The ECHL and its member teams mourn the loss and express their condolences to the family and friends of former ECHL player Matiss Kivlenieks, who passed away on Sunday at the age of 24 as the result of a tragic accident.
Kivlenieks appeared in eight games with the Kalamazoo Wings during the 2018-19 season where he went 5-3-0 with a 2.71 goals-against average and a save percentage of .923.
He made his NHL debut with the Columbus Blue Jackets on Jan. 19, 2020, stopping 31 shots in a 2-1 win over the New York Rangers. Kivlenieks went 2-2-2 with a 3.09 goals-against average and .899 save percentage in eight career games with Columbus. He appeared in 85 career AHL games with Cleveland where he was 33-35-9 with three shutouts, a 3.31 goals-against average and a save percentage of .896. He represented Latvia at several international tournaments including the 2021 IIHF World Championships.
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