The Utah Mammoth's newly signed goalie Vitek Vanecek caught up with The Salt Lake Tribune and opened up about his decision to sign with the organization.
Vanecek, who is a Czechia native, said that he spoke with fellow Czechia native and Mammoth starter Karel Vejmelka about potentially signing with Utah. Here is what he told the Tribune:
“I asked him about Utah, where to live, where he is flying to, all that kind of stuff. I know him really well. He is a really good guy and a really good goalie. I am excited to be with him,” Vanecek said. “You can talk to him in Czech. I’ve never had, in America, two Czech goalies on one team. It is something new for me. I don’t see any problem with that.”
Vanecek and Vejmelka will get another chance to play together, but this time at the NHL level. The last time they played on the same team was for the Czechia national team. Now, Vanecek and Connor Ingram will have to battle it out to see who earns the backup role.
It is encouraging to see the newly signed goalie get the chance to talk with his countryman and friend before signing to see what Utah was like. Vanecek also pointed out how rare it is for two goalies from Czechia to be on the same NHL team. If he can beat out Ingram for the backup spot, he and Vejmelka will be tasked with helping Utah push for the 2025-26 NHL playoffs.
