Vítek Vaněček

Vítek Vaněček (born 9 January 1996) is a Czech professional ice hockey goaltender for the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League (NHL).

Vítek Vaněček
Vitek Vanecek in 2021.jpg
Vaněček with the Washington Capitals in 2021
Born (1996-01-09) 9 January 1996
Havlíčkův Brod, Czech Republic
Height 6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Weight 187 lb (85 kg; 13 st 5 lb)
Position Goaltender
Catches Left
NHL team
Former teams		 New Jersey Devils
HC Bílí Tygři Liberec
Washington Capitals
NHL Draft 39th overall, 2014
Washington Capitals
Playing career 2014–present

Playing career

Vaněček originally played as youth within HC Havlíčkův Brod through to the under-18 level before joining the ranks of HC Bílí Tygři Liberec in 2013.

Vaněček was picked 39th overall in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft by the Washington Capitals.[1] On 15 July 2014, he was signed to a three-year entry-level contract with the Capitals.[2]

In the 2014–15 season, he played two games with the HC Bílí Tygři Liberec of the Czech Extraliga and spent much of the rest of the season with HC Benátky nad Jizerou of the 1st Czech Republic Hockey League.[3]

Washington Capitals
Vaněček with the Hershey Bears in 2019

Vaněček continued his career the following season in North America, splitting time between playing for the South Carolina Stingrays and the Hershey Bears, affiliates to the Capitals.[4] Following a successful 2015–16 season with the Stingrays, he was selected to the ECHL All-Rookie Team.[5]

In 2019, Vaněček was selected to his first AHL All-Star classic roster.[6] Later in 2020, Vaněček would replace Michael Sgarbossa on the 2020 AHL All-Star classic roster.[7] He would go on to be named MVP of the event after leading the Atlantic Division to a championship, only allowing two goals in four games.[8]

Vaněček was named as the Capitals' backup goaltender shortly before the 2020–21 season, backing up Ilya Samsonov.[9] However, Samsonov was placed on the COVID-19 protocol list in mid-January after only two appearances, and Vaněček was subsequently thrust into the spotlight for the Capitals.[10][11] Vaněček started in his first NHL game on 15 January 2021, saving 30 of 31 shots and earning his first victory as the Capitals defeated the Buffalo Sabres 2–1. Vaněček won NHL's Rookie of the Month for January 2021.[12] He recorded his first NHL shutout on 15 March, in a 6–0 victory over the Buffalo Sabres.[13] When Samsonov landed in protocol again, Vaněček started Game 1 for Washington in the 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs. However, he was injured early in the game and had to be replaced by Craig Anderson.

On 21 July 2021, Vaněček was selected from the Capitals at the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft by the Seattle Kraken.[14] The Kraken traded him back to the Capitals a week later for a second-round pick in 2023.[15] Vaněček's highest save shutout came on 28 January 2022 when the Capitals beat the Dallas Stars 5–0.

New Jersey Devils

For the second consecutive off-season, Vaněček left the Capitals organization after he was traded at the 2022 NHL Entry Draft to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for a swap of second-round draft picks and a third-round pick on 8 July 2022.[16] As a restricted free agent, Vaněček was later signed to a three-year, $10.2 million contract extension with the Devils on 19 July.[17]

International play

Vaněček played three games at the 2015 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships for the Czech Republic men's national junior ice hockey team.[18][19]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs
Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP W L OT MIN GA SO GAA SV% GP W L MIN GA SO GAA SV%
2013–14 HC Bílí Tygři Liberec Czech.20 38 21 17 0 2,156 95 2 2.64 .921 4 1 3 213 15 0 4.23 .899
2014–15 HC Benátky nad Jizerou Czech.1 20 10 10 0 1,178 44 0 2.24 .925 5 2 3 282 13 0 2.77 .902
2014–15 HC Bílí Tygři Liberec Czech.20 4 3 1 0 240 12 1 3.00 .919 — — — — — — — —
2014–15 HC Bílí Tygři Liberec ELH 2 0 2 0 120 3 0 1.50 .943 — — — — — — — —
2015–16 South Carolina Stingrays ECHL 32 18 7 6 1,867 63 4 2.03 .917 11 6 2 624 24 1 2.31 .914
2015–16 Hershey Bears AHL 1 1 0 0 65 1 0 0.92 .962 — — — — — — — —
2016–17 Hershey Bears AHL 39 18 10 7 2,147 91 5 2.54 .909 4 1 2 196 9 0 2.75 .910
2017–18 Hershey Bears AHL 32 12 13 2 1,685 86 2 3.04 .888 — — — — — — — —
2017–18 South Carolina Stingrays ECHL 2 1 1 0 119 4 0 2.01 .935 — — — — — — — —
2018–19 Hershey Bears AHL 38 21 10 6 2,220 97 2 2.62 .907 4 1 3 241 9 1 2.25 .935
2019–20 Hershey Bears AHL 31 19 10 1 1,832 69 2 2.26 .917 — — — — — — — —
2020–21 Washington Capitals NHL 37 21 10 4 2,115 95 2 2.69 .908 1 0 0 13 1 0 4.56 .750
2021–22 Washington Capitals NHL 42 20 12 6 2,317 103 4 2.67 .908 2 1 1 7 0 0 4.20 .863
2022–23 New Jersey Devils NHL 52 33 11 4 2,916 119 3 2.45 .911 7 1 3 272 21 0 4.64 .825
NHL totals 131 74 33 14 7,349 317 9 2.59 .909 10 2 4 385 29 0 4.52 .834

