WC: 2024 Team Latvia Roster Talk

[Vikz]

As expected it will be Merzlikins. Hopefully this game will help him gain confidence for the tournament.

So much for gaining confidence. 80-something SVS% against Poland. Feel bad for the guy, Never seen so many freaky bounces in a game. Elvis had a chance at maybe just one of them, the 4th? one where the shot was off the blue line and Ziles back.

 

[Namejs]

So much for gaining confidence. 80-something SVS% against Poland. Feel bad for the guy, Never seen so many freaky bounces in a game. Elvis had a chance at maybe just one of them, the 4th? one where the shot was off the blue line and Ziles back.

Judging him based on the number of goals conceded does not make any sense.

Elvis played good, the bounces were ridiculous. It's as if the Polish players couldn't actually hit the net but the pucks just ended up in the net anyway.

Elvis did a great job at saving actual shots on goal. There were no positional mistakes.

I would play him again vs. France.

As for the rest of the team, I actually liked Ansons a lot. He was good with the puck, his skating and speed was good, his zone entries were very relielable. The only bad thing? He won 3 out of 15 faceoffs. Move him to the wing after Locmelis gets back.

Komuls was terrible. I hope he doesn't play another game. Cukste lost the puck and the possession several times. He's big and reliable defensively but don't ice him for 18 goddamn minutes or put him on the PP. Cibulskis was, well, cibulskising.

In other words, the D corps is our weakest link. The low iq puck clearances and the faulty passes screwed up so many of our attacks right from the get go. And even if some of our forwards like Krastenbergs were unimpressive as well, we really need to clean up our act at D.

The next game is crucial and we need 3 points tomorrow. I assume the coaches will make some changes.

 

[ozo]

Yeah, karma punishing antics of Elvis jokes only go so far. In reality he was our top3 performer today and I'm sure he as well can distinguish his good play from the bad breaks he received and go from there.

Our defense were not inspiring to say the least, I'm a known hater of Jaks, so me finding him a beacon of hope is depressing (I'm aware of his clutch-ness last year). I've seen nothing of Tralmaks games since junior NT days, but honestly, I hoped he would be more noticeable than today.

Early days, but the amount of noncontributing rookies is concerning. Tournament will only get harder from here.

 

[Namejs]

Yeah, karma punishing antics of Elvis jokes only go so far. In reality he was our top3 performer today and I'm sure he as well can distinguish his good play from the bad breaks he received and go from there.

Our defense were not inspiring to say the least, I'm a known hater of Jaks, so me finding him a beacon of hope is depressing (I'm aware of his clutch-ness last year). I've seen nothing of Tralmaks games since junior NT days, but honestly, I hoped he would be more noticeable than today.

Early days, but the amount of noncontributing rookies is concerning. Tournament will only get harder from here.

I believe Tralmaks is underused and should be moved up. He did play on the PP2. Why is he on the 4th line? He's a natural goal scorer.

 

[ozo]

I believe Tralmaks is underused and should be moved up. He did play on the PP2. Why is he on the 4th line? He's a natural goal scorer.

I don't know waht our coaching staff is thinking, but as you already mentioned our troubles simply start with inability to win faceoffs (to Poland no less), so our more offensively gifted forwards get little opportunity to shine when we are on the back foot from the get go more often than not. Meh, only good thing about todays game is the eventual outcome.

 

[SoundAndFury]

I thought Tralmaks did pretty well, all things considered. He managed to create space for himself with his size and put some shots on net which is exactly what you want him to do. The 4th line, however, was both used very sparingly and didn't seem to have any chemistry whatsoever, each dude doing his own thing.

 

[Namejs]

I thought Tralmaks did pretty well, all things considered. He managed to create space for himself with his size and put some shots on net which is exactly what you want him to do. The 4th line, however, was both used very sparingly and didn't seem to have any chemistry whatsoever, each dude doing his own thing.

Couldn't agree more. Gavars looked solid as well, his speed on the backdrop of the Polish team looked impressive. They didn't ice the 4th line in the 3rd period. It makes sense on paper, but in terms of skill and ability, it's not really a 4th line.

Instead of relying on the old connections or, you know, Bukarts-Bukarts, they should figure out a way of actually using each player to the best of their abilities. Roberts Bukarts only looked good on the PP. Maybe drop him to the 4th line?

 

[SoundAndFury]

Roberts played on the 4th line so many times for both Dinamo and the NT and was always completely useless so I'm not enthusiastic about this idea either. At that point you have to consider scratching him entirely but that's the move no coach is going to go for. So yeah, that's a pickle, and stapling him to his brother and Batna is the sensible idea to me, at least on paper.

And yeah, I really hope Komuls only played regular shift because this was perceived to be the easiest game.

