Articles by Daily Faceoff,Kyle Morton

Technology

Karel Vejmelka has been a calming presence in net for Utah

The Utah Mammoth entered the year with lofty expectations after a strong first season and solid offseason, and they’ve spent the first few weeks delivering on those hopes to the tune of a 6-2-0 record that includes a five-game winning streak. A solid defense and lethal top-six forward unit have been major factors, but so has the play of starting goaltender Karel Vejmelka. Utah put a lot on Vejmelka’s shoulders last year, as he made 55 starts that included a run of 22 in a row down the stretch as he tried to will the team into the Stanley Cup Playoffs. That streak was the longest by any goalie so far in this decade, and while he won’t be asked to do that again this season, he’s still the clear-cut starter with six starts in the Mammoth’s eight games. He’s continued to do pretty well, allowing a 2.50 goals against average while posting a .896 save percentage that was comfortably above .900 before he allowed four goals in a high-scoring win over St. Louis on Friday. On Friday’s episode of Daily Faceoff LIVE, host Tyler Yaremchuk and co-host and former NHL goaltender Carter Hutton were joined by Mammoth broadcaster and analyst Nick Olczyk to discuss the factors powering the team’s strong start, including Vejmelka’s steadiness. Carter Hutton: I had a chance to play with Karel Vejmelka when he first came into the league. This is a guy that bet on himself. He went back to the Czech Republic… and then came back over. This guy was ready; he’s a man. What about him and the calming factor he brings for this team between the pipes? Nick Olczyk: That’s the word I keep coming back to is calm. He never gets rattled… there are some goalies that are susceptible to the bad goal… I think for Karel Vejmelka, having an opportunity to watch him up close last year into this year, he just seems to know when to make that important save at that right moment. If maybe on a rare occasion there’s a goal he should have had, he doesn’t let it affect him mentally. He’s right back to it. You can watch the full segment and the rest of the episode here…

Technology

Panthers sign Jonah Gadjovich to two-year contract extension

The Florida Panthers announced on Sunday that they have signed forward Jonah Gadjovich to a two-year contract extension that will commence in the 2026-27 campaign. Gadjovich is currently making the league minimum $775,000 at the NHL level, and under the terms of the extension, he’ll make $905,000 in each of the next two years. “Jonah has become an integral part of our locker room and a strong contributor for our group on the ice,” said president of hockey operations and general manager Bill Zito via the team’s press release. “He possesses a fearless attitude and unrelenting competitiveness, and we are excited for Jonah to continue with us in South Florida.” Gadjovich, who broke into the league with the Vancouver Canucks and also had a stint with the San Jose Sharks before joining the Panthers, is a 26-year-old who has been a part of both of Florida’s back-to-back Stanley Cup championships the past two seasons. A year ago, he scored four goals without recording an assist in 42 regular season games before appearing in 16 postseason games in which he scored twice and added a helper for three points. An imposing physical presence on the team’s fourth line, Gadjovich fought Darnell Nurse in the Stanley Cup Final last year after incurring six fighting majors during the regular season. Alongside AJ Greer, Gadjovich has played a big role in establishing Florida’s tough and physical identity. In his three appearances so far this season, he’s already topped his assist total from a year ago when he recorded one in a 3-2 Opening Night victory over the Chicago Blackhawks. Despite injuries to star forwards Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk, the Panthers are showing no signs of a Stanley Cup hangover in their start to the season, now 3-0-0 and atop the Atlantic Division after a 6-2 drubbing of the Ottawa Senators on Saturday.

Technology

Can Arturs Silovs be the goalie of the future in Pittsburgh?

The Pittsburgh Penguins earned a surprising 3-0 season-opening win over the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night, and it came thanks to a shutout from goaltender Arturs Silovs. Silovs was acquired from the Vancouver Canucks over the summer, and the decision to give him the crease over incumbent goalie Tristan Jarry on Opening Night was seen as somewhat of a surprising one in the NHL head coaching debut of new Penguins boss Dan Muse. The decision paid dividends, as it was both the first win of Muse’s career and the first shutout in that of Silovs, who turned aside 25 shots in the effort. On Tuesday’s episode of Daily Faceoff LIVE, host Tyler Yaremchuk and co-host and former NHL goaltender Carter Hutton were joined by former NHL video coach Steve Peters to discuss Silovs’ breakout performance and what it means for Pittsburgh’s outlook between the pipes this season. Carter Hutton: I’m always hesitant on young goalies. Coming in and playing with emotion versus sustainability playing at the NHL level, but Arturs Silovs was really good last night. Is this the guy we see moving forward over Tristan Jarry, who’s making pretty big money to be sitting on the bench? Steve Peters: You know how this goes. When you’re playing well, you’re just rolling, and Silovs played like that. He did that in spurts in Vancouver, struggled a little bit last year, but we saw that from him in his time in Vancouver. Clearly, the coaching staff and Dan Muse felt that he was the guy during training camp, and Jarry’s struggled. For Pittsburgh to get wins this year, they have to go with the hot hand, and right now, Silovs looked fantastic last night. Without him, this game could have gone the other way. I’m interested to see how long he can keep that net from Jarry. You can watch the full segment and the rest of the episode here…