Elvis Merzļikins

Elvis Merzļikins (Latvian pronunciation: [ɛlːvis mɛrzˈʎikins]; born 13 April 1994) is a Latvian professional ice hockey goaltender for the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hockey League (NHL).

Elvis Merzļikins
Merzļikins with HC Lugano in 2014
Born (1994-04-13) 13 April 1994
Riga, Latvia
Height 6 ft 3 in (191 cm)
Weight 181 lb (82 kg; 12 st 13 lb)
Position Goaltender
Catches Left
NHL team
Former teams		 Columbus Blue Jackets
HC Lugano
National team  Latvia
NHL Draft 76th overall, 2014
Columbus Blue Jackets
Playing career 2013–present

Merzļikins spent several years playing hockey in Switzerland for HC Lugano, and was awarded the Jacques Plante Trophy as best goaltender in the National League in both 2016 and 2018. Drafted 76th overall by the Blue Jackets in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft, Merzļikins moved to North America in 2019 and made his NHL debut that year.

Internationally Merzļikins has represented Latvia at the junior and senior level in multiple tournaments.

Playing career

Switzerland

Merzļikins joined HC Lugano in 2009,[1] September which allowed him to play in the National League (NL) with a Swiss player license and not count as an import player. Merzļikins made his NL debut with HC Lugano during the 2012–13 season on 28 September 2013 in a 2–1 victory over Lausanne HC.[1][2] At the end of the 2013–14 season, Merzļikins was voted off as NL Media Most Improved Player and NL Youngster of the Year. Merzļikins was selected by the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hockey League (NHL) in the third round, 76th overall, of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft.[2]

In the 2015–16 season, Merzļikins enjoyed a breakout year after leading the league in saves (1,484) and ranking second in save percentage and fifth in wins with a 23–13–4 record in 44 contests. In the 2016 NLA playoffs, Merzļikins led HC Lugano to the NL final which they would eventually lose in five games to SC Bern.[3] He posted a .937 save percentage and 2.32 goals against average in 15 playoffs games. His standout season was acknowledged by claiming the Jacques Plante Trophy as the league's best goalie.[4]

On 22 June 2016, he agreed to a three-year contract extension with Lugano, without an NHL out-clause.[5] At the 2016 Spengler Cup, he was named to the tournament's all-star team.[6] In the 2017–18 season, Merzļikins captured his second Jacques Plante Trophy as the league's Goaltender of the Year after finishing fourth in wins and fifth in saver percentage with a 19–15–1 record in 40 contests.[4] Merzļikins returned for his sixth and last season under contract with HC Lugano in the 2018–19 campaign. He posted a 22–18–0 record with a 2.44 goals against average (GAA), .921 save percentage (SV%) and a career-high five shutouts in 43 games.[7]

Columbus Blue Jackets

At the conclusion of the season with HC Lugano, Merzļikins left Switzerland and agreed to immediately join the Columbus Blue Jackets for the remainder of their season, signing a one-year, entry-level contract, on 20 March 2019.[8] After his arrival he worked with the team during their run in the 2019 NHL playoffs.[9]

His NHL debut came on 5 October 2019 against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Merzļikins allowed seven goals in the game, earning the loss.[10] He was sent down to the Blue Jackets American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Cleveland Monsters, on 6 November, later making one appearance with the Monsters before returning to the Blue Jackets.[11][12] Towards the end of 2019, Merzļikins was not getting many starts, as he had yet to win a game in the NHL. Due to an injury to Joonas Korpisalo on 30 December, Merzļikins started the 31 December game and earned his first NHL win against the Florida Panthers, where he allowed one goal on 37 shots and helped Columbus to a 4–1 victory.[13] On 11 January 2020, Merzļikins recorded his first career NHL shutout in a 3–0 win over the Vegas Golden Knights.[14] He finished the season playing in 33 games with a record of 13 wins, 9 losses and 8 overtime losses with 5 shutouts. The Blue Jackets made the 2020 NHL playoffs and were eliminated by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the second round.[15] At the end of the season, Merzļikins was named to the NHL's All-Rookie Team, the third member of the Blue Jackets to earn the honour.[16]

In the following offseason on 23 April 2020, the Blue Jackets signed Merzļikins to a two-year contract extension.[17] In the COVID-19 pandemic-shortened season of 2020–21, Merzļikins played well with a 2.77 goals against average and a save percentage of .916, but the Blue Jackets could not score and the team missed the playoffs.[15][18]

