Matiss Kivlenieks was a Latvian professional ice hockey player. He had played for Prizma Riga of the Latvian Hockey Higher League (LHL), the Cleveland Monsters of the American Hockey League (AHL), and the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hockey League (NHL) between 2012 and 2021. His playing position is Goaltender. On 19th January 2020, he earned his first NHL win against New York Rangers. On 4th July 2021, he passed away due to a tragic accident.
Cause of Death
Matiss Kivlenieks died on 4th July 2021. He dies at 24 in Novi, Michigan. A representative of the Blue Jackets said his cause of death was due to a “tragic accident”, suffering an apparent head injury in a fall. Whereas police reports stated that a firework malfunctioned, and Kivlenieks and some friends jumped out of their hot tub, where he slipped and hit his head on the concrete. Initial medical examiner reports, however, list the cause of death as chest trauma resulting from a strike by a firework mortar. In a statement, team president John Davidson said Kivlenieks “was an outstanding young man who greeted every day and everyone with a smile and the impact he had during his four years with our organization will not be forgotten”. Former Blue Jackets captain Nick Foligno said “Kivlenieks didn’t take one day for granted which makes this tragedy even more hard to bear!”
Famous For
- Being a Latvian professional ice hockey player.
- Being a goaltender for Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hockey League (NHL).
Source: @cleveland
Where is Matiss Kivlenieks from?
Matiss Kivlenieks was born on August 26, 1996, with the birth name of Matiss Edmunds Kivlenieks. He was a native of Riga, Latvia holding the nationality of Latvian. He came from Latvian-White ethnic background. He lastly celebrated his 24th birthday as of 2021. Virgo was his Zodiac sign and his religion was Christian. Talking about his parents, he was born to his father and mother, Astrida. From a young age, Matiss was very enthusiastic about playing sports. His family was also supportive of him about him playing sports professionally.
Regarding his educational qualification, Matiss has completed high school and while studying he was training for ice hockey.
How was the Career of Matiss Kivlenieks?
- Matiss Kivlenieks’s career began with the team, Prizma Riga in the 2011-2012 season where he only played 1 game with a 9.52 goals-against average (GAA).
- Then, he went to the Prizma U18 team. There, he played only 12 games but had a 2.6 GAA as a goaltender.
- He opted to leave Latvia and continue his development in the North American junior leagues.
- He later joined the Forest Lake Lakers in the Minnesota Junior Hockey League.
- After then, he signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets worth $2,497,500 and began his next season, joining the Blue Jackets AHL affiliate, the Cleveland Monsters.
- He was recalled on multiple occasions to the Blue Jackets before starting his NHL debut during the 2019-2020 season.
- He made his first NHL win in a 2–1 victory against the New York Rangers on 19th January 2020.
- He stopped 31 of the 32 shots he faced and finished the night with a .969 save percentage.
- Regarding his international career, he was first selected to the senior Latvian national team and played as a goaltender at the 2018 IIHF World Championship.
- Then, he made his World Championship debut with Latvia as the host country of the 2021 IIHF World Championship.
Awards, Honours, and Achievements
MNJHL
- Second All-Star Team in 2015
USHL
- First All-Star Team in 2016–17
- Goaltender of the Year in 2016–17
- Player of the Year in 2016–17
International
- WJC-D1 Best Goaltender in 2015, 2016
- WJC-D1 Best GAA (1.71) in 2016
- WJC-D1 Best SVS% (.932) in 2016
Source: @calgaryherald
Who was Matiss Kivlenieks Dating?
Matiss Kivlenieks was not married yet. He is assumed to be living a single life at the time of his death as there is no news and rumors surface in the media regarding his girlfriend, dating history, and affairs with anyone. His sexual orientation was straight and he was not gay.
How much is Matiss Kivlenieks Net Worth and Salary?
The estimated net worth of Matiss Kivlenieks is in the range of between $2 Million – $5 Million as of 2021. His major source of wealth comes from his ice hockey career and he was living a cool life. His yearly salary was $700,000 as of the 2020-2021 season. Whereas he made$447,600 as of the 2019-2020 season and $295,307 as of the 2017-2018 season.
How tall is Matiss Kivlenieks?
Matiss Kivlenieks is a very handsome man who had a tall and perfect height of 6 ft 2 in or 188 cm. His weight consisted of 178 lbs of 81 Kg. He had a very charming face and glowing smile which attracted a lot of people towards him. His other body measurements are unknown at a moment. His body type was slim. His shoe size is 12 US. His hair color and eye color, both is black.
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