photo: © Sarunas Mazeika
The hockey world is mourning the tragic loss of Mindaugas Kieras, 45, who died in a kayaking accident while vacationing in Lithuania. Kieras is survived by his wife and two children.
Affectionately known as "Minde" in his native Lithuania, Kieras holds the record for the most games played for the Lithuanian men's national hockey team. The defenseman represented his country 100 times during a stellar national team career, which included skating in an impressive 20 consecutive senior IIHF World Championship tournaments from 1999 to 2018.
Kieras was known as a rugged blueliner, but off the ice, he was a caring family man with a friendly demeanour and warm smile. After hanging up his skates, he moved into coaching, where his unwavering passion and contribution made an impact right up to the highest echelons of Lithuanian society.
“We lost an athlete, a coach who was a symbol of his sport in Lithuania," said Gitanas Nauseda, the President of the Republic of Lithuania. "Mindaugas Kieras literally lived for hockey and sought to pass that love to the younger generation."
Named after a 13th-century Lithuanian king, Kieras was born in Elektrenai in 1980. The small-town famous for its power plant and impressive output of hockey players, Kieras came of age at local team Energija Elektrenai. He also had stints abroad in Belarus and Latvia but is best remembered for his eight seasons in British ice hockey.
At the national team level, 18-year-old Kieras made his debut at the IIHF World Championship Pool C played in Eindhoven and Tilburg, the Netherlands in 1999.
He became a vital cog of the Lithuania team that in April 2006 came tantalizingly close to securing a spot among the world´s elite. In the promotion decider versus Austria, the Lithuanians took the lead on three separate occasions but ultimately lost 5-3 after conceding three consecutive powerplay goals. It was a bitter pill to swallow for a then 25-year-old Kieras as Lithuania finished second in the group, with the Austrians moving up to compete at the 2007 IIHF World Championship.
Just 41 days shy of his 38th birthday, Kieras bowed out from the national team in memorable fashion. Lithuania hosted the 2018 IIHF World Championship Division I Group B in Kaunas, which became an overwhelming success.
The Lithuanian team, featuring former NHL-stars Darius Kasparaitis and Dainius Zubrus went undefeated to win gold and promotion. On April 28, 2018, Kieras stepped out on the ice, captaining Lithuania in his farewell appearance. In front of a boisterous home crowd of 10,170 at the Zalgiris Arena, Lithuania secured a 4-1 victory versus Estonia in Kieras´s 100th game for the Lithuanian national team.
At the time of his passing, Kieras was the head coach of the reigning Lithuanian champions Hockey Punks Vilnius. In May of this year, he also achieved success as an assistant coach of the Lithuanian men´s national team, securing a gold medal at the 2025 IIHF World Championship Division I Group B in Tallinn, Estonia.
“Lithuanian ice hockey has lost its leader and symbol of our sport. The Lithuanian Ice Hockey Federation expresses its sincere condolences to the family of Mindaugas Kieras, the deceased coach of the Lithuanian ice hockey team, and the relatives of the deceased," read a statement from the governing body overseeing ice hockey in Lithuania.
Affectionately known as "Minde" in his native Lithuania, Kieras holds the record for the most games played for the Lithuanian men's national hockey team. The defenseman represented his country 100 times during a stellar national team career, which included skating in an impressive 20 consecutive senior IIHF World Championship tournaments from 1999 to 2018.
Kieras was known as a rugged blueliner, but off the ice, he was a caring family man with a friendly demeanour and warm smile. After hanging up his skates, he moved into coaching, where his unwavering passion and contribution made an impact right up to the highest echelons of Lithuanian society.
“We lost an athlete, a coach who was a symbol of his sport in Lithuania," said Gitanas Nauseda, the President of the Republic of Lithuania. "Mindaugas Kieras literally lived for hockey and sought to pass that love to the younger generation."
Named after a 13th-century Lithuanian king, Kieras was born in Elektrenai in 1980. The small-town famous for its power plant and impressive output of hockey players, Kieras came of age at local team Energija Elektrenai. He also had stints abroad in Belarus and Latvia but is best remembered for his eight seasons in British ice hockey.
At the national team level, 18-year-old Kieras made his debut at the IIHF World Championship Pool C played in Eindhoven and Tilburg, the Netherlands in 1999.
He became a vital cog of the Lithuania team that in April 2006 came tantalizingly close to securing a spot among the world´s elite. In the promotion decider versus Austria, the Lithuanians took the lead on three separate occasions but ultimately lost 5-3 after conceding three consecutive powerplay goals. It was a bitter pill to swallow for a then 25-year-old Kieras as Lithuania finished second in the group, with the Austrians moving up to compete at the 2007 IIHF World Championship.
Just 41 days shy of his 38th birthday, Kieras bowed out from the national team in memorable fashion. Lithuania hosted the 2018 IIHF World Championship Division I Group B in Kaunas, which became an overwhelming success.
The Lithuanian team, featuring former NHL-stars Darius Kasparaitis and Dainius Zubrus went undefeated to win gold and promotion. On April 28, 2018, Kieras stepped out on the ice, captaining Lithuania in his farewell appearance. In front of a boisterous home crowd of 10,170 at the Zalgiris Arena, Lithuania secured a 4-1 victory versus Estonia in Kieras´s 100th game for the Lithuanian national team.
At the time of his passing, Kieras was the head coach of the reigning Lithuanian champions Hockey Punks Vilnius. In May of this year, he also achieved success as an assistant coach of the Lithuanian men´s national team, securing a gold medal at the 2025 IIHF World Championship Division I Group B in Tallinn, Estonia.
“Lithuanian ice hockey has lost its leader and symbol of our sport. The Lithuanian Ice Hockey Federation expresses its sincere condolences to the family of Mindaugas Kieras, the deceased coach of the Lithuanian ice hockey team, and the relatives of the deceased," read a statement from the governing body overseeing ice hockey in Lithuania.