During the offseason, while attending a 4 July 2021 party, an errant firework killed fellow Blue Jackets goalie, and Merzļikins' friend, Matīss Kivlenieks, a party that Merzļikins and his wife were also attending. Merzļikins' stated that Kivlenieks had saved the lives of his wife and unborn son at the time.[19] Later that summer, on 21 September 2021, Merzļikins signed a five-year, $27 million contract extension with the Blue Jackets.[20] During the following 2021–22 season he struggled; he won more games than he lost, but his individual stats ballooned, with a goals against average of 3.22 save percentage of .907.[15] The Blue Jackets missed the playoffs again.[21]

In 2022–23 season, Merzļikins missed time with various injuries playing in only 30 games.[9] His statistics continued to decline, with a goals against average of 3.57 and a save percentage of .876.[15] The Blue Jackets again missed the playoffs, with goaltending now considered an issue for the team.[22] During the following offseason, the Blue Jackets terminated the contract of goalie coach Manny Legace and brought in a new coach, Niklas Bäckström, and tasked the new coach with getting Merzļikins back to the player he was in his first two seasons.[23]

International play

Merzļikins participated in the 2012 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships and 2013 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships as a member of the Latvia men's national junior ice hockey team. He was selected to the national team for the 2016 World Championship, and made his debut in the opening game against Sweden in a 2–1 overtime loss.[24] Merzļikins also played in the 2017 World Championship and in the 2018 World Championship.[25] In the 2018 tournament, he posted a 1.50 goals against average and .940 save percentage in six contests.[26]

Personal life

Merzļikins was born in Riga, Latvia.[27] Merzļikins was named after Elvis Presley, of whom his father was a fan.[28] Merzļikins speaks Latvian, English, Russian and Italian. Merzļikins and his wife have one son. Their son is named after former teammate Matīss Kivlenieks, who died in a fireworks accident on 4 July 2021, protecting Merzļikins and his family.[29]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs
Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP W L T/OT MIN GA SO GAA SV% GP W L MIN GA SO GAA SV%
2011–12 HC Lugano Elite. A 8 — — — — — — 3.52 — 3 — — — — — 5.07 —
2012–13 HC Lugano Elite. A 30 — — — — — — 2.76 — 4 — — — — — 3.84 —
2013–14 HC Lugano Elite. A 12 — — — — — — 2.07 — 10 — — — — — 1.68 —
2013–14 HC Lugano NLA 22 11 10 0 1269 45 1 2.13 .925 1 0 1 80 1 0 0.75 .976
2014–15 HC Lugano NLA 21 11 7 1 1309 57 1 2.61 .913 1 0 1 38 2 0 3.33 .857
2015–16 HC Lugano NLA 44 23 13 4 2713 125 1 2.76 .922 15 9 6 930 36 0 2.32 .937
2016–17 HC Lugano NLA 40 19 16 1 2408 116 3 2.89 .916 11 5 6 654 25 0 2.29 .933
2017–18 HC Lugano NL 40 19 15 1 2431 110 4 2.72 .921 18 11 7 1104 40 0 2.17 .935
2018–19 HC Lugano NL 43 22 18 0 2559 104 5 2.44 .921 4 0 4 273 18 0 3.95 .872
2019–20 Columbus Blue Jackets NHL 33 13 9 8 1816 71 5 2.35 .923 2 1 1 123 4 0 1.96 .946
2019–20 Cleveland Monsters AHL 2 1 1 0 119 3 0 1.52 .949 — — — — — — — —
2020–21 Columbus Blue Jackets NHL 28 8 12 5 1497 69 2 2.77 .916 — — — — — — — —
2021–22 Columbus Blue Jackets NHL 59 27 23 7 3321 178 2 3.22 .907 — — — — — — — —
2022–23 Columbus Blue Jackets NHL 30 7 18 2 1561 110 0 4.23 .876 — — — — — — — —
NL totals 210 105 79 7 12,689 557 15 2.63 .920 50 25 25 3,078 122 0 2.38 .930
NHL totals 150 55 62 22 8,193 428 9 3.13 .906 2 1 1 123 4 0 1.96 .946

International
Year Team Event Result GP W L OT MIN GA SO GAA SV%
2011 Latvia WJC18-D1 12th 2 — — — — — — 0.50 .978
2012 Latvia WJC18 9th 4 1 2 0 — 15 0 4.88 .885
2012 Latvia WJC 9th 1 0 1 0 60 14 0 14.00 .720
2013 Latvia WJC 10th 3 0 3 0 133 13 0 5.85 .860
2014 Latvia WJC-D1 13th 3 1 1 0 127 5 1 2.36 .900
2016 Latvia WC 13th 5 1 2 2 268 13 0 2.91 .912
2016 Latvia OGQ DNQ 2 1 1 0 91 2 0 1.32 .931
2017 Latvia WC 10th 6 3 2 1 364 12 1 1.98 .934
2018 Latvia WC 8th 7 4 1 1 360 9 2 1.50 .940
2019 Latvia WC 10th 5 1 4 0 237 11 0 2.78 .914
2022 Latvia WC 10th 5 2 3 0 226 16 0 4.26 .862
Senior totals 30 12 13 4 1,546 63 3 2.44 .916

