Mantas Armalis

Mantas Armalis
Born	(1992-09-06) 6 September 1992 (age 32) Plungė, Lithuania
Height	6 ft 4 in (193 cm)
Weight	194 lb (88 kg; 13 st 12 lb)
Position	Goaltender
Catches	Left
SHL team Former teams	Leksands IF Djurgårdens IF Dinamo Riga Skellefteå AIK
National team	Lithuania
NHL draft	Undrafted
Playing career	2007–present

Mantas Armalis (born 6 September 1992) is a Lithuanian professional ice hockey goaltender for Leksands IF of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL). He previously played in various Swedish ice hockey leagues, American Hockey League (AHL) and Kontinental Hockey League (KHL).

Playing career

Armalis began his career with the Djurgårdens IF's under-16 squad during the 2007–08 season, but moved to the Mora IK organization where he played for their junior J18 and J20 teams from 2007 to 2011. He started the 2011–12 season continuing to play for Mora IK, and was temporarily loaned to Söderhamn/Ljusne, a Division 1 C club. He made his debut in Division 1 on 5 October 2011 against Lindlövens IF. Söderhamn/Ljusne lost 5–3, while Armalis made 30 saves on 35 shots playing 60 minutes. ^[1] On 30 November 2011, he played one more game while on loan to Division 1C team Borlänge HF against Hudiksvalls HC. His team lost 6–5 in overtime as Armalis again made 30 saves on 35 shots. ^[2] He started 2012–13 season on loan to Tranås AIF and after 18 games of the regular season he had a 6–5–1 record with the second best save percentage in the league among all goalkeepers (93.31%) with 2.09 GAA. His team's results steadily improved after starting season with four losses and they were fighting for a playoff spot, while Mantas went away to help the Lithuanian national team in Olympic qualifiers.

On 11 April 2016, it was announced that Armalis signed an entry-level contract with the San Jose Sharks. ^[3] Prior to signing with the Sharks, the Toronto Maple Leafs were considered favourites to land Armalis. ^[4] Armalis made his debut for the Sharks in a preseason game against the Vancouver Canucks where he saved six shots out of seven, while the Sharks won. ^[5] On 3 October 2016, Armalis was assigned to the Sharks' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate San Jose Barracuda. ^[6] After the 2016–17 season, the Sharks decided not to issue a qualifying offer to Armalis and he would become an unrestricted free agent on 1 July 2017. ^[7]

On 3 October 2017, Armalis signed with Dinamo Riga of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). ^[8] As Dinamo's backup for the 2017–18 season, Armalis collected three wins in 12 appearances.

On 7 May 2018, Armalis returned to SHL and signed a two-year contract with Skellefteå AIK. ^[9]

On 24 March 2020, Armalis returned to Djurgårdens IF of the SHL and signed a two-year contract. ^[10] On 13 April 2022, he signed a three-year contract with Leksands IF of the SHL. ^[11]

International play

Since 2008 he is junior member for Lithuania and played for his country at 2008, 2009 WJC18 D1, at 2010 WJC20 D1 and seniorside WJC D1 in 2010, as well as at 2012 WJC20 D1. ^[12] He was named Best Goalkeeper of the tournament at 2012 IIHF Ice Hockey U20 World Championship Division II Group A in Ukraine. ^[13]

Modeling

Armalis participated in several Versace runway shows during Milan Fashion Week. ^{[14] [15]} He worked with several agencies: Stockholmsgruppen, L.A Models, NYMM.

Armalis also modeled for Versace for their spring/summer collection in 2012 as well as the fall/winter collection in 2013. Making him an established face of the Versace label, Donatella Versace commented "Versace needs faces and bodies like Mantas, the strong gladiator-like build and muscular thighs,"

