Latvian Hockey News Report

Latvian hockey players forward Vitalijs Hvorostinins and defender Ricards Birzins have left their clubs and returned to Latvia. While Hvorostinins played for the Val-d’Ior Foreurs of the QMJHL, Birzins spent the larger part of the season with Beibarys Atyrau of the Kazakh league.

18-year-old Hvorostinins who was picked this summer by Foreurs during the 2010 CHL Import Draft has returned to Latvia, rejoining DHK Latgale of the Latvian league, and playing already his first game with the club. Hvorostinins already played for DHK Latgale last season. For a longer period of time Hvorostinins was injured, managing to play only three games for the Val-d’Ior Foreurs, however he did not manage to earn a single point.

In the same time, defender Ricards Birzins has decided to leave Beibarys Atyrau. As of mid-December (latest statistics I got hold of) Birzins had been dressed only for 10 out of 30 games played at that moment. The lack of trust from the coaching staff must have been the main reason why Birzins has left the club. Ricards has now returned to Riga. As January 31 which is the trade deadline for majority of leagues in Europe is drawing closer and closer, hopefully Ricards will manage to find a new club.

Despite the Kazakh federation’s report that 34-year-old Latvian defender Atvars Tribuncovs has joined Beibarys Atyrau of the Kazakh league, he has signed a contract with Belarussian Extraleague club HC Gomel till the end of this season.

Still, there was some truth about the report – Tribuncovs indeed was willing to join Beibarys, but for some unknown reason it did not work out, and he never arrived at Atyrau. Instead, he joined HC Gomel, having a fantastic debut – in his first game with the club Tribuncovs posted a goal and added two assists.

In the past the 34-year-old defender has played for many seasons in such leagues as Russian Super League, Swedish Elitserien, DEL. He spent also majority of 2008-09 with Dinamo Riga of the KHL. In 2009-10 he played for HC Karlovy Vary of the Czech Extraleague. However, late in the season he was loaned to a Czech 2nd league club and failed to sign a contract during the summer. Before joining HC Gomel, Tribuncovs played several games for HK SMScredit.lv of the Latvian league.

Just several days after Kaspars Astasenko was released from Kazakh league club Beibarys Atyrau, the number of Latvians in the club has been increased to five, with the signing of defenders Atvars Tribuncovs and Sergejs Tjoluskins, reports Kazakh federation’s homepage.

After failing to make the Beibarys Atyrau roster, 27-year-old Latvian Sergejs Tjoluskins signed with Lindlovens IF of the Swedish Division 1, where he played 22 games. Atvars Tribuncovs, however, began the season with HK SMS Credit of the Latvian league. 34-year-old defender in the past has played several seasons in such leagues as Russian Super League, Swedish Elitserien, DEL. He spent also majority of 2008-09 with Dinamo Riga of the KHL.

The very first news on Latvians joining Beibarys appeared in August, when Beibarys held their pre-season camp in Latvia and three Latvians joined the club for a try-out. A little while later another two Latvians joined the camp, but at the end of the camp only Raitums, Birzins and Smirnovs were signed, leaving Elvis Zelubovskis and Sergejs Tjoluskins without a contract. Later on also Kaspars Astasenko joined Beibarys, however he was released from the club after playing 14 games.

Yesterday Latvian U20 national team head coach Leonids Beresnevs announced those 22 players, who will set off for Babruisk, Belarus already tomorrow morning, in order to begin the tournament on December 13 and eventually try to return to the Elite Division for next year.

In order to do that, Latvian team will have to beat not only Japanese, Italian, Great Britain and Ukrainian teams, but also its main rivals for the victory in the tournament – Belarussian team, who will host the tournament. Belarussian team this year consists of many already professional players, of whom majority play in the Belarussian league. In combination with the home ice advantage, Belarussians have slightly higher chances of winning the tournament.

Unfortunately, two potential Latvian team participants withdrew from the pre-tournament training camp, as they got injured. Both of them would most likely made the roster – first one of the is HK Riga players Vladislavs Dobrenkijs, but the second one – Rolands Vigners who plays for Reims of the French Division 1 and did magnificently well during the both exhibition tournaments earlier this season.

Yesterday, during the press conference assistant coach Aigars Cipruss also commented that during this season Kristians Pelss (Edmonton Oil Kings) game has improved a lot, and that he has already benefited from crossing the pond last summer.

Tournament schedule:

*- the game starts at 17:00 GMT and will be broadcasted by LTV7, so there is a slight chance that the game could be streamed somewhere.

Latvian U20 roster:

Latvian U20 national team head coach Leonids Beresnevs has announced those 30 players, who will take part in the pre-World Junior Championship training camp in Jelgava from December 6 until December 11.

The final roster of the team will be announced on December 10. Already the next day the team will leave for Babruysk, Belarus, where on December 13 will play already against British U20 national team.

List of the candidates:

Kontinental Hockey League club Neftekhimik Niznekamsk has signed 25-year-old Latvian defender Maris Jass, who played for HK 36 Skalica of the Slovakian Extraleague.

After the previous season, when Neftekhimik finished fourth in the Eastern Conference, the team is currently struggling to maintain its place in the play-off zone, as it is currently placed eight with 35 points in 24 games. The head coach Vladimir Krikunov, who played for Dinamo Riga in the 1980′s, decided that a change was desirable – as Jass was signed, Neftekhimik released Slovakian defender Peter Mikus from the team.

