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WC: Latvia Roster Talk 2023

ozo said:
When was the last time tournament host got relegated? Asking for a friend...
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That was actually 2005 when Austria got relegated. But that was back then when Austria got relegated every second year. Talking about Latvia getting relegated this year is bit a exaggerating.
 
Namejs said:
Back when Vitolinsh was playing, he posted Amdersons numbers at his peak as a pro player. He was one of our leading forwards. And that was back when the Swiss league was worse.

Today, Andersons might not make the team.
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Even if we assume center and and winger can be solely judged on points alone, and we ignore how hordes of ex-Soviet country players chose their first clubs abroad and what were their priorities in 90's, I'm just curios how much better you think NLB is today compared when Vitolins helped get Chur promoted?
 
ozo said:
Even if we assume center and and winger can be solely judged on points alone, and we ignore how hordes of ex-Soviet country players chose their first clubs abroad and what were their priorities in 90's, I'm just curios how much better you think NLB is today compared when Vitolins helped get Chur promoted?
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I'm perfectly aware of all that, just some perspective provided to all the KHL fiends, who somehow feel the skill level of Latvian players has dropped magically without having any KHL players.

We used to have all of our leading forwards come from the Swedish 2nd div or Swiss 2nd div.

And, yes, it was slightly worse, but I'm not willing to waste my time arguing that, the point stands anyway.

One of the reasons is the style of play preferred by the player themselves. It's the same with Andersons. It's his own choice to play on the 1st line of a 2nd div team instead of becoming another grinder type.
 
ozo said:
When was the last time tournament host got relegated? Asking for a friend...
Click to expand...
No need to panic. Slovenia, Hungary, France, Kazaksthan and Sweden is far worse than Latvia. Problay no playoffs for Latvia, but relegation? nah.

What are the chances for youngsters like Vilmanis and Locmelis to make the team btw?
 
Vilmanis will not be joining, since he's still playing in the OHL play-offs.

Locmelis has enjoyed 1st line minutes in the last exhibition games, which makes it very likely he's going to make the team.
 
Vitolins opted to go the safe road by calling up Dzerins. Not sure how I feel about that to be honest.

Tralmaks and Balcers are both one game away from being eliminated in the AHL, so chances are we might end up with a better forward roster than last year. Considering how many times Balcers was screwed over for no reason, I'm actually rooting for him to make the Worlds. He doesn't look very motivated to grind it out in the A either.

Same with Tralmaks, really.

Also, the two exhibition games against Switzerland were decent, I really liked Andersons on the 1st line.

Things are slowly shaping up.
 
As somebody who is following the Czech Extraliga: Balinskis was arguably one of the best defensemen in the league this season, and generally Latvian players have a very good repuratation here. Cukste, for example, was praised by both fans and experts during the Play-Offs. Many Czech fans expect Latvia to be really strong on the home ice.
 
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No Tralmaks due to Vitolins or anyone else from the coaching staff not having an AHL subscription apparently.
 
What would a best possible team Latvia look like right now, with all players there? Im giving it a shoot, please correct me.

Balcers - Girgensons - Bluegers
Ro Bukarts - Abols - Ri Bukarts
Daugavins - Tralmaks - Dzierkals
Ansons - Batna - H.Egle

Jaks - Rubins
Balinskis - Cukste
Freibergs - Zile

Elvis
Silovs
 
Eye of Ra said:
What would a best possible team Latvia look like right now, with all players there? Im giving it a shoot, please correct me.

Balcers - Girgensons - Bluegers
Ro Bukarts - Abols - Ri Bukarts
Daugavins - Tralmaks - Dzierkals
Ansons - Batna - H.Egle

Jaks - Rubins
Balinskis - Cukste
Freibergs - Zile

Elvis
Silovs
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Balcers - Abols - Ro. Bukarts
Indrasis - Blueger - Daugavins
Tralmaks - Girgensons - Andersons
Jelisejevs - Batna - Ri. Bukarts

Balinskis - Rubins
Jaks - Zile
Freibergs - Cukste

Elvis
Silovs

Ansons, Egle, Kenins, Dzierkals and many others could make the roster depending on your priorities and stuff. There's a bunch of up and coming prospects, some entirely unknown to most people, like Patriks Marcinkevics with a top 20 ppg in NCAA, or some of the many D prospects we have in CHL or Mestis or the Swiss league who might slot in there somewhere as well. For example, Tumanovs is not going to stay in Mestis very long, he's good.

