunity.”
He also mentioned his contract extension with his club and how it was a "fairy tale."
“That’s a dream. If someone had told me that before, I wouldn’t have believed them… That it will be on a new NHL team is a very wild dream that I honestly didn’t even have. It’s a fairy tale.”
Vejmelka, who is known as "Veggie," shared his thoughts on Utah. It was truly no surprise that he became a fan favourite, considering that he was a fan favourite in Arizona with the Arizona Coyotes. He mentioned that he loves the support that he gets, and appreciates it more than we know.
“During games in Utah, they also sell not only team jerseys but also print specific people’s names on the back right at the stadium. When I get on the ice, I look around the stands, and when I see my jersey, I can hardly believe it.”
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“Utah is more European. I didn’t know much about Utah before, except that there are a lot of Mormons living there and that the capital is Salt Lake City. It wasn’t until I moved that I discovered that it’s a small town in a valley between the mountains. There are specific people living there who have a philosophy of life based on having a lot of children. It’s kind of like a nation of its own. But I was enchanted by the nature there, the mountains are right next to the city, so Utah has a lot to offer for me outside of hockey. It’s the perfect destination for me.”
Not only does Vejmelka love his country of Czechia, he also loves his new home in Utah. He made that very clear in this interview, which will only have a great impact on the organization attracting more free agents to their market.
It is interviews like this, where players speak so highly of the city and fan base, especially bigger players like Vejmelka, that typically have a large impact on future players joining the team down the road.
His attention will now turn from the Forbes interview to the start of the 2025-26 NHL training camp for the Mammoth. This will be a big one after the plethora of moves that they made to improve their roster. This season could finally be the year that Vejmelka gets to experience playoff hockey for the first time in his career. The best part is that he will get to experience that for the first time alongside the fans of the Mammoth, since it will be the organization's first time in the playoffs.
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