As Team Latvia is going to play their first game of the tournament against Team USA at Santagiulia Arena on Thursday, celebrated NHL player Elvish Merzlikins will be seen in action against Team USA. The Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender views the tournament as a personal test of his NHL-honed skills on hockey’s biggest stage after years of waiting.Merzlikins has a score of 11-8-1 with a 3.49 goals-against average and .888 save percentage in 21 games this season. With his exceptional caliber, he views this as an opportunity to prove himself and elevate his game on the world’s biggest sporting stage. As reported by Rotowire, in 2024-25, Merzlikins has a 26-21-5 record, a 3.18 GAA, and a .892 save percentage. With the Blue Jackets, he has won three straight starts and five of his last six, posting a sharp 2.03 GAA and .924 save percentage. The player has expressed his feelings to feature on the biggest sporting platform with Team Latvia, and here’s what he has said.
Columbus Blue Jackets goalie gets a chance to prove his ability with Team Latvia against Team USA at Milano Cortina 2026
Elvis Merzlikins and Team Latvia arrived in Milan ready to embrace the Olympics as they are all set to face a daunting opener against powerhouse Team USA on Thursday. According to the NHL, Latvia has a population of approximately 1.83 million people, nearly seven times smaller than the population of Ohio (11.9 million), where Merzlikins makes a home playing for the Columbus Blue Jackets.Speaking about his appearance in the Winter Olympics, Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender stated, “When you were a kid, you were getting ready for this, for these big moments. All the hard work that you put in, there you go, this is your ticket, this is the big stage. Just go, and I would say enjoy. Don’t even overthink. Don’t get nervous. Just enjoy. I take this as a test of myself as well.””What do you got, Elvis? Show me. Show it to yourself what you have. Of course, the games could go good, bad, a lot of things can happen, but still it’s a challenge to myself. I want to see what I got in myself. Now I’m 31, and I want to see the hard work I put in to see what level I’m at,” the goalie further said, expressing his feelings.Sharing his excitement representing Team Latvia, the 31-year-old goaltender also stated, “This, it’s Olympics, it’s huge. I’ve waited for this moment seriously all my career, but I don’t want to put myself in a bad spot and put the pressure on myself. “”I’m just taking this as a regular World Championship tournament. Don’t think about those (Olympic) rings. Don’t watch those rings. It’s the same (U.S.) team, just a bit different. Most of the guys are the same guys as who play for national teams in the World Championship. Here’s just additional bigger superstars. Just game by game, don’t overthink,” he further added motivating himself. (source: NHL.com)It is to be noted that Merzlikins is signed to a five-year, $27 million contract with a cap hit of $5,400,000 per season, playing for the Columbus Blue Jackets. His contract expires at the end of the 2026-27 season, making him a free agent. It will be interesting to see what Merzlikins will do for Latvia to win in their first match against Team USA.