As the NHL season moves into the New Year, it brings plenty of things for fans to look forward to. Not only have we reached the midway point of the regular season, meaning playoff pushes, divisional races, and the trade deadline are just around the corner.
But, right in the middle of all that excitement will be a long break in February for perhaps the most exciting hockey event there is: the Winter Olympic tournament.
Blue Jackets fans have waited patiently ever since the NHL announced they'd be breaking their 12-year hiatus of sending players to the event, and all eyes are set on assistant captain and elite defenseman Zach Werenski to help lead the United States to greatness in Milan.
His electric performance at last year's 4 Nation Face-Off not only served as an excellent teaser of what he looks to achieve at the Olympics, but also as a reminder that even among the league's best players, he's still able to show why he was nominated for the Norris trophy last season as one of the league's premier blue liners.
As excited as I am to cheer on Werenski and the rest of team USA next month, I feel it necessary to shine a light on the other important player the Blue Jackets are sending to dawn his country's colors in Milan, as he hasn't received as much press. That player being Latvian goaltender Elvis Merzlikins.
Elvis gets his stage.
It's no secret Elvis has had his ups and downs since he arrived on the scene back in his 2019-20 rookie season. We've seen him through the highs of his rookie season, and the play the following years that earned him his current long-term contract, as well as the lows of the more recent years.
This season in particular has been notably disappointing. Not to mention the mental hurdles he has been forced to overcome, including the tragic loss of his good friend and fellow countryman Matiss Kivlenieks in 2021, his anxieties surrounding the in-arena cannon; and his 2023 trade request that has gone unanswered.
Through it all, he has continued to show up for the fans and for his teammates. He's an acrobatic goalie whose athleticism often produces eye-catching saves. Even in a backup role this season behind undrafted rookie phenom Jet Greaves, he's managed to steal wins in 6 of his 14 starts despite a save percentage of just .877. And his play has once again been rewarded with a spot on his nation's roster.
Team Latvia looks to be a scrappy bunch at this year's Olympics and are one of the outside teams who will have their eyes on playing spoiler for one or more of the top teams in the tournament. Elvis is one of just 11 NHLers who will be headlining the roster, and will most likely be expected to take on somewhat of a leadership role.
At the very least, he is the most experienced of the 3 goalies they are bringing to Milan. In that boat with him will be 33-year-old Kristers Gudlevskis, who tends the goal for Bremerhaven of the DEL these days, but does have 3 games of NHL experience with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
He will likely fill in the 3rd string role in case of injury, while Elvis shares the net with the Pittsburgh Penguins own young Arturs Silovs, who is fresh off a Calder Cup championship last season with Abbotsford.
Elvis has always jumped at the opportunity to play for his country throughout his career. As a teenager he competed in the IIHF World Juniors twice and has competed in a whopping 6 iterations of the IIHF World Championships since.
While that tournament may have the asterisk of missing a good chunk of the top NHL talent every year, Elvis has stood tall as a pillar of their goaltending room, racking up a 13-17 record for a nation that typically struggles to win games against stronger opponents. He also posted a save percentage over .900 in 4 out of 6 years, including an astounding .940 in 2018.
Suffice it to say, Elvis shows up big when he wears his nation's colors. Not only is this just another reason to tune in to Olympic hockey this February for Blue Jackets fans, but a good performance in Milan could be just the confidence boost Merzlikins needs to get his season back on track and help the CBJ as they push for the post-season.
We'll be cheering him on from home, and look forward to watching Merzlikins, Werenski, and the rest of the NHL's best as they return to the Olympics for the first time since 2014.