The Hockey News' very own Derek O'Brien had the chance to speak with Columbus Blue Jackets' Adam Fantilli and Kent Johnson at the 2025 IIHF World Championships. During his interview, he asked them about their goalie Elvis Merzlikins, and both players shared their thoughts on him.

As O'Brien mentioned, the answers were highlighted by his personality and generosity.

Here are a few quotes from Derek's piece that stood out:

Fantilli:

“He’s a lot of fun to be around. He’s got a big personality and it’s a pleasure to be around him in the locker room.”

“We have a lot of fun away from the rink, the whole team,” said Fantilli. “The rookie party was a blast, and a lot of the team dinners are awesome. At the rink, I just love his personality and how much he celebrates shootout wins.”

“He’s been our starter for quite a few years now and he’s stolen quite a few games for us,” said Fantilli. “This year, he was phenomenal in shootouts. I don’t know exactly what his record was, but it was pretty good. When you have him back there, you have a little bit of confidence and can play a little harder offensively.”

Johnson:

“I have a good relationship with Elvis – he’s a good dude and a good goalie too.”

“He won us a lot of games this year. That was huge and I’m looking forward to the same thing next year.”

“I was hoping when we’d play Latvia that he’d be in net. It would be fun to score on him and make some jokes about it after,” Johnson laughed. “But no, I hope he’s enjoying his time off and he’ll be ready for camp.”

Adam Fantilli & Kent Johnson Asked About Elvis Merzlikins One of the interesting things about covering the IIHF World Championships as a journalist is the media presence from the different participating countries. As a nation that is crazy about hockey, Latvia always sends a significant number of journalists to cover the tournament and, like a lot of Latvians, were disappointed when Elvis Merzlikins announced that he wouldn’t be representing his country this year.

If Merzlikins is this liked by members of the Blue Jackets' core, is it worth moving on from him this off-season?

There have been reports that GM Don Waddell may look at a crease overhaul, but could that have a negative effect on the team’s morale? That’s always a possibility, but the issue is bigger than that. Waddell will need to figure out how to move on from his contract, which could result in a buyout.

It seems like the players want him around. They mentioned his generosity multiple times throughout the interviews. Is it worth keeping him and giving the backup role to young Jet Greaves, and using them as a tandem?

Only time will tell, but if this interview shows us anything, it’s that Merzlikins might be one of the most liked players in the locker room — and sometimes, moving on from a guy like that can have a very negative effect on a team.

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