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Kristers Gudļevskis (born 31 July 1992) is a Latvian professional
ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice h ...
goaltender In ice hockey, the goaltender (commonly referred to as the goalie) is the player responsible for preventing the hockey puck from entering their team's net, thus preventing the opposing team from scoring. The goaltender mostly plays in or near t ...
for the
Fischtown Pinguins The Fischtown Pinguins, also known as REV Bremerhaven, are a professional ice hockey team based in Bremerhaven, Germany. From 2004 to 2016 the team played at the second level of ice hockey in Germany, until the 2012–13 season the 2nd Bundesliga ...
of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL). Gudļevskis was selected by the
Tampa Bay Lightning The Tampa Bay Lightning (colloquially known as the Bolts) are a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. They play th ...
in the fifth round (124th overall) of the
2013 NHL Entry Draft The 2013 NHL Entry Draft was the 51st NHL Entry Draft. All seven rounds of the draft took place on June 30, 2013, at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The top three selections were Nathan MacKinnon going to the Colorado Avalanche, Al ...
. Gudļevskis is the only player to have played in the
ECHL The ECHL (formerly the East Coast Hockey League) is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, with teams scattered across the United States and Canada. It is a tier below the American Hockey League (AHL). The ...
, AHL,
NHL The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...
,
Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a vari ...
, and
IIHF World Championships The Ice Hockey World Championships are an annual international men's ice hockey tournament organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). First officially held at the 1920 Summer Olympics, it is the sport's highest profile annual ...
in the same season.


Playing career


Europe

Gudļevskis started his professional career in the 2009–10 season playing for HK Ogre of the
Latvian Hockey League The Latvian Hockey Higher League ( lv, Latvijas Virslīgas hokeja čempionāts), also known as the Optibet Hockey League ( lv, Optibet hokeja līga) since 2017 due to sponsorship by Optibet, is the top tier league of ice hockey in Latvia currentl ...
. In the following season, he moved on to play for Dinamo Riga affiliate
HK Rīga HK Riga is an ice hockey club, based in Riga, Latvia. It was founded in 2009 to serve as the farm club of former Kontinental Hockey League club Dinamo Riga. The club played the 2009–10 season in both the Latvian Hockey Higher League (which the ...
of the
Minor Hockey League The Junior Hockey League (JHL) (russian: Молодежная Хоккейная Лига (МХЛ), Molodezhnaya Hokkeinaya Liga), sometimes translated as the ''Minor'' or ''Youth'' Hockey League, is a major junior ice hockey league in Eurasia ...
(MHL). He played for three seasons with HK Rīga. Throughout the 2010–11 and 2011–12 seasons, he made the Dinamo Riga roster several times as a healthy scratch. On 5 October 2012, he finally made his debut during a 2–1
overtime Overtime is the amount of time someone works beyond normal working hours. The term is also used for the pay received for this time. Normal hours may be determined in several ways: *by custom (what is considered healthy or reasonable by society) ...
win against
Vityaz Chekhov Hockey Club Vityaz (, en, HC Knight) is a professional ice hockey team based in Podolsk, Moscow Oblast, Russia. They are members of the Bobrov Division of the Kontinental Hockey League. In the first few seasons of the KHL, the team was widely k ...
, replacing injured Mikael Tellqvist after the second period tied at 0–0. Later in the season he played his first full game as a starter in a 2–0 loss against Sibir Novosibirsk.


