Latest news with #KarelVejmelka
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Utah Hockey Club's Home Finale Features Award Ceremony, Fan Appreciation... And A Shootout Loss
The Delta Center is going to look mighty empty real soon. Utah's inaugural season isn't over just yet, with the team having three road games remaining. But after a 4–3 shootout loss to the Nashville Predators, its last home game of the season, fans will have to wait months before they can chant 'Veggie,' the nickname of team MVP Karel Vejmelka, once again. 𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐌𝐕𝐏 𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝 Selected by his teammates for his contributions to our success on and off the ice. 🙌 Congratulations, Veggie! — Utah Hockey Club (@utahhockeyclub) April 11, 2025 "Yeah, it's getting crazy. I like to see that, and I can't wait to see that again next season," said Vejmelka. "It's a really cool feeling, especially on the ice, and I really feel that support. So like I said, I really appreciate it." Despite the game ending in a loss, the vibe of the night remained celebratory during the award ceremony, with Utah owner Ryan Smith assuring fans that the organization was 'just getting started.' Still, the crowd would have been buzzing even more if Nashville Predators forward Filip Forsberg hadn't stolen the victory with his shootout goal, silencing the Utah home crowd. Silky Mitts Forsberg 👑 — Nashville Predators (@PredsNHL) April 11, 2025 With Utah's Dylan Guenther, Clayton Keller, and Nick Schmaltz all unable to score against Nashville goalie Juuse Saros, Forsberg's goal was all Nashville needed to cap off a hard fought game with a win. And with no playoff berth on the table, there was no solace in Guenther, who unfortunately didn't get a "birthday present" from coach Andre Tourigny and the team, forcing overtime with his goal in the third period. Birthday boy? Bubble boy? GUNNER SCORES! 🔥Tie game, 3-3. — Utah Hockey Club (@utahhockeyclub) April 11, 2025 Utah certainly would have liked to leave its home fans with a win, especially after a thrilling shootout, but there will be plenty more home games to come for this team There will be more antics from fans to go along with the broccoli throwing and various vegetable headwear. There will be more Liam O'Brien impersonators and hopefully more memorable moments from Cole Stroh, the Utah season ticket holder known for his shiny suit jacket, in the future. "It was special for us. It was the team's first year and there were a lot of emotions," said Tourigny. "There were a lot of connections with the crowd and the way they supported us, we wanted to play for them and play in front of them. It's just tough right now to comprehend that there's no more this year. We're addicted now. We're looking forward to the next one, but we'll have to wait a little bit." What Utah and its fans will hope for is that next season lasts just a little longer... specifically, a postseason longer. We love you, Utah fans! 🥹🩵 #Club4Life — Utah Hockey Club (@utahhockeyclub) April 11, 2025 "Just a special moment. First season here in NHL history," said Keller. "Sometimes it's crazy to think about that, how quickly it happened and how great of a move it's been. So just super thankful. So many people gave us a great position to be successful and I couldn't be more excited for next year." The appreciation is mutual between the Utah Hockey Club and its fans, with the team showing its gratitude through various moments, such as the different graphics presented throughout the game, the pre-game festivities, or simply doubling the amount of the Delta gift card giveaway segment to prove it. Thanks for always showing up, Utah fans! 🩵 — Utah Hockey Club (@utahhockeyclub) April 11, 2025 To make the closing moments of Utah's final home game last just a little bit longer for both the team and the fans, Utah hosted a team awards ceremony, where five of its players were honored. "A coach is like a father and you want everybody to be recognized," said Tourigny. "Those five players have been recognized and they all deserve it, no doubt about it. But there's a lot of guys, unsung heroes, on our team that I would have loved to see them be rewarded as well. I understand we need to have limits, but I think there are a lot of guys who put their heart into the job this year, and they helped us make this year a special year." Along with Vejmelka's MVP award, Utah awarded the following: The Community Obsessed Award: Given to Alexander Kerfoot for being the most active in the Utah community. You can learn more about his efforts in Belle Fraser's story for the Salt Lake Tribune, which highlights Kerfoot's involvement in growing girls' hockey in Utah. 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐎𝐛𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝 Given to the player who is most active in our community. 🩵 Congratulations, Kerf! — Utah Hockey Club (@utahhockeyclub) April 11, 2025 The Three Stars Award: Given to Guenther for registering the most Three Stars selections on the team. The Leading Scorer Award: Given to Keller for finishing as Utah's leading scorer... well, at least until Guenther tied his goal mark with his 27th goal midway through the game. But Keller did have the most goals prior to the game against Nashville, so it still counts. The All-In Award: Given to Barrett Hayton, selected by Utah fans for his efforts on the ice. And as mentioned previously, Vejmelka's teammates selected him as the Team's MVP for both his play and his presence off the ice. "It's a great feeling, especially (the) first year," said Vejmelka. "But I would say it's a team trophy and a team award. I couldn't get a trophy without the guys, without (my) teammates. They're a big part of it and I really appreciate it." So while the season is nearing an end for Utah, there is only a bright future ahead for this team here in Utah.