What we're lacking is elite top 6 talent. Ro. Bukarts is too slow and small to be an impact player against the leading teams. Indrasis is too lazy and streaky to glide through with his skill alone. Only Balcers, Blueger, Abols and maybe Daugavins are good and consistent enough. We would need like 2 NHL wingers with good speed and good hands and a top 4 NHL D to make this into a really well-balanced team capable of making the semis once in a blue moon even if every single player was available every time.
 
Roster for games against Denmark

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[TR]
[TD]VĀRTSARGI[/TD]
[TD]KLUBS[/TD]
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[TD]IVARS[/TD]
[TD]PUNNENOVS[/TD]
[TD]LAUSSANE (NL)[/TD]
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[TD]ĒRIKS[/TD]
[TD]VĪTOLS[/TD]
[TD]ZEMGALE/LLU[/TD]
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[TD]GUSTAVS DĀVIS[/TD]
[TD]GRIGALS[/TD]
[TD]ADMIRALS (AHL)[/TD]
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[TD]UVIS[/TD]
[TD]BALINSKIS[/TD]
[TD]BILIYI TIGRI LIBEREC (ČEHIJA)[/TD]
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[TD]KRISTAPS[/TD]
[TD]ZĪLE[/TD]
[TD]HC LITVINOV (ČEHIJA)[/TD]
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[TD]BINDULIS[/TD]
[TD]CESKE BUDJOVICE (ČEHIJA)[/TD]
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[TD]KĀRLIS[/TD]
[TD]ČUKSTE[/TD]
[TD]TRINEC (ČEHIJA)[/TD]
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[TD]BERGMANIS[/TD]
[TD]ALASKA FAIRBANKS UNIV. (NCAA)[/TD]
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[TD]ROBERTS[/TD]
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[TD]NOVE ZAMKY (SLOVĀKIJA)[/TD]
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[TD]MIKS[/TD]
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[TD]ROKI (MESTIS)[/TD]
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[TD]UZBRUCĒJI[/TD]
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[TD]DAUGAVIŅŠ[/TD]
[TD]ISERLOHN ROOSTER (DEL)[/TD]
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[TD]RODRIGO[/TD]
[TD]ĀBOLS[/TD]
[TD]OREBRO (SHL)[/TD]
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[TD]ANDRIS[/TD]
[TD]DŽERIŅŠ[/TD]
[TD]BLUE FOX (DĀNIJA)[/TD]
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[TD]ROBERTS[/TD]
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[TD]LULEA (SWE20)[/TD]
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[TD]INDRAŠIS[/TD]
[TD]SCHWENINGER WILD WINGS (DEL)[/TD]
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[TD]MĀRTIŅŠ[/TD]
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[TD]CESKE BUDEJOVICE (ČEHIJA)[/TD]
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[TD]RIHARDS[/TD]
[TD]BUKARTS[/TD]
[TD]EC-KAC (AUT)[/TD]
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[TD]RONALDS[/TD]
[TD]ĶĒNIŅŠ [/TD]
[TD]LAUSSANE (NL)[/TD]
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[TD]LAPINSKIS[/TD]
[TD]SCL TIGERS (NL)[/TD]
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[TD]LA CHAUX DE FONDS (SL)[/TD]
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Haralds Egle, Jānis Jaks, Georg Golovkovs, Filips Buncis and Oskars Cibulskis will not go with team to Aalborg (two games vs Denmark) and will stay in Riga to train.
 
Namejs said:
Balcers - Abols - Ro. Bukarts
Indrasis - Blueger - Daugavins
Tralmaks - Girgensons - Andersons
Jelisejevs - Batna - Ri. Bukarts

Balinskis - Rubins
Jaks - Zile
Freibergs - Cukste

Elvis
Silovs

Ansons, Egle, Kenins, Dzierkals and many others could make the roster depending on your priorities and stuff. There's a bunch of up and coming prospects, some entirely unknown to most people, like Patriks Marcinkevics with a top 20 ppg in NCAA, or some of the many D prospects we have in CHL or Mestis or the Swiss league who might slot in there somewhere as well. For example, Tumanovs is not going to stay in Mestis very long, he's good.

What we're lacking is elite top 6 talent. Ro. Bukarts is too slow and small to be an impact player against the leading teams. Indrasis is too lazy and streaky to glide through with his skill alone. Only Balcers, Blueger, Abols and maybe Daugavins are good and consistent enough. We would need like 2 NHL wingers with good speed and good hands and a top 4 NHL D to make this into a really well-balanced team capable of making the semis once in a blue moon even if every single player was available every time.
Click to expand...
Thank you.

