Latvia: Latvian prospects

[Justinov]

Denmark will off course also play the Sergejs Zoltoks Cup without the NA based players. Here is the roster for those interested.

Goalies:
George Sørensen, Blue Fox Herning
Nicolai Henriksen, Esbjerg Energy
Frederik Hansen, Gentofte Stars

D-men:
Sonny Hertzberg, Frölunda U20
Anders Krogsgaard, Esbjerg Energy
Martin Larsen, Bulldogs Odense
Rasmus Lyø, Bulldogs Odense
Mads Larsen, Malmö U20
Emil Birk, Frederikshavn White Hawks
Christoffer Lindhøj, Rungsted Ishockey

Forwards:
Mikkel Aagaard, Frederikshavn White Hawks
Mikkel Ankjær, Ex-Olofströms IK
Mathias Asperup, Malmö U20
Emil Møller Rasmussen, Rødovre Mighty Bulls
Christopher Frederiksen, Frederikshavn White Hawks
Kristoffer Lauridsen, Malmö U20
Marcus Nielsen, Rungsted Ishockey
Nikolaj Zorko, Rødovre Mighty Bulls
Lasse Jul Korsgaard, Aalborg Pirates
Søren Dau Mortensen, SønderjyskE
Christian Kristensen, Rögle U20
Nick Olesen, Vaxjö Lakers U20
Henrik Nielsen, SønderjyskE

So George Sørensen in goal, Sonny Hertzberg in defense and Mathias Asperup on attack are the three primary names.
It's all Danish league and Swedish U20 players.

 

[Justinov]

With regards to Ehlers and Bukarts, I still feel the WHL is a stronger league than the QMJHL, more so for a player playing his first year on NA ice, in a league with big defenders and strong goalies and where the style of play mimics the NHL most closely in terms of physicality imo. Adjustment is obviously easier on a stacked team which for example Bjorkstrand played on last year when he was eased into the league and shown the ropes from the veterans. Now he is taking that winning mentality he learned last year and trying to become a leader himself.

Thanks for this information! That's something to remember when we evaluate the players!

 

[BalticWarrior]

Denmark will off course also play the Sergejs Zoltoks Cup without the NA based players. Here is the roster for those interested.

Goalies:
George Sørensen, Blue Fox Herning
Nicolai Henriksen, Esbjerg Energy
Frederik Hansen, Gentofte Stars

D-men:
Sonny Hertzberg, Frölunda U20
Anders Krogsgaard, Esbjerg Energy
Martin Larsen, Bulldogs Odense
Rasmus Lyø, Bulldogs Odense
Mads Larsen, Malmö U20
Emil Birk, Frederikshavn White Hawks
Christoffer Lindhøj, Rungsted Ishockey

Forwards:
Mikkel Aagaard, Frederikshavn White Hawks
Mikkel Ankjær, Ex-Olofströms IK
Mathias Asperup, Malmö U20
Emil Møller Rasmussen, Rødovre Mighty Bulls
Christopher Frederiksen, Frederikshavn White Hawks
Kristoffer Lauridsen, Malmö U20
Marcus Nielsen, Rungsted Ishockey
Nikolaj Zorko, Rødovre Mighty Bulls
Lasse Jul Korsgaard, Aalborg Pirates
Søren Dau Mortensen, SønderjyskE
Christian Kristensen, Rögle U20
Nick Olesen, Vaxjö Lakers U20
Henrik Nielsen, SønderjyskE

So George Sørensen in goal, Sonny Hertzberg in defense and Mathias Asperup on attack are the three primary names.
It's all Danish league and Swedish U20 players.

Well our roster for Žoltoks Cup is basically a B team so it should be pretty close.

 

[Justinov]

Well our roster for Žoltoks Cup is basically a B team so it should be pretty close.

It really was. Denmark won 1-0 over Latvia in OT (Goal Mikkel Aagaard Hansen) after 63 min.
So great goalkeeping apparently.....

