Denver, Colo. — At morning skate on Tuesday, all signs pointed to Karel Vejmelka as the Utah Mammoth’s starting goaltender. He practiced in the starter’s net and he was the first goalie off the ice — usually the two surest indicators of a starting goalie.
However, the Mammoth announced shortly before game time that Vejmelka had suffered an upper-body injury and that Vítek Vaněček would be starting.
What’s more is that Colten McIntyre, who typically practices with the team both at home and on the road, would serve as Utah’s emergency backup goalie. He’ll sit on the Mammoth’s bench, and in the case of an injury to Vaněček, he would enter the game.
McIntyre, 21, played 27 games last season for the Connecticut RoughRiders of the Eastern Hockey League — a college prep league. He recorded a .908 save percentage and a 4.72 goals-against average in that span.
He hails from Park City, Utah, where he played for Park City High. He’s the first Utah native to sign a contract with the team, though it’s classified as an amateur tryout agreement.