Kristiāns Pelšs (9 September 1992 – 11 June 2013) was a Latvian
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 hock ...
player. He was the son of poet and translator Einārs Pelšs. At the time of his death, he played for the
Oklahoma City Barons
The Oklahoma City Barons were a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL). The team's first season was 2010–11 AHL season, 2010–11. They played their home games at the Cox Convention Center, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
H ...
of the
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary Minor league#Ice hockey, developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 AHL se ...
(AHL) as a prospect of the
Edmonton Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton. The Oilers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. They play their home games at Rogers Place, which ...
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 ...
.
Playing career
Pelšs was selected by the
Edmonton Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton. The Oilers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. They play their home games at Rogers Place, which ...
in the 7th round (181st overall) of the
2010 NHL Entry Draft
The 2010 NHL Entry Draft was the 48th NHL Entry Draft, held on June 25–26, 2010 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, home arena of the Los Angeles Kings. This was the first time Los Angeles hosted the NHL Entry Draft. An unofficial re ...
. He made his European Elite debut with
DHK Latgale
DHK Latgale was a Latvian hockey league team based in Daugavpils, Latvia from 2003 to 2012. The team played in the Latvian Hockey Higher League and in the Belarusian Extraleague
The Belarusian Extraleague (abbreviated BHL, also known as th ...
of the
Belarusian Extraleague
The Belarusian Extraleague (abbreviated BHL, also known as the Belarusian Open Championship), officially formed in 2006, is the top ice hockey league in Belarus. In its past, it has switched several times between being and not being an open leagu ...
during the 2008-09 season. In 2010, he moved to North America and signed to play major junior hockey in the
Western Hockey League
The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a major junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitutes the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) as the highest level of junior h ...
(WHL) with the
Edmonton Oil Kings
The Edmonton Oil Kings are a major junior ice hockey team based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, that play in the Western Hockey League. As of July 2008, they are owned by Daryl Katz's Oilers Entertainment Group, which also owns the Edmonton Oilers. ...
.
Pelšs participated at the
2012 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships
The 2012 IIHF U20 World Championship (commonly known as the 2012 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships) was the 36th edition of the Ice Hockey World Junior Championship. It was hosted in Calgary and Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It began on Decemb ...
as a member of the
Latvia men's national junior ice hockey team
The Latvian men's national under 20 ice hockey team is the national under-20 ice hockey team in Latvia. The team represents Latvia at the International Ice Hockey Federation's IIHF World U20 Championship.
They have played at the top division of t ...
.
On 1 May 2012, it was announced that Pelšs signed a three-year entry level contract with the
Edmonton Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton. The Oilers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. They play their home games at Rogers Place, which ...
.
Death
On 11 June 2013, Pelšs drowned in the
Daugava River
, be, Заходняя Дзвіна (), liv, Vēna, et, Väina, german: Düna
, image = Fluss-lv-Düna.png
, image_caption = The drainage basin of the Daugava
, source1_location = Valdai Hills, Russia
, mouth_location = Gulf of Riga, Baltic Se ...
after leaping from the
Stone Bridge in
Riga
Riga (; lv, Rīga , liv, Rīgõ) is the capital and largest city of Latvia and is home to 605,802 inhabitants which is a third of Latvia's population. The city lies on the Gulf of Riga at the mouth of the Daugava river where it meets the Ba ...
, Latvia. It was confirmed that Pelšs' death was accidental.
The Oil Kings established the Kristians Pelss Memorial Award in his honour, which is given "to the player who best exemplifies the traits" of Pelss.
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
International
See also
*
References
External links
*
1992 births
2013 deaths
Edmonton Oil Kings players
Edmonton Oilers draft picks
HK Liepājas Metalurgs players
Latvian ice hockey forwards
Oklahoma City Barons players
People from Preiļi
Stockton Thunder players
Deaths by drowning
Accidental deaths in Latvia
{{Latvia-icehockey-bio-stub