The other game was:
Austria - Belarus 0-4 (0-1,0-3,0-0)
0-1 Egor Voronov (Nikita Kryskin, Alexandr Karakulko) PP
0-2 Dmitri Ambrozheichik (Anton Kirechko)
0-3 Yevgeni Kuntsevich (Roman Dostanko) PP
0-4 Igor Speshilov (Nikolai Logviniuk, Nikita Kryskin)

 

[Justinov]

Denmark beat Austria 5-2 and Latvia lost 2-4 to Belarus.
So Denmark-Belarus plays for the Sergejs Zoltoks Cup in the last game.

Denmark - Austria 5-2 (3-0,1-1,1-1)
1-0 Emil Rasmussen (Cristopher Frederiksen, Mikkel Ankjaer Nielsen)
2-0 Marcus Nielsen (Lasse Jul Korsgaard)
3-0 Chritoffer Lauridsen (Mikkel Ankjaer Nielsen, Sonny Hetzberg)
4-0 Mathias Asperup (Martin Larsen, Cristopher Frederiksen)
4-1 Marco Richter (Stefan Fellinger) PP2
5-1 Cristopher Frederiksen (Martin Larsen, Cristoffer Lindhoj) PP2
5-2 Ali Wukovits SH

Latvia - Belarus 2-4 (0-0,1-3,1-1)
0-1 Alexandr Karakulko
0-2 Anton Kirechko (Artsiom Yatskevich, Alexandr Karakulko) PP2
0-3 Alexandr Karakulko (Vitali Raparovich, Nikita Voles) PP
1-3 Emīls Potāpovs (Deivids Sarkanis)
1-4 Alexandr Kogalev (Alexandr Karakulko, Nikolai Logviniuk)
2-4 Toms Bernhards (Deivids Sarkanis, Ričards Kondrats) PP2

 

[ozo]

Our roster just makes me angry. Maximum 2-3 of these players will make the eventual roster so yet again we can expect no cohesive play from the first game in the eventual tournament. All for testing out wide range of players but this absurd.

 

[Justinov]

The final games of the Sergei Zholtok Cup means that Denmark wins the tournament for the first time since 2005.

Latvia - Austria 1-2 (0-1,1-1,0-0)
0-1 Lukas Haudum (Patrick Berr)
0-2 Bernd Wolf (Lukas Haudum, Patrick Berr) PP
1-2 Romāns Semjonovs (Ralfs Grīnbergs, Matīss Gelažis) PP

Belarus - Denmark 1-2 (0-0,0-2,1-0)
0-1 Mikkel Aagaard Hansen (Christian Kristiansen)
0-2 Nicolai Zorko (Marcus Nielsen)
1-2 Egor Voronov (Roman Dostanko, Igor Varyvonchik)

Latvia really could need some NA based forwards, since they only netted 3 goals in 3 matches.

 

[BalticWarrior]

Rihards Bukarts-1 goal he now has 20 points in 29 games(7+13)
Lipsbergs with a 2+1 yesterday he now has 24 points in 27 games (17+7)
Georgs Golovkovs with an assist in 27 games he has 25 points (9+16)
Teodors Bļugers with two assists in NCAA in 14 games he now has 9 points (3+6)

 

[Justinov]

Rihards Bukarts-1 goal he now has 20 points in 29 games(7+13)
Lipsbergs with a 2+1 yesterday he now has 24 points in 27 games (17+7)
Georgs Golovkovs with an assist in 27 games he has 25 points (9+16)
Teodors Bļugers with two assists in NCAA in 14 games he now has 9 points (3+6)

Also
Nikika Jevpalovs with 14G 11A in 28 matches in QMJHL.
Edgars Kulda with 7G 10A in 26 matches in WHL.

 

[BalticWarrior]

Last night


Rihards Bukarts scored a goal and had 0 +/- he now has 9+13 in 31 games.

Edgars Kulda scored a goal and made an assist,and was called the 2nd star of the game.

Roberts Lipsbergs scored a goal,he now has 19 goals this season.

Georgs Golovkovs with two assists he now has 27 points this season.

Jevpalovs without any points and was neutral.

 

[BalticWarrior]

Zemgus with a BEAST goal

 

[Justinov]

Zemgus with a BEAST goal

You have to be pretty strong to that. So good for Latvia to finally have a tank forward!

