Blue Jackets Recall Adam Clendening & Matiss Kivlenieks, Assign Elvis Merzlikins to Monsters
Nov 6, 2019The AHL’s Cleveland Monsters, top affiliate of the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets, announced Wednesday that the Blue Jackets recalled defenseman Adam Clendening and goaltender Matiss Kivlenieks from the Monsters and assigned goaltender Elvis Merzlikins to Cleveland. In 11 appearances for the Monsters this season, Clendening supplied 2-5-7 with 12 penalty minutes and a +5 rating while Kivlenieks went 5-1-1 in seven appearances for Cleveland this year with a 2.37 goals-against average (GAA) and a .909 save percentage (S%). In four appearances for Columbus this season, the first action of his North American pro career, Merzlikins went 0-2-1 with a 3.91 GAA and a .882 S%.
A 6’0”, 196 lb., right-handed native of Niagara Falls, NY, Clendening, 27, was selected by the Chicago Blackhawks in the second round (36th overall) of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. In 90 career NHL appearances for Columbus, Chicago, the Vancouver Canucks, Pittsburgh Penguins, Edmonton Oilers, New York Rangers and Arizona Coyotes spanning parts of five seasons from 2014-19, Clendening supplied 4-20-24 with 42 penalty minutes and a +11 rating. In 317 career AHL appearances for the Rockford IceHogs, Utica Comets, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, Tucson Roadrunners and the Monsters spanning parts of seven seasons from 2012-19, Clendening contributed 34-171-205 with 377 penalty minutes and a +54 rating. Clendening competed in the 2012-13 AHL All-Star Game and was named to the 2013-14 AHL First All-Star Team and the 2012-13 AHL Second All-Star Team.
Prior to his professional career, Clendening notched 9-50-59 with 144 penalty minutes and a +19 rating in 77 NCAA appearances for Boston University spanning two seasons from 2010-12 and added 4-13-17 with 44 penalty minutes and a +16 rating in 26 USHL appearances for USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program during the 2009-10 season. Clendening additionally competed for Team USA at the 2012 IIHF U20 World Junior Championships.
A 6’2”, 184 lb., left-catching native of Riga, Latvia, Kivlenieks, 22, supplied a record of 23-26-6 with two shutouts, a 3.21 GAA and a .889 S% spanning parts of three seasons with Cleveland from 2017-19. In one USHL season with the Sioux City Musketeers in 2016-17, Kivlenieks claimed USHL Goaltender and Player of the Year honors and was named to the USHL’s First All-Star Team while leading the league in both goals-against average and save percentage, notching a record of 36-7-2 with five shutouts, a 1.85 GAA and a .932 S%.
A 6’3”, 181 lb. left-catching native of Riga, Latvia, Merzlikins, 25, was selected by Columbus in the third round (76th overall) of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. Prior to his North American professional career, Merzlikins posted a record of 105-79-7 with a 2.68 GAA and a .920 S% in 210 appearances spanning parts of six seasons with HC Lugano in the Swiss National League from 2013-19. Merzlikins claimed the Jacques Plante Trophy as the NLA’s top goaltender in the 2015-16 and 2017-18 seasons.