 

[Namejs]

Roberts played on the 4th line so many times for both Dinamo and the NT and was always completely useless so I'm not enthusiastic about this idea either. At that point you have to consider scratching him entirely but that's the move no coach is going to go for. So yeah, that's a pickle, and stapling him to his brother and Batna is the sensible idea to me, at least on paper.

And yeah, I really hope Komuls only played regular shift because this was perceived to be the easiest game.

I would actually scratch Roberts after the game vs. Kazakhstan or dress him as the extra forward. Contributing offensively against weaker oppo is the extent of what he can contribute. He scored 2 of his 3 points last year vs. Slovenia and Kazakhstan and the 3rd one was a PP goal. He has not been very productive in Extraliga this season either. Dress him as the 13th forward, give him some limited ice time in the O-zone, get him some PP time.

Move Tralmaks to the 1st line in the place of Dzierkals, Dzierkals to the 2nd line instead of Roberts, Ansons replaces Krastenbergs, Locmelis takes the 3C, Krastenbergs to 4th line, Bukarts the 13th forward.

There are several other options.

We don't have any clear shutdown line anyway, there's 3 of them. That might be an issue against better teams. So they might move Batna down and move Locmelis to 2C.

 

[Namejs]

So we're likely not getting any help from NHL over. Florida leading 3-1, Vancouver 2-1. I guess Silovs is done with medaling in the Worlds, he's got his eyes set on the Cup.

Silovs just seems to have that aura of coolness around him that elevates him in high-pressure situations. In terms of skill he might not be a starting NHL goalie, but he's probably earned a few years of NHL pay with his recent play. Good for him.

Edmonton would have to sweep the rest of the series for us to realistically have a shot at getting Blueger and Silovs in time, unless we make the play-offs.

We'll see if they keep waiting or start filling up the remaining roster spots.

Upd: Batna not getting any kind of suspension for the game misconduct. Thank god for that. Getting Locmelis back will finally give us some structure and more options offensively. Ansons has been abysmal at faceoffs.

I expect the lines will be different again vs. Kazakhstan.

Looking at the stat sheet, Krastenbergs is a -2 after facing Poland and France.

 

[ozo]

Egle scoring today made me so happy, we desperately need young, well fresher looking, forwards with some semblance of offensive touch. We can't ride Daugavins, Indrasis and Roberts Bukarts that much longer. I don't want to downplay Namejs usual optimism which gives me hope, but all this depth he keeps mentioning ain't doing much on WC ice lately. I'm not entirely sure where I'm going with this, but, I guess, I m wondering when we will have the next Balcers on our hands.

 

[Artorius Horus T]

3 games, 3 wins for Team Latvia, if beats Germany, then trough round robin.
Was it last 10 games, Latvia has won 9 at WC, or was it last 11 games Latvia has won 10.
only one loss nevertheless (to Canada last year)

 

[Namejs]

Egle scoring today made me so happy, we desperately need young, well fresher looking, forwards with some semblance of offensive touch. We can't ride Daugavins, Indrasis and Roberts Bukarts that much longer. I don't want to downplay Namejs usual optimism which gives me hope, but all this depth he keeps mentioning ain't doing much on WC ice lately. I'm not entirely sure where I'm going with this, but, I guess, I m wondering when we will have the next Balcers on our hands.

Ride Indrasis? Roberts Bukarts? They were replaceable yesterday.

I don't think you understand the importance of usage. If you have a top 6 forward and he never makes the team for several years in a row, it doesn't mean that he doesn't exist.

If you place him on the 4th line and give him 8 minutes of ice time with mediocre linemates, his expected rate of production is about 3-5 times smaller purely due to usage alone.

So what you're actually saying is that the coaches need to trust our other players who are not household names yet. Not that we desperately need young forwards, because we already have them.

Indrasis has been a lazy slacker so far, Bukarts is slow as molasses. Bukarts shouldn't even be in the top 6.

You ain't doing much if you don't get to play.

 

[ozo]

They were replaceable yesterday.

Yeah, this is the thing were we will disagree. Putting, lets say, Krastenbergs in on top line doesn't make him a better player. I understand he might produce more than currently because he literally can't do worse, but acting like we have top 6 forwards stacked somewhere that don't get picked is silly.

 

[Namejs]

Yeah, this is the thing were we will disagree. Putting, lets say, Krastenbergs in on top line doesn't make him a better player. I understand he might produce more than currently because he literally can't do worse, but acting like we have top 6 forwards stacked somewhere that don't get picked is silly.

Don't misrepresent my views. I've never mentioned Krastenbergs as some diamond in the rough. He's a mediocre bottom 6 guy.

And, yes, if you place a bum on the top line and give him PP1 time, he will rack up points. It's a question of alternative cost not that of scoring points or goals. Better linemates, PP time, more ice time does that for you. Some of our players are underused. Some - overused.

When you're over 30 and regressing, the Latvian coaches are slow to throw you out of the top lines. Just because Ro. Bukarts is for some reason still there, doesn't mean we're lacking depth. That's completely ludicrous. If you would bench him, our team would not lose anything at this point.

