Blue Jackets Assign Matiss Kivlenieks to Cleveland

Mar 8, 2020

The AHL’s Cleveland Monsters, top affiliate of the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets, announced Sunday that the Blue Jackets assigned goaltender Matiss Kivlenieks to the Monsters.

 

A 6’2”, 180 lb. left-catching native of Riga, Latvia, Kivlenieks, 23, signed a three-year, two-way entry level contract with Columbus on May 25, 2017. In six appearances for the Blue Jackets this season, the first of his NHL career, Kivlenieks posted a record of 1-1-2 with a 2.95 goals-against average (GAA) and a .898 save percentage (S%) and went 9-8-2 with one shutout, a 2.97 GAA and a .904 S% in 19 appearances for Cleveland this year. In 76 career AHL appearances, all for the Monsters, spanning parts of three seasons from 2017-20, Kivlenieks posted a record of 27-33-7 with three shutouts, a 3.23 GAA and a .892 S%. During the 2018-19 season, Kilvenieks logged a 5-3-0 record with a 2.71 GAA and a .923 S% in eight ECHL appearances for the Kalamazoo Wings.

 

Prior to his professional career, Kilvenieks went 36-7-2 with five shutouts, a 1.85 GAA and a .932 S% in 49 appearances for the USHL’s Sioux City Musketeers during the 2016-17 campaign. That season, Kivlenieks claimed USHL Player and Goaltender of the Year honors, was named to the 2016-17 USHL First All-Star Team and helped Sioux City claim the 2017 Anderson Cup as USHL Regular-Season Champions while leading the league in wins (1st), shutouts (T1st), GAA (1st) and S% (1st).

 

The Monsters also announced Sunday that the team released forward Jared VanWormer from his professional tryout (PTO) contract.

 

Stay up to date on all Monsters news with the Monsters Mobile App presented by University Hospitals available to download at the Apple Store or Google Play Store. Be sure to follow the Monsters on Twitter @monstershockey, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/monstershockey, and on Instagram @monstershockey.

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