NHL Future Watch: Karel Vejmelka Hockey Cards, Arizona Coyotes – Karel Vejmelka was drafted in the fifth round of the 2015 NHL Draft by the Nashville Predators. He started his journey in the Czech Elite League until he eventually found a path in North America. Goalies can take a long time to develop for various reasons. This goalie was lacking playing time, and that was a part of the battle.
In 2015, he was playing for HC Pardubice. The year before, he played in 37 games and had a terrific .930 save percentage. That probably got him noticed and got him drafted.
In 2015-16, Vejmelka went down a rung in the league to gain more playing time and that’s when he took part in 42 games. His .920 save percentage was excellent.
2018-19 was a big year for the netminder. He joined a new team and was at the highest level. For HC Kometa Brno, he saw 31 starts and posted a .915 save percentage.
In 2019-20, Vejmelka played in 43 games posting a .911 save percentage and a 22-19 record.
The next season, he played in 35 games and eight playoff games. In the postseason, he had a 2.39 goals-against average with a .910 save percentage.
In May of 2021, the Coyotes signed Vejmelka to a one-year contract. They wanted to see how the 6’4” goaltender would do. Most had never heard of him, but the Coyotes and folks who saw him play internationally knew what he might be able to do.
In 2021-22, he played in 52 games. On a bad team, his save percentage was .898 with 13 wins. On a 25-win team, he did his job. After playing for Czechia in the World Championships, the Coyotes signed this workhorse to a 3-year contract. His future is bright at the age of 25.
NHL Future Watch: Karel Vejmelka Hockey Cards Worth Chasing
The first card to get is Vejmelka’s 2021-22 Upper Deck Series 2 Young Guns Rookie. The card shows off his colorful jersey and pads to match. All goalie cards look great color-wise.
Another cool card is his 2021-22 O-Pee-Chee Update Retro Marquee Rookie. The card focuses on his intense look behind the mask, and that’s what all goalies have when they flip that switch when a game starts.
One last card would be his 2021-22 Upper Deck Extended Canvas Young Guns Rookie. The color on this card is terrific, and the photo shows him in-game waiting for the action to come down towards him.
NHL Future Watch: Karel Vejmelka Hockey Cards, Arizona Coyotes – Stats
Statistical image generated on Hockey Reference 09/13/2022.
NHL Future Watch: Karel Vejmelka Hockey Cards, Arizona Coyotes – More Resources
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For more from Russ Cohen, follow him on Twitter @sportsology.
Russ Cohen
is the author of several top-selling sports related books.
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