NBC Sports
09-04-2025
- Business
- NBC Sports
Utah Hockey Club's future trending in a positive direction after first NHL season in Salt Lake City
SALT LAKE CITY — Reaching the NHL playoffs is a long shot for the Utah Hockey Club in its inaugural season in Salt Lake City. Beyond Year 1, though, things are trending upward for the franchise. Utah has plenty of draft picks over the next three years and has $21.5 million in projected cap space for the next season. Many key contributors are signed to long-term, team friendly deals. Starting goaltender Karel Vejmelka signed a five-year deal in March to stay. Fan support has also been consistently robust throughout Utah's first season with hockey-capacity sellouts of 11,131 unobstructed seats for all regular-season home games. 'Everyone sees where we are from a roster standpoint: the youth that we have, the future that's ahead of us and then the intrigue of this market,' Utah owner Ryan Smith said. 'Honestly, the way the community has rallied behind everything that we're doing, it's super powerful.' Smith faced a major challenge when he bought the Arizona Coyotes roughly a year ago and moved players and front office personnel to Salt Lake City with no previous hockey infrastructure in place. The Utah Olympic Oval from the 2002 Games, primarily a speedskating venue, had to be converted into a temporary practice facility and Delta Center, home of the NBA's Jazz, was primarily designed for basketball and not built for hockey. Related Stories Utah Hockey Club will open new practice facility in SeptemberDylan Guenther breaks a tie on 3rd-period power play in Utah's 3-2 victory over the DucksCooley scores winner as Utah Hockey Club downs Vancouver Canucks 3-1 The quick fixes even extended to what to call the team. Utah Hockey Club was designated as a placeholder name for the franchise while fans voted on a permanent team name that will be rolled out ahead of the 2025-26 regular-season opener. Still, the season played out on the ice and behind the scenes how Smith hoped. 'It was pretty daunting a year ago ... walking into a room and then not knowing what to say to the guys besides: 'Trust us. It's going to be OK,'' Smith said. 'I think people do good with change in life. I think uncertainty is really hard for people, and that was probably one of the more uncertain moments.' Utah quickly won over many new fans with an energetic and physical brand of hockey. While making a late playoff push, Utah has scored 21 goals over its past five games while allowing only nine. Utah is not likely going to wrestle the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference from Minnesota. Still, the team's late-season form of play bodes well for its ability to be competitive beyond April in future seasons. 'That's what you want to raise, that's what you want to be as a team … a team who will never quit,' Utah coach Andre Tourigny said after a victory over Calgary on April 1. 'There's no quitting in that room. There's no quitting in those players.' Smith is quickly building up infrastructure that the team lacked when he purchased the team. Utah will open a new, 115,780 square-foot practice facility in the southern suburb of Sandy in September. It will house two NHL-sized ice sheets and serve as the team's official headquarters. Training, medical, and dining facilities, offices, and a locker room will also be part of the facility. Utah's practice facility will also be open for public use starting in January 2026. 'This is the place where we're going to inspire the next generation of kids in Utah to play the game of hockey,' Utah president of hockey operations Chris Armstrong said. 'And this is where we're going to put down all the habits and the identity of this team for the future as we pursue a Stanley Cup for Utah.' Delta Center will be remodeled within the next three years to improve sightlines for hockey games and bring the arena up to NHL standards. It will also serve as the anchor of a new $1.8 billion sports and entertainment district in downtown Salt Lake City. 'This is the next step,' Smith said. 'There's a lot more. The arena remodel and everything else that's coming around there, it's all just part of a big puzzle that we got to go put together.' Smith is trying to grow hockey in Utah by funding the construction of up to 20 new community rinks. Through Smith Entertainment Group, he plans to donate up to $500,000 per rink to help build out the sport across the state.