Tampa Bay Lightning

Gudļevskis is only the second (after
Artūrs Irbe Artūrs Irbe (born 2 February 1967) is a Latvian professional ice hockey coach and former goaltender. Born during the Soviet era, Irbe played for various Soviet league teams and the Soviet Union national team before moving to North America in 19 ...
) and highest-ranked Latvian goaltender ever selected in
NHL Entry Draft The NHL Entry Draft (french: Repêchage d'entrée dans la LNH) is an annual meeting in which every franchise of the National Hockey League (NHL) systematically select the rights to available ice hockey players who meet draft eligibility requirem ...
. Dinamo Riga agreed to release Gudļevskis from the final year of his contract; he later signed a three-year entry-level contract with the
Tampa Bay Lightning The Tampa Bay Lightning (colloquially known as the Bolts) are a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. They play th ...
of the
National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...
(NHL). Following the Lightning's 2013 pre-season camp, he was reassigned to their
ECHL The ECHL (formerly the East Coast Hockey League) is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, with teams scattered across the United States and Canada. It is a tier below the American Hockey League (AHL). The ...
affiliate, the
Florida Everblades The Florida Everblades are a professional minor league ice hockey team based in Estero, Florida, in the Cape Coral-Fort Myers metropolitan area. They play in the ECHL and are affiliated with the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League (N ...
. While attending pre-season training camp with the Everblades, Gudļevskis was recalled to join the Lightning. He was later reassigned to the Everblades without making the Lightning roster, and made his official North American debut with 20 saves in a 4–1 win over the
Orlando Solar Bears The Orlando Solar Bears are a professional ice hockey team that plays their home games at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida. They play in the South Division of the ECHL's Eastern Conference and are affiliated with the Tampa Bay Lightning of t ...
. Gudļevskis was recalled to the Syracuse Crunch of the AHL on 24 October 2013, due to an injury to Riku Helenius. He made his AHL debut on 26 October 2013, with a shutout against the
Bridgeport Sound Tigers The Bridgeport Islanders (previously known as the Bridgeport Sound Tigers) are a professional ice hockey team playing in the American Hockey League (AHL). They are the AHL affiliate of the National Hockey League's New York Islanders, who own the f ...
. Gudļevskis became the fifth goaltender in Crunch history to post a shutout upon debut. After four games with the Crunch, Gudļevskis once again was reassigned to the Everblades. On 7 December 2013, Gudļevskis was promoted to the Syracuse Crunch in order to give him more AHL ice time. Gudļevskis cemented his place on the Crunch roster posting ten wins in 21 games. On 15 January 2014, Gudļevskis was named the CCM/AHL Player of the Week. On 31 January 2014, due to injuries of
Ben Bishop Benjamin Manning Bishop III (born November 21, 1986) is an American former professional ice hockey goaltender under contract to the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League (NHL). Bishop previously played for the St. Louis Blues, Ottawa Se ...
and
Anders Lindbäck Anders Lindbäck (born 3 May 1988) is a Swedish professional ice hockey goaltender who is currently playing with Brynäs IF of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL). He has previously played for the Nashville Predators, Tampa Bay Lightning, Dallas S ...
, Gudļevskis received an emergency call-up to the Lightning along with
Cédrick Desjardins Cédrick Desjardins (born September 30, 1985) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender. He played with the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League (NHL). Playing career Juniors Cédrick Desjardins (nicknamed Cédrick th ...
. Kristers made his first NHL start on 11 April 2014, in a game between the Lightning and the
Columbus Blue Jackets The Columbus Blue Jackets (often simply referred to as the Jackets) are a professional ice hockey team based in Columbus, Ohio. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference ...
, he stopped 36 shots in a 3–2 win for the Lightning. He made his NHL playoffs debut after replacing Lindbäck mid-game on 18 April 2014 against the
Montreal Canadiens The Montreal CanadiensEven in English, the French spelling is always used instead of ''Canadians''. The French spelling of ''Montréal'' is also sometimes used in the English media. (french: link=no, Les Canadiens de Montréal), officially ...
in the second game of the first round. He replaced Lindbäck in game four of the series as well. During this season, Gudļevskis became the first goalie in the sport's history to play in an ECHL, AHL, NHL and Olympics in the same season, which also included his Stanley Cup playoffs debut. On 10 June 2015, in game four of the 2015 Stanley Cup Finals against the
Chicago Blackhawks The Chicago Blackhawks (spelled Black Hawks until 1986, and known colloquially as the Hawks) are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago. The Blackhawks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division i ...
, Gudļevskis became the backup goalie for fellow prospect
Andrei Vasilevskiy Andrei Andreyevich Vasilevskiy (russian: Андрей Андреевич Василевский; born 25 July 1994) is a Russian professional ice hockey goaltender for the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted i ...
, who started the game after Ben Bishop was injured in game two (Bishop played injured in game three). On 24 October 2015, Gudļevskis played in his second NHL regular season game against the
Chicago Blackhawks The Chicago Blackhawks (spelled Black Hawks until 1986, and known colloquially as the Hawks) are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago. The Blackhawks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division i ...
, stopping 31 shots. Though he had a great effort, he lost in overtime 1–0, when a backhand shot slipped by taken from
Jonathan Toews Jonathan Bryan Toews ( ; born April 29, 1988) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre and captain of the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL). Nicknamed "Captain Serious", Toews was selected by the Blackhawks with the t ...
. On 2 July 2016, the Lightning announced the re-signing of Gudļevskis to a one-year, two-way contract. Gudļevskis played in 41 games with the Syracuse Crunch in the
2015–16 AHL season The 2015–16 AHL season was the 80th season of the American Hockey League. The regular season began on October 9, 2015, and ended on April 17, 2016. The 2016 Calder Cup playoffs follow the conclusion of the regular season. An attendance record wa ...
, posting a 16–12–8 record with a 2.83 goals-against average and a .907 save percentage.


