Mammoth sign Colten McIntyre as EBUG with Karel Vejmelka out with upper-body injury

A unique moment in hockey has returned once again, as an emergency backup is set to dress for an NHL game.

Less than an hour before puck drop between the Utah Mammoth and the Colorado Avalanche, the Mammoth announced that goaltender Karel Vejmelka has been ruled out due to an upper-body injury.

In response, Utah has signed netminder Colten McIntyre to an amateur tryout and will be backing up Vitek Vanecek on Tuesday night.

Unlike other EBUGs that have been used in the past, McIntyre is relatively young. At just 21, he had aged out of his junior career, having played for the Connecticut Roughriders of the Eastern Hockey League during the 2024-25 season. In the two seasons before that, he was playing in the North American Tier III Hockey League with the Long Beach Sharks.

A native of Park City, Utah, McIntyre had graduated from Park City High School, winning a state championship in 2021. He also played for the West Coast Renegades in the North American Prospects Hockey League.

Vejmelka had been on a roll heading into the holiday break, having won four of his past five starts. In 29 games, the Czech backstop has a record of 16-10-2, with a 2.70 goals-against average, a .896 save percentage with one shutout.

This is the second time this month that a team has had to turn to an EBUG. Back on Dec. 9, the San Jose Sharks had to sign Justin Kowalski to an ATO after Yaroslav Askarov was ruled out prior to a game against the Philadelphia Flyers.

The Mammoth (18-17-3) is currently fourth in the Central Division, holding onto the second Wild Card spot in the Western Conference.