Elvis Merzļikins

Elvis Merzļikins
Born (1994-04-13) 13 April 1994
Riga, Latvia
Height 6 ft 3 in (191 cm)
Weight 187 lb (85 kg; 13 st 5 lb)
Position Goaltender
Catches Left
NL team HC Lugano
National team  Latvia
NHL Draft 76th overall, 2014
Columbus Blue Jackets
Playing career 2013–present

Elvis Merzļikins (born 13 April 1994) is a Latvian professional ice hockey goaltender currently playing for HC Lugano of the National League (NL). He played his junior hockey in Switzerland, which allows him to play in the NL with a Swiss player license and doesn't count as an import player. He was selected by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft.[1]

Playing career

Throughout the 2012–13 season, Merzļikins spent several games on the bench as the backup goaltender of HC Lugano. Merzļikins would eventually make his NL debut on 28 September 2013 in a 2–1 victory over Lausanne HC.

At the end of the 2013–14 season, Merzlikins was voted off as NL Media Most Improved Player and NL Youngster of the Year.

In the 2016 NLA playoffs, Merzlikins led Lugano to the NL final which they would eventually lose in 5 games to SC Bern. He posted a .937 save % and 2.32 goal average in 15 playoffs games.

On 22 June 2016, he agreed to a three-year contract extension with Lugano, without an NHL out-clause.[2] At the 2016 Spengler Cup, he was named to the tournament's all-star team.[3]

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. Merzļikins 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.[4] He also played in the 2017 World Championship and in the 2018 World Championship.

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%
2013–14 HC Lugano NLA 22 12 10 0 1270 45 1 2.13 .924 1 0 1 80 1 0 0.75 .976
2014–15 HC Lugano NLA 23 14 9 0 1370 57 2 2.61 .913 1 0 0 38 2 0 3.25 .846
NLA totals 45 26 19 0 2640 102 3 2.40 .917 2 0 1 118 3 0 1.87 .930

International

Year Team Event GP W L OTL MIN GA SO GAA SV%
2016 Latvia WC 5 1 2 2 268 13 0 2.91 .912
2017 Latvia WC 6 3 2 1 364 12 1 1.98 .934
2018 Latvia WC 7 4 1 1 360 9 2 1.50 .940
WC totals 18 8 5 4 992 34 3 2.06 .923

References

  1. ↑ "Jackets select Elvis Merzlikins 76th overall". JacketsCannon.com. 2014-06-27. Retrieved 2014-06-27.
  2. ↑ "Surprise – Elvis Merzlikins extends contract with HC Lugano prematurely". swisshockeynews.ch. 2016-06-22. Retrieved 2016-06-22.
  3. ↑ "14th triumph for Team Canada | Spengler Cup". www.spenglercup.ch. Retrieved 2016-12-31.
  4. ↑ "Game lineup". iihf.com. 2016-05-07. Retrieved 2016-05-09.


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