The AHL’s Cleveland Monsters, top affiliate of the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets, announced Thursday that the Blue Jackets recalled goaltender Matiss Kivlenieks from 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 one appearance for the Blue Jackets this season, Kivlenieks posted a record 1-0-0 with a 1.00 goals-against average (GAA) and a .962 save percentage (S%) and went 9-7-2 with one shutout, a 2.91 GAA and a .903 S% in 18 appearances for Cleveland this year. In 75 career AHL appearances, all for the Monsters, spanning parts of three seasons from 2017-20, Kivlenieks posted a record of 27-32-7 with three shutouts, a 3.22 GAA and a .891 S%. During the 2018-19 season, Kilvenieks logged a 5-3-0 record in 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).

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