Associated Press
09-04-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Utah Hockey Club's future trending in a positive direction after first NHL season in Salt Lake City
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Reaching the NHL playoffs is a long shot for the Utah Hockey Club in its inaugural season in Salt Lake City. Beyond Year 1, though, things are trending upward for the franchise. Utah has plenty of draft picks over the next three years and has $21.5 million in projected cap space for the next season. Many key contributors are signed to long-term, team friendly deals. Starting goaltender Karel Vejmelka signed a five-year deal in March to stay. Fan support has also been consistently robust throughout Utah's first season with hockey-capacity sellouts of 11,131 unobstructed seats for all regular-season home games. 'Everyone sees where we are from a roster standpoint: the youth that we have, the future that's ahead of us and then the intrigue of this market,' Utah owner Ryan Smith said. 'Honestly, the way the community has rallied behind everything that we're doing, it's super powerful.' Smith faced a major challenge when he bought the Arizona Coyotes roughly a year ago and moved players and front office personnel to Salt Lake City with no previous hockey infrastructure in place. The Utah Olympic Oval from the 2002 Games, primarily a speedskating venue, had to be converted into a temporary practice facility and Delta Center, home of the NBA's Jazz, was primarily designed for basketball and not built for hockey. The quick fixes even extended to what to call the team. Utah Hockey Club was designated as a placeholder name for the franchise while fans voted on a permanent team name that will be rolled out ahead of the 2025-26 regular-season opener. Still, the season played out on the ice and behind the scenes how Smith hoped. 'It was pretty daunting a year ago ... walking into a room and then not knowing what to say to the guys besides: 'Trust us. It's going to be OK,'' Smith said. 'I think people do good with change in life. I think uncertainty is really hard for people, and that was probably one of the more uncertain moments.' Utah quickly won over many new fans with an energetic and physical brand of hockey. While making a late playoff push, Utah has scored 21 goals over its past five games while allowing only nine. Utah is not likely going to wrestle the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference from Minnesota. Still, the team's late-season form of play bodes well for its ability to be competitive beyond April in future seasons. 'That's what you want to raise, that's what you want to be as a team … a team who will never quit,' Utah coach Andre Tourigny said after a victory over Calgary on April 1. 'There's no quitting in that room. There's no quitting in those players.' Smith is quickly building up infrastructure that the team lacked when he purchased the team. Utah will open a new, 115,780 square-foot practice facility in the southern suburb of Sandy in September. It will house two NHL-sized ice sheets and serve as the team's official headquarters. Training, medical, and dining facilities, offices, and a locker room will also be part of the facility. Utah's practice facility will also be open for public use starting in January 2026. 'This is the place where we're going to inspire the next generation of kids in Utah to play the game of hockey,' Utah president of hockey operations Chris Armstrong said. 'And this is where we're going to put down all the habits and the identity of this team for the future as we pursue a Stanley Cup for Utah.' Delta Center will be remodeled within the next three years to improve sightlines for hockey games and bring the arena up to NHL standards. It will also serve as the anchor of a new $1.8 billion sports and entertainment district in downtown Salt Lake City. 'This is the next step,' Smith said. 'There's a lot more. The arena remodel and everything else that's coming around there, it's all just part of a big puzzle that we got to go put together.' Smith is trying to grow hockey in Utah by funding the construction of up to 20 new community rinks. Through Smith Entertainment Group, he plans to donate up to $500,000 per rink to help build out the sport across the state. ___
Fox Sports
09-04-2025
- Business
- Fox Sports
Utah Hockey Club's future trending in a positive direction after first NHL season in Salt Lake City
Associated Press SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Reaching the NHL playoffs is a long shot for the Utah Hockey Club in its inaugural season in Salt Lake City. Beyond Year 1, though, things are trending upward for the franchise. Utah has plenty of draft picks over the next three years and has $21.5 million in projected cap space for the next season. Many key contributors are signed to long-term, team friendly deals. Starting goaltender Karel Vejmelka signed a five-year deal in March to stay. Fan support has also been consistently robust throughout Utah's first season with hockey-capacity sellouts of 11,131 unobstructed seats for all regular-season home games. 'Everyone sees where we are from a roster standpoint: the youth that we have, the future that's ahead of us and then the intrigue of this market,' Utah owner Ryan Smith said. 