Vegas Golden Knights center Ivan Barbashev (49) fights for the puck against Utah Hockey Club defenseman Maveric Lamoureux (10) during the third period of an NHL hockey game, Friday, Nov. 15, 2024, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Melissa Majchrzak)

Karel Vejmelka skated back onto the ice, pumping his arms and whooping to a Delta Center crowd eager to give him a raucous standing ovation. The usually soft-spoken and reserved Utah Hockey Club goaltender was announced as the first star of the game and let his emotion break through after making a career-high 49 saves in Wednesday’s 4-1 win over the Carolina Hurricanes.

After a hot start to the season, the Utah Hockey Club struggled throughout the rest of the first month and into the second of their inaugural NHL season.