Kristers Gudļevskis facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Kristers Gudļevskis
Gudļevskis with the Syracuse Crunch in 2016
Born	(1992-07-31) 31 July 1992 (age 33) Aizkraukle, Latvia
Height	6 ft 4 in (193 cm)
Weight	197 lb (89 kg; 14 st 1 lb)
Position	Goaltender
Catches	Left
DEL team Former teams	Fischtown Pinguins HK Ogre Dinamo Riga Tampa Bay Lightning EC VSV HC Slovan Bratislava Brynäs IF Modo Hockey
National team	Latvia
NHL Draft	124th overall, 2013 Tampa Bay Lightning
Playing career	2009–present

Kristers Gudļevskis (born on July 31, 1992) is a professional ice hockey goaltender from Latvia. He plays for the Fischtown Pinguins team in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL). The Tampa Bay Lightning picked him in the fifth round of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft. He was the 124th player chosen overall.

Kristers Gudļevskis is the only player in history to have played in five different major hockey leagues and tournaments in the same season. These include the ECHL, AHL, NHL, Olympic Games, and IIHF World Championships.

Playing Career

Starting in Europe

Gudļevskis began his professional hockey journey in the 2009–10 season. He played for HK Ogre in the Latvian Hockey League. The next season, he joined HK Rīga, a team connected to Dinamo Riga. He played for HK Rīga for three seasons.

He sometimes joined the main Dinamo Riga team but didn't play. On October 5, 2012, he finally played his first game for Dinamo Riga. He came into the game during the second period and helped his team win in overtime.

Joining the NHL: Tampa Bay Lightning

Kristers Gudļevskis was only the second Latvian goaltender ever picked in the NHL Entry Draft. He was also the highest-ranked Latvian goalie chosen. He signed a three-year contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League (NHL).

After training camp, he was sent to the Florida Everblades, the Lightning's team in the ECHL. He later moved up to the Syracuse Crunch in the AHL. On October 26, 2013, he played his first AHL game and didn't let any goals in. This is called a shutout.

On January 31, 2014, Kristers got an emergency call to play for the Lightning. Their main goalies were injured. He made his first NHL start on April 11, 2014, against the Columbus Blue Jackets. He stopped 36 shots and helped the Lightning win 3–2.

He also played in his first NHL playoffs game that season. He became the first goalie ever to play in the ECHL, AHL, NHL, and the Olympics all in the same season. This was a truly amazing achievement. In 2015, he was a backup goalie for the Lightning in the 2015 Stanley Cup Finals.

Moving to the New York Islanders

On July 1, 2017, the Lightning traded Gudļevskis to the New York Islanders. He signed a one-year contract with them. For the 2017–18 season, he played for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, the Islanders' AHL team. He won 12 games that year.

Returning to Europe

Gudļevskis with Dinamo Riga in 2019.

After five seasons in North America, Gudļevskis decided to return to Europe. On June 21, 2018, he signed a one-year deal with his old team, Dinamo Riga, in the KHL. He later joined the Fischtown Pinguins in Germany's Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL) on December 2, 2019.

He also played for EC VSV in Austria and HC Slovan Bratislava in Slovakia. On January 1, 2022, he joined Brynäs IF in Sweden. On June 13, 2022, Gudļevskis signed with Modo Hockey in Sweden's HockeyAllsvenskan league. He had a fantastic season with Modo Hockey, helping them win the league. This meant they moved up to the top Swedish league, the SHL.

After his success, Gudļevskis signed a two-year contract with his former team, the Fischtown Pinguins, on May 16, 2023. In 2024, his team, the Fischtown Pinguins, reached the final game of the DEL. They became the vice-champions of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga.

International Play

Medal record
Representing  Latvia
Ice hockey
World Championships
Bronze	2023 Finland/Latvia

Gudļevskis became the main goalie for Team Latvia in the 2013 IIHF World Championship. He won two games and lost two. He was named one of the top three players for Team Latvia in the tournament.

On January 7, 2014, Gudļevskis was chosen to play for the Latvian national team in the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. In the quarter-final game, Latvia played against the reigning Olympic champions, Canada.

Everyone expected Canada to win easily. But the Latvian team played incredibly well, especially Gudļevskis. He stopped 55 out of 57 shots! Latvia only lost 2–1. Gudļevskis was highly praised for his amazing performance against the Canadian national team.

Gudļevskis was a backup goalie for Latvia at the 2023 IIHF World Championship. In this tournament, Latvia made history by winning a bronze medal. This was Latvia's first-ever medal at the IIHF World Championship. Even though he was ready to play in most games, he did not get into any.

Awards and Honours