Latvian Hockey News Report

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:

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

Latvian Hockey Federation has announced the Latvian national U20 team roster for the sixth Sergei Zholtok Memorial Cup, which will take place on September 1-4 in Riga, Latvia. This year the tournament will include Latvian, Belarusian, Danish U20 teams, as well as the Russian U18 team.

In December the team, led by Leonids Beresnevs, will play in World U20 Championships Div.1 tournament in Belarus. Latvian team will have only one aim – to win over Belarusians and to return to the Elite division.

Tournament schedule:

September 1, 19:00 Latvia U20 – Belarus u20
September 2, 16:00 Denmark U20 – Belarus U20
September 2, 19:15 Latvia U20 – Russia U18
September 3, 16:00 Belarus U20 – Russia U18
September 3, 19:15 Latvia U20 – Denmark U20
September 4, 15:00 Russia U18 – Denmark U20

The roster includes all the best junior players, currently playing in Latvia. As of players, who are playing abroad, only Ronalds Kenins (GC/Kusnacht Lions) and Girts Jansons (Muik Hockey) will take part in this tournament. It is expected that the World Championship roster will also include Kristians Pelss (Edmonton Oil Kings), Vitalijs Hvorostinins (fighting for a spot on Val-d’Or Foreurs), Rolands Vigners (Reims), Matiss Mezulis (Gotteron U20) and probably also brothers Ralfs and Kristers Freibergs, both playing in Sweden.

Official roster for the tournament:

This article(let’s be modest, this list) reveals approximately 70% of all the players, who will step on the ice for a Latvian league game next season. Today a list of roster applications was published in Sporta Avize. However, HK Ogre and Lithuanian Orakulas Vilnius have not submitted applications as of yet.

HK Ozolnieki/Monarhs

The team has not added a single player to the roster, the teams will still consist of veteran Latvian players, who have played for Ozolnieki/Monarhs (Vilki Riga, HK NIK’s Brih Riga) for many, many years. Naturally, team also includes several younger players, like Kristaps Stigis or Aldis Pizans.

HK Ozolnieki/Monarhs roster:

Metalurgs Liepaja-2

Metalurgs farm club has only a couple of minor additions, but most of the new faces on the Metalurgs Liepaja-2 roster will come from the Metalurgs U18 team.

Metalurgs Liepaja-2 roster:

DHK Latgale

DHK Latgale roster:

Zemgale

Zemgale roster:

SK LSPA/Riga

SK LSPA/Riga roster:

Prizma Riga

Prizma Riga roster:

There is not much time left until the beginning of September, when Latvian U20 team will play already in the sixth Sergei Zholtok Memorial Cup. The candidates list for the team has been made available.

In December the team, led by Leonids Beresnevs, will play in World U20 Championships Div.1 tournament in Belarus. Latvian team will have only one aim – to win over Belarusians and to return to the Elite division.

Candidates list:

Although Latvian Hockey Federation’s meeting took place already August 11, the new press secretary of the federation decided that there was no need to inform the public about the conclusions made any earlier than five days later.

It was clarified that the league is going to start on September 11 and will have six rounds, which means that all seven(eight?) teams would have to play 36(42?) games. However, federation is still working on the calendar.

As of yet, participation of seven teams has been confirmed:

• Metalurgs Liepaja-2
• DHK Latgale
• HK Ogre
• HS Riga/LSPA
• Prizma Riga
• Zemgale
• HK Ozolnieki/Monarhs

During the meeting teams came to an agreement that the league will also include a Lithuanian team, who would play their home games at Vilnius’ Siemens Arena, which has the capacity of 8750. At this point I have something very important to make clear – even in the very brightest days of Latvian league(mid-1990′s) 5000-seat Rigas Sporta pils was almost never sold-out. In the past two seasons an attendance of 500 would have been considered a shockingly high one. Also, there is no clue, which is the Lithuanian team willing to play in Latvia. Is it ambitious Vetra Vilnius, who was never really established(without a single personnel/player signed) and failed to enter KHL this summer?

A few days ago it was also announced that on September 1-4 already the sixth Sergei Zholtok Memorial Cup will take place. It is an exhibition tournament, where usually four U20 national teams take part. This year the tournament will include Latvian, Belarusian, Danish U20 teams, as well as the Russian U18 team.

Dinamo Riga is getting ready not only for the next season of Kontinental Hockey League, but also MHL, where HK Riga is going to take part in for the first time. Just before the beginning of training camp on June 5, club’s homepage initially announced 46 candidates for the team, but a few days later 2 more players (Jasionis and Ozols) were added to the list.

Both Viktors Jasionis and Mikus Ozols are forwards. While Ozols, being 1991-born, played in Arboga last year, Jasionis played in the Latvian league club Metalurgs Liepaja-2.