New York Islanders

On 1 July 2017, Gudļevskis was traded by the Lightning to the New York Islanders in exchange for
Carter Verhaeghe Carter Verhaeghe ( ; born August 14, 1995) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre for the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted in the third round, 82nd overall in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft by the Toronto Mapl ...
. On 11 July 2017, Gudļevskis signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Islanders. In the following 2017–18 season, Gudļevskis was assigned to AHL affiliate, the
Bridgeport Sound Tigers The Bridgeport Islanders (previously known as the Bridgeport Sound Tigers) are a professional ice hockey team playing in the American Hockey League (AHL). They are the AHL affiliate of the National Hockey League's New York Islanders, who own the f ...
for the duration of the year. In splitting starting duties, he recorded 12 wins in 37 games.


Return to Europe

As an impending restricted free agent with the Islanders and his NHL career stalled after five seasons in North America, Gudļevskis opted to return home by agreeing to a one-year deal with former club Dinamo Riga of the KHL on 21 June 2018. He was released on 1 October 2019, after posting a 3.45 GAA and a .863 save percentage in just nine games. On 2 December 2019, he signed a contract with the
Fischtown Pinguins The Fischtown Pinguins, also known as REV Bremerhaven, are a professional ice hockey team based in Bremerhaven, Germany. From 2004 to 2016 the team played at the second level of ice hockey in Germany, until the 2012–13 season the 2nd Bundesliga ...
of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL). On 8 October 2020, Gudļevskis signed a one-year contract with
EC VSV EC Grand Immo VSV are an ice hockey team in the ICE Hockey League. They play their home games at Stadthalle (capacity approximately 4500 spectators) in Villach, Austria. The team colors are blue and white. Their mascot is an eagle - Villach's c ...
of the
ICE Hockey League The ICE Hockey League (International Central European Hockey League), known as the win2day ICE Hockey League for sponsorship reasons, is a Central European hockey league that also serves as the top-tier ice hockey league in Austria, it currently f ...
. On 6 February 2021, he signed with
HC Slovan Bratislava Hockey Club Slovan Bratislava ( sk, Hokejový klub Slovan Bratislava) is a professional ice hockey club based in Bratislava, Slovakia. In 2012, it left the Slovak Extraliga and joined the international Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). In 2019, ...
of the
Slovak Extraliga The Tipos Extraliga (Slovak Extraliga) is the highest-level ice hockey league in Slovakia. From the 2018–19 season to the 2020–21 season, the league included one or two teams from Hungary. In 2009, it was ranked by the IIHF as the fifth st ...
, and then extended his contract with the team on 10 May. On 1 January 2022, Gudļevskis joined
Brynäs IF Brynäs IF is a Swedish ice hockey team from Gävle. The club currently plays in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL), the top tier of ice hockey in Sweden. The club has played in the top-tier league since 1960, longer than any other team. History B ...
of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) until the end of the 2021–22 season. On 13 June 2022, Gudļevskis signed a one-year contract with
Modo Hockey Modo Hockey (or MoDo with uppercase letters) is a professional ice hockey club in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden. The team plays in Sweden's second-tier league HockeyAllsvenskan. The club was founded in 1987 and has won one SHL championships; in 2007. ...
of
HockeyAllsvenskan HockeyAllsvenskan (previously Allsvenskan and SuperAllsvenskan) is a professional ice hockey league, and the second-highest league in the Swedish ice hockey system (after the SHL). Since the 2009–10 season, the league consists of fourteen team ...
. Gudļevskis had an impressive season with Modo Hockey, posting a 1.88 GAA in 39 regular season games with the club, and also helped lead the team to winning the league, promoting them to the SHL for the following season. As a free agent, Gudļevskis left Modo after securing a two-year contract to return to former club, Fischtown Pinguins of the DEL, on 16 May 2023.


