Vítek Vaněček

Vítek Vaněček (born 9 January 1996) is a Czech professional ice hockey goaltender who currently plays as a prospect for the Washington Capitals in the National Hockey League (NHL)

Playing career
Vaněček originally played as youth within HC Havlíčkův Brod through to the under-18 level before joining the ranks of HC Bílí Tygři Liberec in 2013.

Vaněček was picked 39th overall in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft by the Washington Capitals. On 15 July 2014, he was signed to a three-year entry-level contract with the Capitals.

In the 2014–15 season, he played two games with the HC Bílí Tygři Liberec of the Czech Extraliga and spent much of the rest of the season with HC Benátky nad Jizerou of the 1st Czech Republic Hockey League.

Vaněček continued his career the following season in North America, splitting time between playing for the South Carolina Stingrays and the Hershey Bears, affiliates to the Capitals. Following a successful 2015–16 season with the Stingrays, he was selected to the ECHL All-Rookie Team.

In 2019, Vaněček was selected to his first AHL All-Star classic roster. Later in 2020, Vaněček would replace Michael Sgarbossa on the 2020 AHL All-Star classic roster. He would go on to be named MVP of the event after leading the Atlantic Division to a championship, only allowing two goals in four games.

International play
Vaněček played three games at the 2015 World Junior Ice Hockey Championship for the Czech Republic men's national junior ice hockey team.