International
Year Team Event Result GP W L OT MIN GA SO GAA SV%
2013 Czech Republic IH18 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 4 — — — — — — 2.89 .921
2014 Czech Republic U18 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 7 5 2 0 437 20 0 2.74 .897
2015 Czech Republic WJC 6th 3 1 2 0 181 13 0 4.31 .828
2016 Czech Republic WJC 5th 5 2 3 0 264 12 1 2.73 .881
Junior totals 19 8 7 0 882 45 1 3.06 .889

References
  1. Davis, Bradley (27 January 2016). "Washington Capitals Prospect Update: Vitek Vanecek". Starsandsticks.com. Retrieved 9 May 2016.
  2. "Capitals sign Vitek Vanecek". Washington Capitals. 15 July 2016. Retrieved 15 July 2016.
  3. El, Tarik (9 July 2015). "Where will Vitek Vanecek play next season?". CSN Mid-Atlantic. Retrieved 9 May 2016.
  4. "Washington Capitals prospects Christian Djoos, Vitek Vanecek join Hershey Bears". PennLive.com. 24 March 2015. Retrieved 9 May 2016.
  5. Gormley, Chuck (8 April 2016). "Prospect Report: Vitek Vanecek makes ECHL All-Rookie team". CSN Mid-Atlantic. Retrieved 9 May 2016.
  6. "Vitek Vanecek Named to 2019 AHL All-Star Classic Roster". www.hersheybears.com. Retrieved 4 February 2020.
  7. "Vitek Vanecek named to AHL All-Star Game for second consecutive season". Russian Machine Never Breaks. 21 January 2020. Retrieved 4 February 2020.
  8. "AHL: Hershey Bears' Vitek Vanecek earns MVP honors at AHL All-Star Game". The Sentinel. Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Retrieved 4 February 2020.
  9. Pell, Samantha (11 January 2021). "Capitals set goaltending duo, trim roster ahead of season opener". The Washington Post. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
  10. Pell, Samantha (21 January 2021). "Capitals' Ilya Samsonov tests positive for coronavirus; Ovechkin, two others remain off the ice". The Washington Post. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
  11. Pell, Samantha (31 January 2021). "Thrust into a starting role, Capitals rookie goaltender Vitek Vanecek is off to a stellar start". The Washington Post. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
  12. "Vanecek of Capitals, registered nurse NHL Rookies of Month". National Hockey League. 2 February 2021. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
  13. Pell, Samantha (15 March 2021). "Capitals Rout Sabres for Fifth Straight Win as Vitek Vanecek Records First Shutout". The Washington Post. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
  14. "Seattle Kraken make their picks". Seattle Kraken. 22 July 2021. Retrieved 22 July 2021.
  15. "Capitals re-acquire Vanecek from Kraken". The Sports Network. 28 July 2021. Retrieved 28 July 2021.
  16. "Vanecek acquired by Devils". New Jersey Devils. 8 July 2022. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
  17. "Vanecek signs three-year contract". New Jersey Devils. 19 July 2022. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
  18. Prewitt, Alex (14 September 2015). "Capitals' Vitek Vanecek making progress, word by word". The Washington Post. Retrieved 9 May 2016.
  19. "Vitek Vanecek Makes Czech Republic a Contender at 2016 WJC". Thehockeywriters.com. 29 December 2015. Retrieved 9 May 2016.
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