'Honestly, the way the community has rallied behind everything that we're doing, it's super powerful.' Smith faced a major challenge when he bought the Arizona Coyotes roughly a year ago and moved players and front office personnel to Salt Lake City with no previous hockey infrastructure in place. The Utah Olympic Oval from the 2002 Games, primarily a speedskating venue, had to be converted into a temporary practice facility and Delta Center, home of the NBA's Jazz, was primarily designed for basketball and not built for hockey. The quick fixes even extended to what to call the team. Utah Hockey Club was designated as a placeholder name for the franchise while fans voted on a permanent team name that will be rolled out ahead of the 2025-26 regular-season opener. Still, the season played out on the ice and behind the scenes how Smith hoped. 'It was pretty daunting a year ago ... walking into a room and then not knowing what to say to the guys besides: 'Trust us. It's going to be OK,'' Smith said. 'I think people do good with change in life. I think uncertainty is really hard for people, and that was probably one of the more uncertain moments.' Utah quickly won over many new fans with an energetic and physical brand of hockey. While making a late playoff push, Utah has scored 21 goals over its past five games while allowing only nine. Utah is not likely going to wrestle the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference from Minnesota. Still, the team's late-season form of play bodes well for its ability to be competitive beyond April in future seasons. "That's what you want to raise, that's what you want to be as a team … a team who will never quit,' Utah coach Andre Tourigny said after a victory over Calgary on April 1. 'There's no quitting in that room. There's no quitting in those players.' Smith is quickly building up infrastructure that the team lacked when he purchased the team. Utah will open a new, 115,780 square-foot practice facility in the southern suburb of Sandy in September. It will house two NHL-sized ice sheets and serve as the team's official headquarters. Training, medical, and dining facilities, offices, and a locker room will also be part of the facility. Utah's practice facility will also be open for public use starting in January 2026. 'This is the place where we're going to inspire the next generation of kids in Utah to play the game of hockey,' Utah president of hockey operations Chris Armstrong said. 'And this is where we're going to put down all the habits and the identity of this team for the future as we pursue a Stanley Cup for Utah.' Delta Center will be remodeled within the next three years to improve sightlines for hockey games and bring the arena up to NHL standards. It will also serve as the anchor of a new $1.8 billion sports and entertainment district in downtown Salt Lake City. 'This is the next step,' Smith said. 'There's a lot more. The arena remodel and everything else that's coming around there, it's all just part of a big puzzle that we got to go put together.' Smith is trying to grow hockey in Utah by funding the construction of up to 20 new community rinks. Through Smith Entertainment Group, he plans to donate up to $500,000 per rink to help build out the sport across the state. ___ AP NHL: recommended in this topic
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
NHL Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire Goalie Pickups March 12 - Montreal's Dobes A Solid Option in Seatlle
On every game day this season, THN Fantasy will highlight players and goalies for fantasy managers to stream or roster for the rest of the season. The recommended players and goalies are rostered in less than 50 percent of Yahoo leagues and can be selected in standard fantasy leagues or for daily fantasy games. Four games on Wednesday, March 12 * = confirmed Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, BUF @ Cam Talbot, DET (7:30 p.m. ET) Arturs Silovs, VAN @ Dustin Wolf, CGY (9 p.m. ET) John Gibson, ANA @ Karel Vejmelka, UTAH (9 p.m. ET) Jakub Dobes, MTL @ Joey Daccord, SEA (10:30 p.m. ET) Jakub Dobes MTL @ SEA (12% rostered)Dobes started his NHL career with a bang, winning five straight. Then the wheels fell off, as it took six weeks - and five contests - for him to notch his next one. Dobes comes into this start off back-to-back solid appearances, stopping 46 of 49 shots in going 1-1-0. He faces a slightly struggling Kraken squad who are just 14-15-4 at home, giving him a strong chance at notching a win with solid ancillary numbers.. Karel Vejmelka, UTAH vs. ANA (39% rostered)Vejmelka has taken over as Utah's top netminder and is in line for additional playing time with Connor Ingram out indefinitely. He has started seven games in a row for the Hockey Club, going 4-1-2 with a 2.11 goals-against average (GAA) and a .914 save percentage over that stretch. Vejmelka is one win away from tying his career-high of 18, set in 2022-23, while his GAA and save percentage would be new highs. Remember to bookmark The Hockey News Fantasy site for stats, news, analysis, rankings, projections and more, including the Sleepers and Keepers fantasy hockey podcast!