Awards and honours
Award Year
NL
Youngster of the Year 2014
Jacques Plante Trophy 2016, 2018 [4]
International
Latvian Player of the Year 2018 [26]
NHL
All-Rookie Team 2019–20 [16]

References
  1. Zimmermann, Yannick (21 March 2019). "HC Lugano Goalie Elvis Merzlikins per sofort nach Columbus" [HC Lugano goalie Elvis Merzlikins is heading to Columbus immediately]. Nau.ch (in German). Retrieved 8 September 2023.
  2. Ullman, Michael (22 June 2016). "Merzlikins at Lugano until 2019" [Merzlikins at Lugano until 2019]. FM1 Today (in German). Retrieved 8 September 2023.
  3. "Der SC Bern ist Schweizer Meister 2016!" [SC Bern is Swiss champions 2016!] (in German). SC Bern. 12 April 2016. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
  4. "CBJ recall Elvis Merzlikins from Monsters, assign Matiss Kivlenieks". Columbus Blue Jackets. 27 November 2019. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
  5. "Surprise – Elvis Merzlikins extends contract with HC Lugano prematurely". swisshockeynews.ch. 22 June 2016. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
  6. "14th triumph for Team Canada". Spengler Cup. Retrieved 31 December 2016.
  7. Young, Kavan (20 March 2019). "Blue Jackets sign goaltender Elvis Merzlikins to entry-level contract". Sportsnet. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
  8. "Blue Jackets sign 2014 draft pick Elvis Merzlikins". Columbus Blue Jackets. 20 March 2019. Retrieved 20 March 2019.
  9. Svoboda, Jeff (24 August 2023). "Summer Spotlight: Merzlikins approaching season as a chance to rebound". Columbus Blue Jackets. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
  10. Svoboda, Jeff (6 October 2019). "Blue Jackets rally around Merzlikins after tough NHL debut". Columbus Blue Jackets. Retrieved 12 October 2019.
  11. "Blue Jackets Recall Adam Clendening & Matiss Kivlenieks, Assign Elvis Merzlikins to Monsters". Cleveland Monsters. 6 November 2019. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  12. "Blue Jackets announce several roster moves". Columbus Blue Jackets. 10 November 2019. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  13. "Werenski's hat trick lifts Blue Jackets over Panthers 4-1". ESPN. Associated Press. 31 December 2019. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
  14. "Merzlikins gets first shutout, Blue Jackets beat Vegas 3-0". ESPN. Associated Press. 11 January 2020. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
  15. Newland, Jason (14 July 2023). "90 days until the season opener". The Hockey News. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
  16. "NHL announces 2019-20 All-Rookie team". National Hockey League. 21 September 2020. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
  17. "Jackets sign goalie Elvis Merzlikins to 2-year extension". ESPN. 23 April 2020. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
  18. Gulitti, Tom (23 April 2021). "Blue Jackets miss playoffs due to center issues, defensive play". Retrieved 8 September 2023.
  19. Kaplan, Emily (15 July 2021). "Matiss Kivlenieks praised at memorial service for saving 'many lives' from fireworks blast". ESPN. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
  20. "Merzlikins signs five-year, $27 million extension with Blue Jackets". National Hockey League. 22 September 2021. Retrieved 21 September 2021.
  21. Rosen, Dan (16 April 2022). "Blue Jackets eliminated, special teams among reasons". National Hockey League. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
  22. Satriano, David (18 March 2023). "Blue Jackets eliminated, could not overcome Werenski injury, slow start". National Hockey League. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
  23. Portzline, Aaron (15 June 2023). "Blue Jackets task new goalie coach with salvaging Elvis Merzlikins' career". The Athletic. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
  24. "Game lineup". International Ice Hockey Federation. 7 May 2016. Retrieved 9 May 2016.
  25. Vickers, Aaron (13 May 2019). "Merzlikins not looking ahead to next season with Blue Jackets". National Hockey League. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
  26. "Elvis Merzlikins named Latvian Hockey Player of the Year". Columbus Blue Jackets. 10 January 2019. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
  27. "Elvis Merzlikins". Elite Prospects. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
  28. "Watch Goalie Elvis Merzlikins' First Press Conference in Columbus". 1stohiobattery.com. 4 April 2019.
  29. Hedger, Brian (23 August 2021). "Blue Jackets' Merzlikins announces birth of son, whose name honors Matiss Kivlenieks". The Columbus Dispatch.
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