Elvis Merzlikins burst into the NHL during the 2020 hockey season.
After Bobrovsky left the Bluejackets, the main concern was the goaltending situation. Well as it turns out, Merzlikins and Korpisalo in place of Bob may have actually turned out better than anyone could have ever imagined. Bobrovsky had a sub par year for the Panthers down south, while the goalies in Columbus had a hay day.
You could say that Elvis Merzlikins has been a star, shot out of the cannon in Columbus.
This is the gear that Elvis Merzlikins is using right now.
- Bauer UltraSonic Pads
- Bauer Vapor 2X Pro Glove
- Bauer Supreme UltraSonic Blocker
- Bauer Supreme UltraSonic Stick
- Bauer 960 or VTX Mask
- Custom Bauer 2-Piece
Elvis Merzlikins Gear
Clearly Merzlikins is a fan of Bauer goalie gear. He’s repping Bauer for every piece of equipment that is visible to us as fans.
The one thing about Elvis Merzlikins is that he has style.
Serious style.
The UltraSonic pads that he is wearing in the 2020 playoffs are absolutely sick (although his pads earlier this year were even better). His gear is usually completely custom for Columbus colors and looks. Which is made possible with Bauer’s innovative printing technology.
I really do like when goalies step out of the box of “normal” and add a little touch to their equipment.
Hank in New York has been doing it for years. Kuemper with the Coyotes alnernated jersey’s is doing it in the desert. Lehner has some sweet custom pads in Vegas.
Elvis Merzlikins stepped into the league and instantly gained my respect with his custom gear.
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UltraSonic Pads
The Bauer UltraSonics are Bauer’s newest lineup of goalie pad for 2020. These are some of Bauer’s lightest pads to date, and hopefully the most durable. They’ve increased the strength of the CorTech skin that is featured on these pads. But being that it’s only been a couple months since the release it’s hard to say how long they will last.
From my personal experience with the Bauer Vapor 2X Pro pads, I will say that the lifespan of them was very long. I still use them to this day.
Check the latest price of the UltraSonics on PureGoalie.
UltraSonic Blocker
The UltraSonic Blocker was one of our “best goalie blockers” for the year. It’s overall a comfortable blocker with a lot of pop to it. Just watching the past couple Columbus games with Merzlikins in net has shown that. Although obviously at the pro level pucks are coming in a lot faster than your average Joe playing beer league puck… Personally if you are in the market for a high quality goalie blocker, you’d be doing yourself a huge favor in getting the UltraSonic. I’ve personally used the previous two Bauer blockers for several years and they are the best blockers I have ever worn.
Buy the UltraSonic blocker on PureGoalie.
Bauer Vapor 2X Pro Glove
Interesting choice by Merzlikins to go with the Bauer Vapor 2X Pro glove. I personally wasn’t a huge fan of it, although it wasn’t the worst glove I’ve worn. It does have a large pocket with simple straps, I just never could get used to it. Elvis obviously has and I’m sure it’s the reason he hasn’t made the switch from the 2X to the UltraSonic. If I had to guess though, Elvis will probably be wearing the UltraSonic glove for the next upcoming season.
Buy the Bauer Vapor 2X Pro glove on PureGoalie.
Bauer Supreme UtraSonic Stick
Unsurprisingly, Merzlikins decided to go with the Bauer UltraSonic stick for playoffs. Warrior typically dominates the goalie stick market at the pro level, but a lot of goalies have been using Bauer sticks as well. The new UltraSonic stick is very similar to the previous 2S Pro stick, with increased durability. The spine has also been reinforced for better strength.
The one serious advantage that goalies have while using Bauer sticks, is the stick handling abilities they have to offer. They are so incredibly lightweight with a bit of flex to them, it’s hard not to have an amazing shot with one.
Buy the UltraSonic stick on PureGoalie.
Elvis Merzlikins Mask
The thing about goalie masks is that they aren’t the easiest piece of equipment to know on another goalie, if you can’t see the inside. The two best goalie masks that you can get from Bauer are the 960 and the VTX, assuming that Elvis Merzlikins is wearing one or the other. The VTX is the newer of the two masks. But again, it’s hard to know for sure which mask he’s wearing, but those are the two most popular goalie masks in the NHL.
It is confirmed that Merzlikins is wearing a Bauer goalie mask for sure.
Bauer Skates
Obviously being a pro goalie, you can create whatever you would like to with your gear. Merzlikins is currently wearing a pair of custom Bauer goalie skates with an outer cowling for additional protection. He’s not wearing the UltraSonics, nor the Vapor 2X’s. Or at least he isn’t wearing stock of either of those skates. He may be wearing completely custom UltraSonics with a different boot design.
It’s hard to say. They are Bauer skates however and they are definitely not stock. If you are looking for a new pair of goalie skates, Bauer is one of the most trusted goalie skate brands you can get.
Shop Bauer skates on PureGoalie.
Elvis Merzlikins Career
Moving over to the career of Elvis Merzlikins.
He’s a Latvian goalie, drafted 76th overall in the 3rd round of the NHL draft. According to NHL.com.
For his early 20’s, Merzlikins played for Lugano in the Swiss National League. While there, he tore it up as one of the better goalies in the league with his lowest save percentage reaching a .913 and his highest reaching .922.
Those are some impressive numbers for a goalie playing professional hockey in his early 20’s, especially considering that goalies usually take a lot longer to develop into true talent.
Moving back over to the NHL, in his first game Merzlikins posted a shutout against the Vegas Golden Knights, and his stardom became known.
He went on to post a .923 save percentage with 5 shutouts, in 33 games concluding the 2019-2020 regular season.
He’s played his second NHL playoff game only yesterday, when the Jackets fell to the Leafs in overtime.
Elvis Merzlikins: NHL Goalie
Elvis Merzlikins has quickly turned into one of the most exciting goalies to watch in the NHL. He can move like the wind and is one of the most promising upcoming goalies. Not only that, but his custom goalie gear style is some of the best in the league.
Thanks for reading!
