“Matiss Edmunds Kivlenieks, born August 26, 1996, was a Latvian profession ice hockey goaltender. He died on July 4, 2021, after hurting his head in a Fourth of July accident, police sau. He played for the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hockey League (NHL). Undrafted in the NHL, Kivlenieks was signed by the Blue Jackets as a free agent in 2017. He made his NHL Debut at Madison Square Garden on January 2, 2020, during which he stopped 31 of 32 shots to help his team beat the New York Rangers 2-1. After joining the Blue Jackets in May 2017, he represented the team in eight career games and went 2-2-2 with a 3.09 goals-against average and a .899 save percentage. The 24-year-old also played for the club’s American Hockey League affiliate, the Cleveland Monsters. There, he went 33-35-9, with a 3.31 GAA and .896 SV% in 85 career games. In all, he had three shutouts. Kivlenieks also represented his native Latvia in several international tournaments. he played for Prizma Riga in the 2011-12 season. That was his only season with the team, and he only played 1 game with a 9.52 GAA. Following this, he went to the Prizma U18 team. There, he played as a third-in-line goaltender, playing only 12 games, but had a 2.6 GAA. Professionally, he signed a three-year contract with the Blue Jackets worth $2,497,500. He started immediately the next season. During the 2019u201320 season, Kivlenieks was recalled on multiple occasions to the Blue Jackets before starting in his NHL debut. Internationally, he was first selected to the senior Latvian national team, serving as the third choice goaltender at the 2018 IIHF World Championship. Later, he made his World Championship debut with Latvia in the 2021 IIHF World Championship. Kivlenieks led Latvia to its first win over Canada. They also registered their first loss against Kazakhstan during the group phase. With Cleveland Monsters, he posted a 33-35-9 mark, 3.31 GAA, .896 SV% and three shutouts in 85 career games. #NHL #Hockey #Sportsu00a0.”