Hockey community mourns tragic loss of Lithuania hockey legend at age 45

Mindaugas Kieras

The hockey community is mourning the loss of Mindaugas Kieras, who passed away too young, at the age of 45.

The Lithuanian-born defenseman spent the last season of his career in the Lithuanian Ice Hockey League, playing for the Hockey Punks-2.

Kieras has played hockey professionally since the age of 17, when it began in the East European Hockey League with SC Energija.

The defenseman would later move on to the club "Lithuanian Champion" in 2001 and would take the journeyman route, changing clubs each year, until he toured Europe and saw Belarus, Great Britain, and Latvia during his professional tours.

Kieras is a legend in Lithuanian sports, as he's held the record for the most games played with the Lithuanian National Team, totaling 100. The record was established during the 1999-2017 seasons, where he'd score 47 points (15-32) during that time frame.

The former defenseman would later return to SC Energija later in his career and settle down in the league where he began his career.

Kieras would take on a position as an assistant coach in the (OHL) LT, for the Hockey Punks and as an assistant coach with the Lithuanian Men's National Team.

His international stats are as follows:15 games played, 17 points (5-12) from 2012 to 2018.

Kieras led a meaningful journey in professional hockey, and only now are we hearing his story.

Rest in Peace, Mindaugas Kieras.