Golden Knights goaltender Adin Hill exited Thursday’s victory with an undisclosed injury with Logan Thompson taking over for the third period. Now, prior to their game tonight against Washington, the team announced (Twitter link) that Jiri Patera has been recalled from AHL Henderson.
The 24-year-old is in his fourth professional season, the bulk of which has been spent with the Silver Knights. Patera did get into a couple of NHL games last year, stopping 65 of 70 shots in a pair of victories. This season, he has struggled a bit with Henderson, posting a 3.17 GAA with a .900 SV% in his first 14 appearances.
Patera signed a one-year deal worth the league minimum this summer coming off his entry-level deal. He will be a restricted free agent with salary arbitration rights in July and will be eligible for waivers for the first time next season.
Vegas does not have an open spot on its 23-man roster so two things could happen here. The first is they place a player on IR or send a waiver-exempt player (Kaedan Korczak is their lone option) to open a spot for Patera. Alternatively, they can use the Goaltender Exemption provision in the CBA, allowing for a 48-hour recall without needing to take someone off the active roster. However, that option can only be used twice in a season. At this time, it’s not yet known which option they will utilize.