Personal life

Armalis's parents moved to Sweden when he was four months old. Both his parents were professional orienteers and moved due to popularity of the sport. He was encouraged to join the same sport as his parents, but picked up ice hockey instead. ^[16]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season										Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	W	L	T/OT	MIN	GA	SO	GAA	SV%		GP	W	L	MIN	GA	SO	GAA	SV%
2009–10	Mora IK	J20		21	—	—	—	—	—	—	3.99	.878		—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2010–11	Mora IK	J20		19	—	—	—	—	—	—	3.45	.897		—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2011–12	Mora IK	J20		14	3	10	1	838	55	0	3.94	.854		—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2011–12	Söderhamn/Ljusne	Div.1		1	0	1	0	60	5	0	5.00	.857		—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2011–12	Borlänge HF	Div.1		1	0	0	1	61	5	0	5.00	.857		—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2012–13	Tranås AIF	Div.1		33	—	—	—	1,967	—	3	2.62	.915		5	—	—	—	—	—	3.80	.901
2013–14	Mora IK	Allsv		40	—	—	—	—	—	—	2.20	.926		5	—	—	—	—	—	4.33	.857
2014–15	Djurgårdens IF	SHL		20	7	10	0	1,050	54	2	3.09	.905		—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2015–16	Djurgårdens IF	SHL		34	16	16	0	1,986	80	2	2.42	.918		3	0	3	178	11	0	3.71	.895
2016–17	San Jose Barracuda	AHL		24	12	5	3	1,256	64	2	3.06	.885		—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2017–18	Dinamo Riga	KHL		12	3	5	1	577	24	0	2.50	.911		—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2018–19	Skellefteå AIK	SHL		32	18	14	0	1,901	69	4	2.18	.916		6	2	2	254	11	1	2.60	.904
2019–20	Skellefteå AIK	J20		1	—	—	—	—	—	—	1.01	.972		—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2019–20	Skellefteå AIK	SHL		38	5	8	1	769	38	1	2.96	.880		—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2020–21	Djurgårdens IF	SHL		31	16	13	0	1,792	76	1	2.55	.909		3	1	2	178	6	0	2.02	.934
2021–22	Djurgårdens IF	SHL		36	13	22	0	2,049	110	1	3.22	.900		—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2022–23	Leksands IF	SHL		41	24	16	0	2,328	86	4	2.22	.920		3	1	2	190	7	0	2.21	.883
2023–24	Leksands IF	SHL		25	11	13	0	1,464	62	2	2.54	.899		2	0	2	115	5	0	2.59	.857
AHL totals				24	12	5	3	1,256	64	2	3.06	.885		—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—

Awards

• Best Goaltender – WJC18 D1 — 2008/2009
• Best Goaltender – WJC20 D2 Group A — 2012

References

1. "Lindlövens IF – Söderhamn/Ljusne HC". Archived from the original on 1 June 2012.
2. Borlänge HF – Hudiksvalls HC Archived 1 June 2012 at the Wayback Machine .
3. "Sharks Sign Goaltender Mantas Armalis". NHL.com. 11 April 2016. Retrieved 12 April 2016.
4. "Maple Leafs favourites to land 'model' goalie Mantas Armalis". Sportsnet.ca. 19 March 2016. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
5. "Kevin Leblanc scores in overtime for Sharks". NHL.com. 28 September 2016. Retrieved 6 October 2016.
6. "Sharks Reduce Training Camp Roster By 20 Players". SJBarracuda.com. 3 October 2016. Retrieved 6 October 2016.
7. "Sharks Issue Qualifying Offers". NHL.com. 26 June 2017. Retrieved 27 June 2017.
8. "DINAMO RĪGA komandai pievienojas vārtsargs Armalis". www.dinamoriga.lv (in Latvian). 3 October 2017. Retrieved 3 October 2017.
9. "Mantas Armalis klar för två år". www.skellefteaaik.se (in Swedish). 7 May 2018. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
10. "Tre värvningar klara". Djurgården Hockey (in Swedish). 24 March 2020. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
11. Brasar, Richard (13 April 2022). "Mantas Armalis klar för Leksands IF". Leksands IF (in Swedish). Retrieved 13 April 2022.
12. "Mantas Armalis". Elite Prospects.
13. "INTERNATIONAL ICE HOCKEY FEDERATION – Ukraine promoted to Div. I". Archived from the original on 20 February 2014.
14. "Lietuvos rinktinės vartininkas M. Armalis tapo "Versace" veidu". delfi.lt.
15. "Mantas Armalis – Model". delfi.lt.
16. "18-metis vartininkas Mantas Armalis įsitvirtino ne tik Lietuvos ledo ritulio rinktinėje, bet ir Švedijoje". 15min.lt. Archived from the original on 3 February 2014. Retrieved 21 November 2011.

External links

• Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com , or  Eliteprospects.com , or  Eurohockey.com , or  The Internet Hockey Database