NHL Future Watch: Jiri Patera Hockey Cards, Vegas Golden Knights – Jiri Patera was drafted by the Vegas Golden Knights in the sixth round of the 2017 NHL Draft. Coming from Czechia, he’s had an interesting career so far.
In Czechia, he played for the youth team HC Slavia Praha from 2012-13 to 2015-16. In his last season there, he started 40 games for the U18 team. He had a .899 save percentage against men. That earned him a promotion to play one game for the U20 team.
Patera changed teams in 2016-17 to HC Motor Ceske Budejovice. For their U18 team, he had a .920 save percentage in four appearances. Patera then played in 38 games for the U20 team and posted a stellar .933 save percentage with two shutouts. In eight playoff games, he had a .936 save percentage, the best in the playoffs. He also won a gold medal in the Hlinka. Unsurprisingly, those accomplishments got him drafted.
In 2017-18, he played 34 games for the Cedar Rapids Roughriders in the USHL. His .901 save percentage was impressive considering it was his first year in North America.
In 2018-19, he played in 48 games for the Brandon Wheat Kings in the WHL. His .906 save percentage was pretty good. During that season, he played in one game for Czechia in the World Juniors.
Patera was back in Brandon in 2019-20. He played in 41 games and posted a .921 save percentage.
In 2020-21, during the pandemic, he went back to Czechia for some games and played in seven AHL games for Henderson Silver Knights. There he posted a mediocre .888 save percentage, but it was a tough year to develop.
In 2021-22, he posted a solid .910 save percentage in Henderson. During that season, he got a call-up to Vegas but never played. Patera ended his season posting a .900 save percentage in two playoff games.
Patera was back in Henderson in 22-23, and he got better. He posted a .911 save percentage in 31 games. He played in two games for Vegas posting a .929 save percentage. While he didn’t play in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, he saw his franchise win their first Stanley Cup.
2023-24 is an up-and-down season because Vegas has goalie depth.
NHL Future Watch: Jiri Patera Cards Worth Collecting
Patera’s first card to get is his 2023-24 Upper Deck Series 1 Young Guns Rookie. He is pictured in his gold sweater.
The next card might be the clear-cut version of his Young Guns Rookie.
The last card could be his 2018-19 Upper Deck CHL Star Rookie Auto. It’s a clear signature. At 24, he still has an NHL future and is worthy of collecting.
NHL Future Watch: Jiri Patera Hockey Cards, Vegas Golden Knights – Stats
Statistical image generated on Sports Reference 12/23/2023.
NHL Future Watch: Jiri Patera Hockey Cards, Vegas Golden Knights – More Resources
NHL Future Watch: Jiri Patera Hockey Cards, Vegas Golden Knights – Image Gallery
GoGTS.net is happy to feature the thoughts of our contributors. The opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of GTS Distribution.
For more from Russ Cohen, follow him on Twitter @sportsology.
Russ Cohen
is the author of several top-selling sports related books.
Baseball’s Best Rookies
Numbers Don’t Lie: Mets: The Biggest Numbers in Mets History
100 Ranger Greats: Superstars, Unsung Heroes and Colorful Characters
100 Things Rangers Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die
“Strike Three!” – A Player’s Journey through the Infamous Baseball Strike of 1994
The Winter Classic: The NHL’s Savior
The Philadelphia Flyers: Images of Sports
Pioneers of Baseball
- MLB Future Watch: Kyle Manzardo Baseball Cards, Cleveland Guardians - April 26, 2024
- NFL Future Watch: Zach Charbonnet Football Cards, Seattle Seahawks - April 25, 2024
- NHL Future Watch: Sean Farrell Hockey Cards, Montreal Canadiens - April 23, 2024