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 The Cedar Rapids RoughRiders are a Tier I junior ice hockey team playing in the United States Hockey League (USHL). Before moving to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, in 1999, the team was based in Mason City, where they were known as the North Iowa Huskies ...

and in the Western Hockey League (WHL) with the Brandon Wheat Kings.

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 The 2017 NHL Entry Draft was the 55th NHL Entry Draft. The draft was held on June 23–24, 2017, at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. The first three selections were Nico Hischier going to the New Jersey Devils, Nolan Patrick going to the ...

by the then-expansion team Vegas Golden Knights. He entered junior hockey with the United States Hockey League's (USHL)

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 The 2019–20 WHL season was the 54th season of the Western Hockey League (WHL). The regular season began on September 20, 2019, and was scheduled to end on March 22, 2020. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in North America the regular season was susp ...

. Patera signed his three-year entry-level contract with Vegas on 30 June 2020. 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. Patera would then join Vegas' AHL affiliate, the Henderson Silver Knights, for the

2020–21 AHL season The 2020–21 AHL season was the 85th season of the American Hockey League. Due to the ongoing restrictions in the COVID-19 pandemic, the start of the regular season was pushed back to February 5, 2021, and the league championship Calder Cup was n ...

. During the season, with the Golden Knights suffering injuries to multiple goaltenders, Patera was recalled from the Silver Knights in March 2023. 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. 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 Adin Hill (born May 11, 1996) is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender for the Vegas Golden Knights of the National Hockey League (NHL). Hill was selected by the Arizona Coyotes, 76th overall, in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. He has also pla ...

, and Jonathan Quick; as a result, Patera was subsequently a part of the Golden Knights' eventual Stanley Cup victory. As a restricted free agent, Patera signed a one-year extension with Vegas on July 2, 2023. After beginning the season with Henderson, Patera was recalled to the Golden Knights on December 2 due to an injury to

. 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.

International play

Patera was named to the Czech under-18 team roster for the

2016 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament The 2016 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament was an under-18 international ice hockey tournament held in Břeclav, Czech Republic and Bratislava, Slovakia from 8 to 13 August 2016. Preliminary round ''All times are Central European Summer Time (UTC+0 ...

, but did not play. Patera would later appear for the under-18 team in three games at the

2017 IIHF World U18 Championships The 2017 IIHF U18 World Championship was the 19th IIHF World U18 Championship and was hosted by Poprad and Spišská Nová Ves, Slovakia. The tournament was played from 13 to 23 April 2017. Finland entered the tournament as the defending champions ...

, before joining the Czech Republic for the 2019 IIHF World Junior Championships, appearing in one game.

Career statistics

International

Awards and honours

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Patera, Jiri 1999 births Living people Brandon Wheat Kings players Cedar Rapids RoughRiders players Czech expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Czech ice hockey goaltenders Fort Wayne Komets players Henderson Silver Knights players Ice hockey people from Prague Motor České Budějovice players Vegas Golden Knights draft picks Vegas Golden Knights players