WC: Latvia Roster Talk 2023

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With a sidenote that this is not the official roster, they are leaving 2 roster spots open for Blueger and Rubins for the time being.
 
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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An almost entirely built D from the Extraliga!

I think this team will be a handful and expect a lot of close games in round robin.
 
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Let's play a prediction game: Top 3 Point Predictions for the tournament for Latvian players?
Feel free to add any reasoning also if needed.

Example:

1. Daugavins 5+4 = 9 pts
2. Dzierkals 3+3 = 6 pts
3. Abols 2+3 = 5 pts
 
Let's play a prediction game: Top 3 Point Predictions for the tournament for Latvian players?
Feel free to add any reasoning also if needed.

Example:

1. Daugavins 5+4 = 9 pts
2. Dzierkals 3+3 = 6 pts
3. Abols 2+3 = 5 pts
Abols and Daugavins have some surprising chemistry between them and they will be the core of the PP1, while Balcers easily has the best hands, so this is easy. I will make a bold prediction that Andersons will turn heads and will get a bunch of points as well.
 
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Who is the starting goalie against Canada?
It hasn't been decided yet, but likely Silovs.

Interestingly enough, Locmelis, Smirnovs and Bergmanis have not been included in the official roster yet. Both Smirnovs and Locmelis are Cs, and we only have 3Cs available for the Canada game.

Not sure what's the reasoning behind that. It doesn't really make any sense to me.

The lines in the last team practice were also very creative. I have not seen such an approach ever before, as we do not have a single shutdown line, all 4 lines are pretty even.

I actually like the lines, and I love that Andersons has been placed on the 1st line, which actually was an idea of mine I posted here earlier.

But I'm not sure if we're not playing some kind of hide and seek here to be honest.
 
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I just don't think that coaching is that good in the team. Vitolinsh has gotten all his accolades from being an assistant coach, not a head coach, and every time he was a head coach, the results were questionable. He maybe is a good tactician, but his ability to manage and motivate properly (which were the functions of the head coach he was the partner of) just doesn't seem to be there.
 
So funny to hear interviews with Latvian players like Punnenovs and Andersons in Swiss German. :D
 
-Dzerins
-Mamcics
+Rubins
+Golovkovs

The D got upgraded, the forward lines are now a little fresher
 
I thought Dzerins was playing fairly well, did he get hurt?

Good to see Rubins come, that's definitely an upgrade
 
I thought Dzerins was playing fairly well, did he get hurt?

Good to see Rubins come, that's definitely an upgrade
Yup, he got injured. Dzerins was an experienced role player, but he's old and slow as molasses, which is not something that will fly against the Swiss specifically, so I don't view it as a loss.
 
Agree, what an idiot that guy :laugh:
im talking about you

this is almost Latvias best on best team. While its Swedens F-team, with latvia having home-ice and won over Swiss and Czechia. Why would Latvia not be considered the favorites? Even IIHF agree with me, having Latvia as nr 3 on their power ranknings.
 

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