Jiří Patera (ice hockey) explained

Birth Date:24 February 1999
Birth Place:Prague, Czech Republic
Height Ft:6
Height In:2
Weight Lb:209
Position:Goaltender
Catches:Left
League:NHL
Team:Vancouver Canucks
Prospect League:AHL
Former Teams:HC Motor České Budějovice
Vegas Golden Knights
Draft:161st overall
Draft Year:2017
Draft Team:Vegas Golden Knights
Career Start:2020

Jiří Patera (born February 24, 1999) is a Czech professional ice hockey goaltender for the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League (NHL). He previously played junior in the United States Hockey League (USHL) with the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders and in the Western Hockey League (WHL) with the Brandon Wheat Kings, and was drafted in the sixth round of the 2017 NHL entry draft by the Vegas Golden Knights.

Playing career

Patera began his career within the youth system of HC Slavia Praha, before joining the system of ČEZ Motor České Budějovice in 2016–17; shortly thereafter, he was selected in the sixth round of the 2017 NHL Entry Draft by the then-expansion team Vegas Golden Knights.

He entered junior hockey with the United States Hockey League's (USHL) Cedar Rapids RoughRiders in 2017–18, playing 34 games for the club. He then transitioned to the Canadian junior system, joining the Brandon Wheat Kings of the Western Hockey League (WHL) in 2018–19. Patera spent two years in Brandon, posting a career .913 save percentage and 2.95 goals against average over 89 total games played, while being named Eastern Conference Goaltender of the Year for the 2019–20 WHL season.[1] Patera signed his three-year entry-level contract with Vegas on 30 June 2020.[2] With the American Hockey League (AHL) season delayed alongside the NHL season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Patera was loaned to his former Czech club of České Budějovice, where he played 15 games during the 2020–21 Extraliga season.[3] Patera would then join Vegas' AHL affiliate, the Henderson Silver Knights, for the 2020–21 AHL season.

During the season, with the Golden Knights suffering injuries to multiple goaltenders, Patera was recalled from the Silver Knights in March 2023.[4] He then made his NHL debut on 12 March 2023, posting his first career win and saving 30 of 33 shots faced as the Golden Knights defeated the St. Louis Blues 5–3.[5] Despite only playing in two regular-season games, Patera spent the majority of the 2023 playoffs on Vegas' active roster, serving as the third or fourth-string goaltender behind Laurent Brossoit, Adin Hill, and Jonathan Quick; as a result, Patera was subsequently a part of the Golden Knights' eventual Stanley Cup victory.[6]

As a restricted free agent, Patera signed a one-year extension with Vegas on July 2, 2023.[7] After beginning the season with Henderson, Patera was recalled to the Golden Knights on December 2 due to an injury to Adin Hill.[8] Patera then made his 2023–24 season debut on December 10, stopping 35 of 39 shots in a 5–4 shootout victory over the San Jose Sharks.[9]

As a free agent following the 2023–24 season, Patera signed a two-year, two-way contract with the Vancouver Canucks on July 1, 2024.[10]

International play

Patera was named to the Czech under-18 team roster for the 2016 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament, but did not play.[11] Patera would later appear for the under-18 team in three games at the 2017 IIHF World U18 Championships, before joining the Czech Republic for the 2019 IIHF World Junior Championships, appearing in one game.

Career statistics

Regular seasonPlayoffs
SeasonTeamLeagueGP W L OTL MIN GA SV%GP W L MIN GA SO GAA SV%
2017–18Cedar Rapids RoughRidersUSHL34 13 13 6 1906 103 1 3.24 .901
2018–19Brandon Wheat KingsWHL48 22 20 5 2774 153 1 3.31 .906
2019–20Brandon Wheat KingsWHL41 24 12 4 2449 104 5 2.55 .921
2020–21HC Motor České BudějoviceELH15 2 12 0 759 45 1 3.56 .887
2020–21Henderson Silver KnightsAHL7 2 4 0 322 19 0 3.54 .888
2021–22Fort Wayne KometsECHL15 7 5 3 908 42 1 2.77 .906
2021–22Henderson Silver KnightsAHL22 10 11 1 1306 60 1 2.76 .9102 0 2 116 7 0 3.63 .900
2022–23Henderson Silver KnightsAHL31 14 15 1 1782 85 0 2.86 .911
2022–23Vegas Golden KnightsNHL2 2 0 0 120 5 0 2.50 .929
2023–24Henderson Silver KnightsAHL25 11 10 4 1463 73 0 2.99 .903
2023–24Vegas Golden KnightsNHL6 1 3 1 317 21 0 3.98 .893
ELH totals15 2 12 0 749 45 1 3.56 .887
NHL totals8 3 3 1 437 26 0 3.57 .902

International

YearTeamEventResultGP W L T MIN GA SO GAA SV%
2016Czech RepublicIH18DNP
2017Czech RepublicU187th3 0 2 0 142 8 0 3.40 .871
2019Czech RepublicWJC7th1 0 1 0 40 4 0 6.00 .800
Junior totals4 0 3 0 182 12 0 4.70 .836

Awards and honours

AwardYear
WHL
Eastern Conference Goaltender of the Year2020
East First All-Star Team

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Jiri Patera named WHL Eastern Conference Goaltender of the Year. wheatkings.com. April 17, 2020. March 25, 2022.
  2. Web site: VGK Sign Goaltender Jiri Patera To Three-Year, Entry-Level Contract. NHL.com. June 30, 2020. March 25, 2022.
  3. News: Kortus. Pavel. Gólman draftovaný týmem NHL Las Vegas Jiří Patera může nastupovat za Motor. Prachatický Deník . Deník. August 7, 2020. March 25, 2022. cs.
  4. Vegas Golden Knights . GoldenKnights . 1633862783870828544 . 9 March 2023 . Jiri Patera has been recalled from the @HSKnights . en . 14 March 2023.
  5. Web site: Patera stops 30 in NHL debut, Golden Knights recover to defeat Blues . . 12 March 2023 . 12 March 2023.
  6. Web site: Twenty-four WHL Alumni win 2023 Stanley Cup Championship with Vegas Golden Knights. Western Hockey League. June 13, 2023. June 14, 2023.
  7. Web site: Gotz . Ben . Knights re-sign restricted free agent goalie to 1-year deal . Las Vegas Review-Journal . July 2, 2023 . July 7, 2023.
  8. Web site: Golden Knights' Jiri Patera: Summoned from AHL . CBS Sports . December 2, 2023 . January 4, 2024.
  9. Web site: Delos Santos . Paul . Patera, Golden Knights recover for shootout win against Sharks . nhl.com . December 11, 2023 . January 4, 2024.
  10. Web site: Canucks Agree to Terms with Goaltender Jiří Patera on a Two-Year, Two-Way Contract . Vancouver Canucks . July 1, 2024.
  11. Web site: 2016 Ivan Hlinka Stats: Czech Republic. usahockey.com. March 25, 2022.