Whats the deal with Egle anyways, He did good in AHL...now he is in SL/NLB!?
 
Namejs said:
I'm perfectly aware of all that, just some perspective provided to all the KHL fiends, who somehow feel the skill level of Latvian players has dropped magically without having any KHL players.
Click to expand...
Have you considered the fact it's not about having KHL players but about players that are moderately successful, in any league? And that there is nothing magical about realizing Indrasis scoring 0,8 PPG in the KHL was probably much better than 0,55 in DEL? Or Dzierkals going from solid option to 0,4 PPG forward in Czechia? Or Kenins point total being in single digits which ended up in his demotion to the lower league?

No, nothing, not important? It will all be offset by *checks notes* 29 yo NLB player and a couple of junior prospects. Or is this "the Karsums case" again, where a player only declines gradually by 8% per year and in all other cases reality is wrong?

Eye of Ra said:
Whats the deal with Egle anyways, He did good in AHL...now he is in SL/NLB!?
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How was Linus Klasen in the NLB?
 
Eye of Ra said:
Thank you.

Whats the deal with Egle anyways, He did good in AHL...now he is in SL/NLB!?
Click to expand...
It's hard to get a contract in Europe these days based on a half decent season in the AHL. It's just the way it is. He's probably betting on making NL.
 
And Balcers is now available after Crunch got eliminated. Silovs will join on Tuesday.

The team is now at least a little better than last year and I'm getting optimistic about our play-off chances again.
 
Probably said before but will merzlikins play? He‘s out in the playoffs and has a contract until 27 so he should come right?
 
Kuracmugger said:
Probably said before but will merzlikins play? He‘s out in the playoffs and has a contract until 27 so he should come right?
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With his confidence at a record low, it's probably best that he isn't coming. Let him instead focus on getting ready for the next season.

But allegedly Canucks has allowed for Silovs to join the team.
 
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GX said:
With his confidence at a record low, it's probably best that he isn't coming. Let him instead focus on getting ready for the next season.

But allegedly Canucks has allowed for Silovs to join the team.
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Do you know Elvis personally or do you read people's minds? Or both?

Merzlikins was garbage early in the season and picked up his game as the season went along with an injury stopping him in his tracks. He still hasn't recovered entirely and I'm sure he will during the off-season.

If he's healthy, he's a clear 1st goalie for Team Latvia.
 
Namejs said:
Merzlikins was garbage early in the season and picked up his game as the season went along
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This again?

Silovs had .922 Sv% in the AHL this calendar year in addition to .908 in the NHL in 5 games of action. Elvis, meanwhile, with all his picking up and whatnot had .893 in the NHL over the same period, not to mention injuries, family issues and whatever else he is dealing with, which put him at .876 over the entire season. I guess it's for everyone to decide which goalie they would trust more at this point.

Most people don't need mind-reading powers to see the writing on the wall. Some do.
 
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Lartsaman said:
How´s the roster looking right now?
Click to expand...

Gudlevskis
Silovs
Punnenovs
Grigals

Zile
Balinskis
Freibergs
Jaks
Bindulis
Mamcics
Tumanovs
Cibulskis
Cukste
Bergmanis

Indrasis
Golovkovs
Batna
Abols
Locmelis
Dzerins
Smirnovs
Kenins
Krastenbergs
Dzierkals
Ro.Bukarts
Ri.Bukarts
Daugavins
Egle
Andersons

Final roster will be announce on Tuesday
 
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Khokhlach86 said:
Gudlevskis
Silovs
Punnenovs
Grigals

Zile
Balinskis
Freibergs
Jaks
Bindulis
Mamcics
Tumanovs
Cibulskis
Cukste
Bergmanis

Indrasis
Golovkovs
Batna
Abols
Locmelis
Dzerins
Smirnovs
Kenins
Krastenbergs
Dzierkals
Ro.Bukarts
Ri.Bukarts
Daugavins
Egle
Andersons

Final roster will be announce on Tuesday
Click to expand...
You missed Balcers, he's joining.
 
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Final roster

Gudļevskis, Punnenovs, Šilovs

Balinskis, Cibuļskis, Čukste, Freibergs, Jaks, Bergmanis, Zīle, Mamčics

Džeriņš, Daugaviņš, Ķēniņš, RoBukarts, Indrašis, Ābols, RiBukarts, Batņa, Balcers, Dzierkals, Krastenbergs, Smirnovs, Andersons, Ločmelis
 
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