Matīss Kivlenieks


Matīss Edmunds Kivlenieks is a Latvian professional ice hockey goaltender currently playing for the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hockey League.

Playing career

Latvia

Kivlenieks played for Prizma Riga in the season of 2011–12. That was his only season with the team, and he only played 1 game with a 9.52 GAA. They decided not to keep him, and he went to the Prizma U18 team, where he played as a third-in-line goaltender playing only 12 games, but had a 2.6 GAA.

Junior

With NHL ambitions, Kivlenieks opted to leave Latvia and continue his development in the North American junior leagues, initially joining the Forest Lake Lakers in the Minnesota Junior Hockey League.

Professional

At the end of the season with the Coulee Region Chill, despite going undrafted, Kivlenieks signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets worth $2,497,500. He started immediately the next season, joining the Blue Jackets, AHL affiliate, the Cleveland Monsters.
During the 2019–20 season, Kivlenieks was recalled on multiple occasions to the Blue Jackets before starting in his NHL debut, earning his first NHL win in a 2–1 victory against the New York Rangers on 19 January 2020. He stopped 31 of the 32 shots he faced and finished the night with a.969 save percentage.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

Awards and honours