#41
#41 Vítek Vaněček
- Position Goaltender
- Height 6’2”
- Weight 184
- Shoots Left
- Born January 9, 1996 (29)
- Birthplace Havlickuv Brod, Czechia
- Acquired Signed as a free agent, July 1, 2025
- Drafted 2014, Washington’s 2nd choice (2nd round, 39th overall)
CAREER STATISTICS
Career Highs
Highs
- Longest Point Streak 13 games – 12/30/22-2/18/23
First
- First NHL Game 1/15/21 at BUF (2-1 W)
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
2024-25
- Made 25 total appearances with San Jose and Florida
- Stopped a career-high 49 of 50 shots faced in an overtime win vs. CBJ (11/5), tied with Karel Vejmelka for the second-most saves by any goalie in a single game all season
- Traded to Florida at the deadline and posted a 2-4-1 record in his final seven appearances, helping the Panthers capture their second straight Stanley Cup
- Posted a career-long shutout sequence of 117:58 from 3/1-3/16, with a 21-save shutout in his Panthers debut vs. BUF (3/8)
2023-24
- Earned a 17-19-3 record over 32 appearances during his second season with the Devils
- Posted a season-long, four-game win streak from 10/27-11/5
- Suffered a lower-body injury at CAR (2/10) and missed the remainder of the season with New Jersey and San Jose
2022-23
- Set career bests in games played (52), wins (33), goals-against average (2.45) and save percentage (.911) with New Jersey
- Led all goaltenders in assists (3) and earned his first career NHL point with a helper on Dougie Hamilton’s overtime winner vs. VGK (1/24)
- Earned a 2.24 goals-against average and .925 save percentage over a career-long, 10-game win streak from 12/30-2/6, which also marked the longest win streak by any NHL netminder all season
2021-22
- Earned a 20-12-6 record in 42 NHL appearances for Washington
- Recorded a career-high four shutouts, tied for the sixth-most of any NHL netminder
- Posted a 1-1 record in two postseason appearances, with a win in his Stanley Cup Playoff debut in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference First Round at FLA (5/3)
2020-21
- Earned a 21-10-4 record and .908 save percentage in 37 NHL games with Washington as a rookie
- Recorded a win in his NHL debut at BUF (1/15), stopping 30 of 31 shots faced in net
- Posted a 5-0-2 record in seven January appearances, earning NHL Rookie of the Month honors
- Made a season-high 45 saves in a shootout loss vs. BUF (1/24)
2019-20
- Made 31 appearances for Hershey before the season was suspended, earning a 19-10-1 record and two shutouts
- Set AHL bests in goals-against average (2.26) and save percentage (.917), leading the Bears in both categories
- Named AHL All-Star Classic MVP after allowing just two goals in four games to lead the Atlantic Division to a 3-on-3 championship
2018-19
- Led Hershey with an AHL career-high 21 wins over 38 appearances
- Represented the Bears at his first AHL All-Star Classic
- Stopped a season-high 40 of 42 shots faced in his first win of the campaign at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (10/17)
2017-18
- Recorded two shutouts in 32 AHL appearances with Hershey
- Made a season-high 36 saves on 38 shots in a 2-1 overtime loss vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (12/30)
2016-17
- Posted an 18-10-9 record over 39 appearances with Hershey in his first full AHL season
- Ranked tied for second in shutouts (5) among all AHL netminders
- Recorded a point in seven of eight starts in December (4-1-3), earning AHL Player of the Week (12/18) honors
2015-16
- Played his first North American season, earning an 18-7-6 record over 32 ECHL games for South Carolina
- Selected to the ECHL All-Rookie Team after finishing second in goals-against average (2.03) and tied for third in shutouts (4) among all league netminders
- Named ECHL Rookie of the Month for November and ECHL Goaltender of the Month for March
INTERNATIONAL HIGHLIGHTS
- Earned a 2.89 goals-against average and .921 save percentage in four games for Czechia at the 2013 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament
- Won silver at the 2014 IIHF Under-18 World Championship alongside Karel Vejmelka, posting a 4-2-0 record in seven games
- Represented Czechia at back-to-back IIHF World Junior Championships in 2015 and 2016
TRANSACTIONS
- Jul 15, 2014 – Signed with Washington to a three-year, entry-level contract
- Jul 1, 2019 – Re-signed with Washington to a three-year contract
- Jul 21, 2021 – Selected by Seattle in the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft
- Jul 7, 2022 – Acquired by New Jersey from Washington, along with a second-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft (Seamus Casey), in exchange for a second-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft (Ryan Chesley) and a third-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft (Alexander Suzdalev)
- Jul 19, 2022 – Signed with New Jersey to a three-year contract
- Mar 8, 2024 – Acquired by San Jose from New Jersey in exchange for Kaapo Kähkönen
- Mar 5, 2025 – Acquired by Florida from San Jose in exchange for Patrick Giles
- Jul 1, 2025 – Signed with Utah to a one-year contract
CAREER vs. NHL
| Team | GP | G | A | PTS | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anaheim Ducks | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 93 |
| Boston Bruins | 14 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 363 |
| Buffalo Sabres | 15 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 410 |
| Carolina Hurricanes | 8 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 203 |
| Columbus Blue Jackets | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 221 |
| Calgary Flames | 6 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 167 |
| Chicago Blackhawks | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 151 |
| Colorado Avalanche | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 133 |
| Dallas Stars | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 121 |
| Detroit Red Wings | 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 213 |
| Edmonton Oilers | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 81 |
| Florida Panthers | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 45 |
| Los Angeles Kings | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 74 |
| Minnesota Wild | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 160 |
| Montreal Canadiens | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 125 |
| New Jersey Devils | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 166 |
| Nashville Predators | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 24 |
| New York Islanders | 12 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 313 |
| New York Rangers | 12 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 337 |
| Ottawa Senators | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 74 |
| Philadelphia Flyers | 6 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 167 |
| Arizona Coyotes | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 48 |
| Pittsburgh Penguins | 14 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 360 |
| Seattle Kraken | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 92 |
| San Jose Sharks | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 32 |
| St. Louis Blues | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 37 |
| Tampa Bay Lightning | 8 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 207 |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | 6 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 132 |
| Utah Mammoth | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 40 |
| Vancouver Canucks | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 113 |
| Vegas Golden Knights | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 133 |
| Winnipeg Jets | 5 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 149 |
| Washington Capitals | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 96 |
| Totals | 189 | 96 | 57 | 21 | 5080 |
