Jiří Patera (ice hockey)

Jiří Patera (born February 24, 1999) is a Czech professional ice hockey goaltender for the Henderson Silver Knights of the American Hockey League (AHL), while under contract to the Vegas Golden Knights 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.

This article is about the Czech ice hockey goaltender. For the deceased Czech-born Canadian mathematician, see Jiří Patera (mathematician).

Jiří Patera
Born (1999-02-24) February 24, 1999
Prague, Czech Republic
Height 6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Weight 209 lb (95 kg; 14 st 13 lb)
Position Goaltender
Catches Left
NHL team (P)
Cur. team
Former teams		 Vegas Golden Knights
Henderson Silver Knights (AHL)
HC Motor České Budějovice
NHL Draft 161st overall, 2017
Vegas Golden Knights
Playing career 2020–present

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 2022–23 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]

International play

Patera was named to the Czech under-18 team roster for the 2016 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament, but did not play.[8] 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 season Playoffs
Season Team League GPWLOTLMINGASOGAASV% GPWLMINGASOGAASV%
2017–18 Cedar Rapids RoughRiders USHL 3413136190610313.24.901 ————————
2018–19 Brandon Wheat Kings WHL 4822205277415313.31.906 ————————
2019–20 Brandon Wheat Kings WHL 4124124244910452.55.921 ————————
2020–21 HC Motor České Budějovice ELH 1521207594513.56.887 ————————
2020–21 Henderson Silver Knights AHL 72403221903.54.888 ————————
2021–22 Fort Wayne Komets ECHL 157539084212.77.906 ————————
2021–22 Henderson Silver Knights AHL 221011113066012.76.910 202116703.63.900
2022–23 Henderson Silver Knights AHL 311415117828502.86.911 ————————
2022–23 Vegas Golden Knights NHL 2200120502.50.929 ————————
ELH totals 1521207494513.56.887 ————————
NHL totals 2200120502.50.929 ————————

International
Year Team Event Result GPWLTMINGASOGAASV%
2016 Czech Republic IH18 1st place, gold medalist(s) DNP
2017 Czech Republic U18 7th 3020142803.40.871
2019 Czech Republic WJC 7th 101040406.00.800
Junior totals 40301821204.70.836

Awards and honours
Award Year
WHL
Eastern Conference Goaltender of the Year 2020 [1]
East First All-Star Team

References
  1. "Jiri Patera named WHL Eastern Conference Goaltender of the Year". wheatkings.com. April 17, 2020. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
  2. "VGK Sign Goaltender Jiri Patera To Three-Year, Entry-Level Contract". NHL.com. June 30, 2020. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
  3. Kortus, Pavel (August 7, 2020). "Gólman draftovaný týmem NHL Las Vegas Jiří Patera může nastupovat za Motor". Prachatický Deník (in Czech). Deník. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
  4. Vegas Golden Knights [@GoldenKnights] (March 9, 2023). "Jiri Patera has been recalled from the @HSKnights" (Tweet). Retrieved March 14, 2023 – via Twitter.
  5. "Patera stops 30 in NHL debut, Golden Knights recover to defeat Blues". NHL.com. March 12, 2023. Retrieved March 12, 2023.
  6. "Twenty-four WHL Alumni win 2023 Stanley Cup Championship with Vegas Golden Knights". Western Hockey League. June 13, 2023. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
  7. Gotz, Ben (July 2, 2023). "Knights re-sign restricted free agent goalie to 1-year deal". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
  8. "2016 Ivan Hlinka Stats: Czech Republic". usahockey.com. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
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