I honestly did not expect surprise and relief after Egle's goal coming from someone who frequents these boards for years. I have been mentioning Egle and Tralmaks for years. And for years on end they haven't been called up. And now you're acting like we're lacking depth when they finally score for the national team at the ripe age of 28?

Once again, it's an issue of coaches and player selection, not depth.

And don't confuse depth with elite talent. Balcers is an elite player. Depth means we can replace a guy like Ro. Bukarts in a heartbeat. Balcers is not replaceable.

 

[aonb]

i just feel sorry for Tralmaks at this point

 

[ozo]

I honestly did not expect surprise and relief after Egle's goal coming from someone who frequents these boards for years.

I've not made myself clear enough. It is all about the goal itself. It was not a tap in, lucky bounce or shoveled in the net from immediate goalmouth after a scramble. It was an actual elevated shot in the top corner. A pretty thing. We simply don't see those from anyone but the few players I apparently unsuccessfully chose to highlight . Being misused by the coaches should not make players look like deers in headlights every time puck is on their stick in the front of the net. Indrasis might be slow as a glacier, but at least I have a hope of some offense being produced when he is with the puck. This was the intended spirit of my original thought.

 

[Namejs]

I've not made myself clear enough. It is all about the goal itself. It was not a tap in, lucky bounce or shoveled in the net from immediate goalmouth after a scramble. It was an actual elevated shot in the top corner. A pretty thing. We simply don't see those from anyone but the few players I apparently unsuccessfully chose to highlight . Being misused by the coaches should not make players look like deers in headlights every time puck is on their stick in the front of the net. Indrasis might be slow as a glacier, but at least I have a hope of some offense being produced when he is with the puck. This was the intended spirit of my original thought.

Tralmaks is a natural goal scorer.

Vilmanis is a clinical finisher.

We know that Locmelis can score.

We have these types of players. A bunch of kids like that will be joining their ranks in a few years time.

You just need to feed them with pucks. They need PP time. Not Dzierkals. Or Krastenbergs. All they need is an opportunity to thrive.

 

[SoundAndFury]

And I assume that's what ozo meant by "optimism". You suggest feeding pucks and PP time to the kid with 14 points in 30 NCAA games. And talking about them able to replace season (and actually not all that bad) vets yesterday when it clearly only works in some perfect world.

 

[Namejs]

And I assume that's what ozo meant by "optimism". You suggest feeding pucks and PP time to the kid with 14 points in 30 NCAA games. And talking about them able to replace season (and actually not all that bad) vets yesterday when it clearly only works in some perfect world.

You're confused. It's not some perfect world, it's the world we all live in. I was literally referring to Locmelis snipes last year. He's a player fitting the mold perfectly. Not sure how blind out-of-context stat watching of a rookie collegiate changes anything.

You can't have your cake and eat it too. Locmelis did it last year, so he can do it again. I wouldn't call that optimism. Ro. Bukarts productivity was lower than 14 points in 30 NCAA games this season in terms of NHLe, by the way. That's not optimism either, that's just facts. Yet somehow you're agreeing with ozo stating that we are forced to ride Ro. Bukarts becauce we don't have anyone else capable of shooting the puck?

That is completely absurd and demonstrably false.

We have players capable of replacing the ones listed by ozo. Daugavins wasn't there 2 years ago. Indrasis has never been able to produce reliably at this level of competition. Just because you're used to them or the way their names roll of your tongue doesn't make them unexpendable. It's a major flaw in reasoning.

The fact that we have won 10 games out of 11 at the Worlds playing with our semi-B roster at times is further proof of my point. Our depth has increased substantially. And that is evidenced by the fact that we are capable of remaining competitive without our key players being there.

That simply was not the case 25, 20, 15 or 10 years ago.

We are missing key players at every position and we have grade A prospects coming up at every position. That has never been the case either.

That's just facts.

And I'm not optimistic about our prospects, it's just basic probabilities. If you have more prospects in your pipeline, there's bound to come more major pro players out the other end. If we're unlucky, that might not be the case. In a baseline scenario, we're most definitely trending up in the medium term.

 

[SoundAndFury]

What a hodge podge of nothing this post was. But, once again, clearly, you are right and we are the ones confused.

 

[Nexon]

Not possible, Namejs is skipping the rest of tournament

 

[HockeyinLV]

After this tournament is over, the federation should really consider firing Vītoliņš. Without a strong assitant coach he lacks any authority to turn a team in a bad spot. It was true in when he coached in the KHL with Znaroks and is still true now.

 

[RKBoy]

What a hodge podge of nothing this post was. But, once again, clearly, you are right and we are the ones confused.

the delusion in this one is big, the force will guide him i hope.

 

[Dofs]

I'll be genuinely surprised if I see Elvis in the net in any of the next two games now.