Oilers prospect Pelss mourned by teammates
Ex-oil King, Barons forward drowned in Latvian river
For days, Josh Green held out hope that Kristians Pelss had not drowned, that it was just a horrible coincidence that he was missing and that someone else jumped into the Daugava River in Riga, Latvia.
Sadly, the search came to a tragic end on Saturday when Pelss, a 20-year-old Edmonton Oilers prospect, was confirmed dead.
“When I heard the initial reports, I was absolutely floored. You just feel sick to your stomach, but you keep hoping for a miracle. It’s so sad,” said Green, the captain of the Oklahoma City Barons, the Oilers’ American Hockey League affiliate.
“We spent most of the year with him. He didn’t play in the playoffs, but he was with us every day. Just a real good kid, a real hard worker, and he had this dry wit when it came to his humour, which is what I liked about him.”
Travis Ewanyk spent two seasons with Pelss in the Edmonton Oil Kings fold, a memorable stretch that included the team’s Memorial Cup run in 2012. Ewanyk then closed out this season with Pelss in Oklahoma City. He had many conversations with Oil Kings teammates and coaches over the course of the past few trying days.
“We were such a tight team and everyone had the same reaction: shock. Numb. Just disbelief I guess,” said Ewanyk. “There was so much confusion at first. Today was just a bit of a closure. Now we can hang onto the memories we have of him.”
Pelss had gone missing earlier in the week and there were immediate concerns he had drowned when reports surfaced that a man had jumped into the river early Tuesday morning.
But rescuers found only clothing at the site and divers found nothing in the water. It wasn’t until late Friday that a body was found floating near the beach area by the Vansu Bridge. Pelss’ family was called in to identify the body.
“This is the news we feared,” Oilers general manager Craig MacTavish said in a statement from the organization.
“Kristians was an outstanding man and we feel terrible he left us at such a young age. I can’t imagine how painful this situation is for the Pelss family. Our heartfelt thoughts and prayers are with them as they work through this incredibly difficult time.”
Pelss was a seventh-round selection of the Oilers in 2010 and after two seasons with the Western Hockey League’s Oil Kings, the winger made his pro debut, playing 13 games with the ECHL’s Stockton Thunder and 20 with the Barons in 2012-13. He had returned to Latvia on Monday. He leaves his parents Einars and Inta and sisters Lauma, Lasma and Lev. Others, too, are left to mourn his passing, like Joe and Jana Sheen, his WHL billets.
“He became a part of our family so this is difficult to grasp,” said Joe Sheen, who along with his wife and two children spent time with the Pelss family when they came here.“We can only try and celebrate the good memories.
“One of the things we always used to do was to take a poster to the games that said: Go Kristians Go. His parents and family would have simulcasts of the game, so if they saw the sign they knew we were cheering for him. We got to know the family and how heartwarming they were as a group. They were so excited when (he signed his entry-level contract with the Oilers). There were so many bright things.”
News of Pelss death comes just days after Dallas Stars prospect Scott Winkler, 23, was found dead at his parents home in Norway.
“This is the first time I’ve had to go through something like this,” said Ewanyk. “I remember meeting him for the first time. Anyone would tell you he just had this charisma about him, this energy. And his smile was so contagious. He’s a guy who could make you laugh or just put a smile on your face.