Victor Eklund #18 of Team Sweden takes a shot towards goaltender Michael Hrabel #30 of Team Czechia in the second period of the bronze medal game during the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship at Canadian Tire Centre on January 5, 2025 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)
(Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY – Former second round draft selection and UMass goaltender Michael Hrabal is finally a Mammoth after the 21-year-old signed his entry level contract on Wednesday morning.
BREAKING: Utah has signed Michael Hrabal to his ELC.
He’s on his way to Tucson on a PTO. https://t.co/rK5K2gIb3m
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) March 25, 2026
Hrabal is a 21-year-old goaltender from Prague, Czechia.
After being selected by the Arizona Coyotes in the 2023 NHL Draft, Hrabal has spent the last three years at UMass in Hockey East.
Completing his final NCAA season as a junior, the Mammoth prospect posted a 19-9-1 record, 1.95 goals-against average (GAA), .937 save percentage (SV%), and four shutouts in 29 games.
Hrabal was also a top three finalist for the Mike Richter Award (top goaltender in college hockey) and recently became the first European player to be named Hockey East Player of the Year, leading the conference in GAA (1.55), SV% (.952), and shutouts (4) during league play.
Player of the Year in the best hockey conference in the NCAA.
That’s a big deal.
12-5-1 record in conference play, 1.55 GAA, & .952 SV%#TusksUp https://t.co/lJPbWKqbCm
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) March 19, 2026
Internationally, the young netminder represented Czechia at the 2022 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, 2023 IIHF Under-18 World Championship, and two IIHF World Junior Championships (2024 and 2025).
Notably, he led Czechia to two bronze medals at the World Juniors, totaling 57 saves on 62 shots faced in back-to-back quarterfinal wins over Canada.
Have a game, Michael Hrabal!! 🔥🇨🇿
The former @OmahaLancers goaltender stopped 25/26 shots in Czechia’s 5-1 win over Switzerland.#WorldJuniors pic.twitter.com/B5tMDDLDji
— USHL (@USHL) December 27, 2024
“Michael had a dominant season at UMass and we are very excited to have him signed,” said Bill Armstrong, general manager of the Utah Mammoth.
“He is a big, athletic goaltender who continues to get better each season, recently being named the Hockey East Player of the Year. We look forward to watching his continued development.”
Hrabal will now report to the Tucson Roadrunners on a professional tryout agreement (PTO).
He’s expected to finish the season with the Roadrunners.
Hrabal is regarded by many as the goaltender of the future for the Mammoth.
Standing 6-foot-7, the 21-year-old is simply massive between the pipes and boasts an elite skillset.
In addition to his towering size, long legs, and elite athleticism, Hrabal intimidates all shooters as he swiftly moves throughout his crease and tracks pucks with precision.
Not that it was ever in question, but locking up Hrabal to his ELC was a significant move for the Mammoth as it guarantees he’ll be part of their future.
Rather than potentially relinquishing his draft rights a year from now which would’ve given him the ability to sign anywhere, Utah can now move forward with their primary goaltender prospect officially in the pipeline.
With that being said, it will still likely be some time before Hrabal is ready to step between the pipes for Utah as the front office will want to see what he’s capable of in the AHL.
If that goes well, he’ll be in Salt Lake City sooner rather than later but don’t be discouraged if he still needs a season or two to adjust to the pros.
The Utah Mammoth will wrap up their four game homestand against the Washington Capitals on Thursday night at 7:00 p.m. MT.
The game will be available on Mammoth+.
All Mammoth games will also be broadcast live on the KSL Sports Zone (97.5 FM/1280 AM).
