Vítek Vaněček

Vítek Vaněček (born 9 January 1996) is a Czech professional ice hockey goaltender who currently plays for the Washington Capitals in the National Hockey League (NHL).

Vítek Vaněček
Vaněček at the 2019 AHL All-Star Game
Born (1996-01-09) 9 January 1996
Havlíčkův Brod, Czech Republic
Height 6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight 181 lb (82 kg; 12 st 13 lb)
Position Goaltender
Catches Left
NHL team
Former teams		 Washington Capitals
HC Bílí Tygři Liberec
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]

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 started in his first NHL game on 15 January 2021. He made 30 saves with a .968 save percentage, and earned the victory as the Capitals defeated the Buffalo Sabres 2–1. On 2 February 2021, Vaněček and MedStar Washington Hospital Center emergency room RN Mary "Dani" Dell'Isola were named the NHL's "Rookies of the Month" for January.[9]

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.[10][11]

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 2156 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 1178 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 1867 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 2147 91 5 2.54 .909 4 1 2 196 9 0 2.75 .910
2017–18 Hershey Bears AHL 32 12 13 2 1685 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 2220 97 2 2.62 .907 4 1 3 241 9 1 2.25 .935
2019–20 Hershey Bears AHL 31 19 10 1 1832 69 2 2.26 .917 — — — — — — — —
AHL totals 141 71 43 16 7959 344 11 2.59 .906 8 2 5 437 18 1 2.47 .925

International
Year Team Event Result GP W L OT MIN GA SO GAA SV%
2013 Czech Republic IH18 4 — — — — — — 2.89 .921
2014 Czech Republic WJC18 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 | NEWS | Hershey Bears Hockey". www.hersheybears.com. Retrieved 4 February 2020.
  7. "Vitek Vanecek named to AHL All-Star Game for second consecutive season". russianmachineneverbreaks.com. 21 January 2020. Retrieved 4 February 2020.
  8. Bears, Courtesy of Hershey. "AHL: Hershey Bears' Vitek Vanecek earns MVP honors at AHL All-Star Game". The Sentinel. Retrieved 4 February 2020.
  9. "Vanecek of Capitals, registered nurse NHL Rookies of Month". National Hockey League. 2 February 2021. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
  10. Prewitt, Alex (14 September 2015). "Capitals' Vitek Vanecek making progress, word by word". The Washington Post. Retrieved 9 May 2016.
  11. "Vitek Vanecek Makes Czech Republic a Contender at 2016 WJC". Thehockeywriters.com. 29 December 2015. Retrieved 9 May 2016.
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