Maris Jass has already previously played in Russia – in 2005-06, when the KHL was not yet established, he played 14 games for Lada Togliatti. For the most of his career Jass played for Metalurgs Liepaja – a Latvian club, which had and has been playing in the Eastern European Hockey League (folded in 2004), as well as both Belarussian Extraleague and Latvian league. He has also played for HC Slavia Praha of the Czech Extraleague, however since the beginning of 2009-10 he was playing in the Slovak Extraleague.

He has also appeared on international stage, playing for the Latvian national team at the 2006 and 2010 World Championships, as well as two U20 and one U18 Championship.

During the past two days Latvian U18 national team in Riga played two games against the Austrian U18 team, crushing it both times with 7:1 and 7:2. The top scorer of the Latvian team was 1994-born Roberts Lipsbergs, who scored four goals.

Latvian U18 national team missed several key players. First of all, it was 1994-born Zemgus Girgensons, who is having a superb season in the USHL, also Edgars Klavins, who is one of the leading scorers of the Swedish U18 league, wasn’t in Riga. Edgars Kurmis, who plays for HK Riga, was in Denmark with the Latvian U20 team. Another possible miss-out was Artjoms Dasutins, who is playing for HK Sheriff of the MHL.

Latvian U18 results:

Latvian U18 statistics:

1. Toms Andersons is playing in Switzerland, but the club is unknown.
   
2. Players, whose teams are unknown, are playing outside either Latvian or Latvian U18 league.

Yesterday the 2010 Sino Cup finished, as the last two games were held, despite the fact that Latvian U20 team had already played it’s four games by November 12. Latvian team has finished tournament in the second place, right after Belarussian team.

Latvian team started the tournament with an unconvincing 3:2 shootout win over the hosts – Danish U20 team. On the next day Latvians lost 0:3 to Belarussians, which will be the main contestant for the win at the 2011 World U18 Championships in Division 1, but then Latvians beat Finland 3:2 in the shootout – that wasn’t a huge upset, as the Finnish U20 first team is currently at the Four Nations Tournament in Prague. The last game will probably remain as the most memorable of this tournament – a 9:0 run-over the Austrian U20 team.

In the end, Belarussians had eight points and finished the tournament in first place, while Latvians, Danes and Finns had all seven points, and Latvians ended up in the second place only because of a better goal difference. Ronalds Kenins, who scored 6 (2+4) points, was the leading scorer of the whole tournament.

Latvian U20 results:

Latvian U20 statistics:

Today the Latvian U20 national team roster for the U20 Sino Cup in Rodovre, Denmark, which will begin on November 9 and during which Latvian team is going to face Austrian, Belarussian, Danish and Finnish U20 national teams, was announced.

It is the last preparatory tournament for the Latvian team, before the 2011 First division U20 Championship, which is going to take place in Babruysk, Belarus between December 9-13. The only aim for the Latvian team is to win their main rivals Belarussians and return to the Elite division for 2012.

Announced roster for the tournament:

Let me just remind you that in September the sixth Sergei Zholtok Memorial Cup was held in Riga. Here you can take a look back at the team’s roster in September: U20 roster for the Zholtok Cup announced

Once Edmonton Oilers had picked Latvian forward Kristians Pelss in the seventh round of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, a lot of people wondered, who is this kid. As months passed and Pelss arrived to Edmonton, some of them were resolved, but not a lot about his earlier days was learned. We now offer not only some background info about the player, but also a small conversation with Pelss.

Kristians has began 2010-11 by posting a goal and adding a single assist in 10 games for the Edmonton Oil Kings of the WHL.

Pelss, who was born in Preili, for the first time stepped on ice in Daugavpils, where he began his junior career. At the age of 16 he managed to earn a spot on the DHK Latgale team, which played in the Belarusian league – a professional league, comparable to British Elite Ice Hockey League, French Ligue Magnus or even Austrian EBEL. In 2009-10, when DHK Latgale, due to financial problems, returned to playing in Latvian league, which currently is a half-professional league, Pelss joined Dinamo Juniors Riga, the farm club of KHL’s Dinamo Riga.

Pelss statistics:

Kristians also did not mind answering us a couple of questions about his earlier days of his hockey career.

Who encouraged you to start playing hockey?

- When I was eight years old, my father took me to Daugavpils, where at that time an arena had been recently opened, and already before my first practice he bought me a full equipment – by then I never once had skated, but I learned that fairly quick and I really enjoyed it. Before turning to ice hockey, for several years I attended Judo lessons.

Do you consider yourself an alumnus of Metalurgs Liepaja or Daugavpils hockey school? After all, you have spent reasonable time in both of the cities.

- Despite the fact that I gained a lot also during my time in Liepaja, I am without a doubt an alumnus of Daugavpils hockey school, because that is where I started to play and that is where I grew up as a hockey player.

When you returned to Daugavpils, you had just turned 16 years old – did you expect to make the roster of DHK Latgale, who played in the Belarusian league, straight away?

- No, but prior 2008-09 I was coached by Jurijs Agureikins, who let me practice and play together with one up to three years older players than myself, which I am truly thankful to him.

How did you feel, when, being 16 years old, you started playing among professionals?

- Straight away I felt the difference between junior and professional hockey. Still, at least in my opinion, I got used to the professional hockey pretty fast, as my teammates helped me a lot, often saying what I ought to do in different situations.

What relationship do you have with Vitalijs Hvorostinins? [Hvorostinins also comes from Preili and now plays for Val-d’Ior Foreurs in the QMJHL]

- Well, I could say that he is my best friend – we grew up together and for a longer time played together. Also now we regularly talk to each other on Skype, encouraging one another and that really helps, when you don’t see your friends too often.