Summer Spotlight: Elvis Merzlikins

Number: 90
Birth date:April 13, 1994 (age 28)
Birthplace:Riga, Latvia
Height, Weight:6-3, 183
Stats: 59 GP, 27-23-7, 3.22 GAA, .907 SV%
Contract:Signed through 2026-27 season (Five years remaining until UFA status)

Last season, the education of Elvis Merzlikins continued.
The flamboyant fan favorite had plenty of professional experience when he first arrived in Columbus after starring in Switzerland for six seasons, but the world's highest level of hockey is a different animal. Merzlikins' first three years of NHL hockey have been filled with learning experiences, but none quite like a season ago.
Merzlikins entered last year ticketed to be the No. 1 goalie after splitting the previous two seasons with Joonas Korpisalo, but thanks in part to injuries to Korpisalo and Daniil Tarasov, he got a full complement of games. In the end, Merzlikins' 59 appearances tied for sixth in the league and his 56 starts tied for seventh.

He did see his goals-against average go up and his save percentage drop a bit, but Merzlikins -- who remains likely to be the team's starter with a five-year contract extension kicking in this year -- feels he also gained critical experience on what it takes to man the net each and every night.
"I think that splitting the games my first two years, it's a completely different thing," he said. "It's a completely different feeling. I would say you don't have that much responsibility, maybe. It's just short-term because you play two games and then you have off. Here, you have big responsibility. You know that you're going to play the next one and maybe the next 10.
"This year I learned a lot. It was hard. I would say it was hard to go through this thing. It's like you want to jump from the cliff the first time, it's super high. You're gonna be scared. But when you do it once, you're not afraid anymore. You're gonna jump and jump and keep jumping. Now I feel the same way. I'm ready now. I can tell you I'm ready for next season to play however many games I'm gonna play."
Watch: Youtube Video

Top Moment of 2021-22

From a merely on-the-ice perspective, you'd be hard-pressed to beat his 31-save shutout Jan. 13 at Carolina, when Merzlikins not only posted one of two shutouts on the season, he made perhaps his save of the year to deny Ethan Bear on a rebound. But as far as moments go, Merzlikins' performance in the season opener will be something we'll always remember about a special night. On an evening in which the Blue Jackets honored the memory of Matiss Kivlenieks, and the fallen goalie's family was in the building, Merzlikins not only wore the No. 80 of his friend, he made 36 saves on 38 shots in the 8-2 victory against Arizona.

A Merzlikins Highlight

Stat to Know

Once Korpisalo was lost for the year to hip surgery, head coach Brad Larsen made it clear he wanted Merzlikins to carry the load down the stretch in a simulation of what it might take for the goalie to push the team into the playoffs during future seasons. Merzlikins clearly rose to the challenge, posting a .926 save percentage in 13 appearances during the month of April. Though Columbus won just five of those games with the team out of the running for the postseason, Merzlikins handled both the physical and mental tasks of that stretch run well, with some of his best performances of the season scattered throughout.

2022-23 Expectations

There's no one quite like Merzlikins in the game, and the fun-loving, energetic goalie with big talent seeks consistency as the team's presumed No. 1 netminder. There were plenty of ups and downs a season ago, but his strong finish has to give the team belief he's more prepared than ever to be ready for the rigors of a full season as the starter. Merzlikins might be the most important player ontthe roster, as returning his save percentage to the .915 to .920 range might be required for the Blue Jackets to being back in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.