Blue Jackets G Kivlenieks dies at 24

Jackets reporter Aaron Portzline of the Athlentic confirmed the news Monday morning.

The native or Latvia went undrafted but signed a three-year entry level contract with the Blue Jackets prior to the 2017-2018 season, spending the majority of his time in the American Hockey League with the Cleveland Monsters.

Kivlenieks re-signed with a two-year deal prior to the 2020-21 campaign and appeared in eight games over the past two seasons with the Blue Jackets, posting a 2-2-2 record with a 3.09 goals-against average and a 0.899 save percentage.

Sad news out of the the hockey world Monday. At the young age of 24, goaltender Matiss Kivlenieks of the Columbus Blue Jackets has died. The news has been confirmed by the Latvian Hockey Federation.

"The reason for Kivlenieks' death is not yet officially known," said the Federation in a release.

More to come.