International play

Gudļevskis became the starting goaltender for Team Latvia in the
2013 IIHF World Championship The 2013 IIHF World Championship was the 77th event hosted by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), held in Stockholm, Sweden and Helsinki, Finland, between 3–19 May 2013. TV4 and MTV3 served as host broadcasters of the event. The ...
after original starter
Edgars Masaļskis Edgars Masaļskis (born 31 March 1980) is a Latvian ice hockey coach and former player. Playing as a goaltender, Masaļskis represented the Latvian national team, and has played for a number of clubs, with five seasons in Liepājas Metalurgs as ...
could not recover game form coming from injury. He registered a 2–2 win-loss record and was named one of the tournament's three best players for Team Latvia. On 7 January 2014, Gudļevskis was named to the Latvian national team roster for the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics. Latvia entered the qualification playoff stage ranked as one of the lowest seeds (ahead of only Norway), amassing no points in group play. In the second round, Gudļevskis got the start in the matchup against reigning Olympic champions Canada, despite the Latvian team upsetting Switzerland earlier with Masaļskis. In what was expected to be a routine victory for the Canadian squad, the Latvian team responded with an early equalizer and managed to stay alive behind Gudļevskis' goaltending (saving 55 of 57 shots he faced) until late into the third period, eventually falling in a 2–1 loss. Gudļevskis was praised, especially in Canadian media and sports commentary, for his performance in the quarter-final against the Canadian national team. Gudlevskis was the backup goaltender for the Latvia at the
2023 IIHF World Championship The 2023 IIHF World Championship will be co-hosted by Tampere, Finland and Riga, Latvia. The tournament is scheduled to be held from 12 to 28 May 2023, and will be organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). Host nation bid The ...
, in which Latvia made history, winning a bronze medal, Latvia's first ever IIHF World Championship medal. Although he dressed for a majority of the teams games, he did not play in any.


Career statistics


Regular season and playoffs


International


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gudlevskis, Kristers 1992 births Living people ASK/Ogre players Bridgeport Sound Tigers players Brynäs IF players Dinamo Riga players EC VSV players Expatriate ice hockey players in Austria Expatriate ice hockey players in Germany Expatriate ice hockey players in Slovakia Expatriate ice hockey players in Sweden Expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Fischtown Pinguins players Florida Everblades players HC Slovan Bratislava players HK Riga players Ice hockey players at the 2014 Winter Olympics Ice hockey players at the 2022 Winter Olympics Latvian expatriate ice hockey people Latvian expatriate sportspeople in Austria Latvian expatriate sportspeople in Germany Latvian expatriate sportspeople in Slovakia Latvian expatriate sportspeople in Sweden Latvian expatriate sportspeople in the United States Latvian ice hockey goaltenders Modo Hockey players Olympic ice hockey players for Latvia People from Aizkraukle Syracuse Crunch players Tampa Bay Lightning draft picks Tampa Bay Lightning players