 

[BalticWarrior]

Zemgus with another goal and beauty of a shooutout

http://sportacentrs.com/hokejs/nhl/11122013-girgensons_gust_vartus_un_realize_izskiro

 

[Arthur]

Zemgus with another goal and beauty of a shooutout

http://sportacentrs.com/hokejs/nhl/11122013-girgensons_gust_vartus_un_realize_izskiro

Sure, first might be a lucky goal, but he has immense work rate . He never gives up and plays hard, that is what i like about him

 

[BalticWarrior]

Sure, first might be a lucky goal, but he has immense work rate . He never gives up and plays hard, that is what i like about him

Yup agree. Anyway it appears it was a productive night,Rihards Bukarts and Roberts Lipsbergs both scored 2 goals.

 

[Latgale_fan]

Our roster just makes me angry. Maximum 2-3 of these players will make the eventual roster so yet again we can expect no cohesive play from the first game in the eventual tournament. All for testing out wide range of players but this absurd.

Actually at the end 4 people of that Zoltoks' Cup team made the roster.

Goalies: Punnenovs
Defense: Grīnbergs
Forwards: Mazurs-Mago and Kondrāts

But still, nothing much. Considering the fact that Bukarts was not released/Tambijevs didn't want him and the fact that Jeļisējevs is injured, so yeah- 2 people would have gone to the championship. Or 3 or 4, if Mazurs-Mago and Kondrāts weren't the last choices.

 

[malkinfan]

Such a disappointment to be relegated again after starting the tournament allowing no goals against, then choking in the biggest game. I thought with the team they brought they would be locks for promotion.

 

[ozo]

Such a disappointment to be relegated again after starting the tournament allowing no goals against, then choking in the biggest game. I thought with the team they brought they would be locks for promotion.

Hey, it wasn't that bad.

 

[malkinfan]

Hey, it wasn't that bad.

ahah clever find

 

[Justinov]

So since Latvia surprisingly lost 4-1 to Denmark on the U20 (sorry about that, by the way), which players have performed as expected and which have been a disappointment?

Lipsbergs with 6 goals is surely quite impressive.

 

[SoundAndFury]

Latvian golden boy Bukarts nowhere to be found on the CSS mid-term. Rightfully so I guess but still a bit sad. And Baltic Warrior was all over the idea to slot him into Dinamo's line-up this year

Jevpalovs at #152 and Kristofers Bindulis at #207 between NA skaters.

Merzlikins #11 between European goalies.

 

[ozo]

Latvian golden boy Bukarts nowhere to be found on the CSS mid-term. Rightfully so I guess but still a bit sad. And Baltic Warrior was all over the idea to slot him into Dinamo's line-up this year

Jevpalovs at #152 and Kristofers Bindulis at #207 between NA skaters.

Merzlikins #11 between European goalies.

No need to panic, even if Bukarts doesn't become a NHL player, he still can be another Indrasis.

 

[malkinfan]

Latvian golden boy Bukarts nowhere to be found on the CSS mid-term. Rightfully so I guess but still a bit sad. And Baltic Warrior was all over the idea to slot him into Dinamo's line-up this year

Jevpalovs at #152 and Kristofers Bindulis at #207 between NA skaters.

Merzlikins #11 between European goalies.

Those rankings are usually crap anyways. after the top 30 guys its usually a crap shoot. Some other service had Bukarts in the top 100. Red line also had good things to say about him.

 

[Jacko95]

Hey guys, since Tampa has drafted Gudlevskis (what a steal, he is such a best) I started looking around a little bit about other Latvian prospect and one guy that really interests me is Ralfs Freibergs. He might not be one of your best, but he is a defender and as a Tampa fan I mostly look for FA defense prospects.

Do you guys see any NHL upside in him? What kind of game does he play and are there any rumors about his plans to turn pro (time and country wise)?

 

[SoundAndFury]

Do you guys see any NHL upside in him? What kind of game does he play and are there any rumors about his plans to turn pro (time and country wise)?

I bet nobody has enough evidence to answer you as he plays very limited minutes for NT and for a very obscure NCAA team.

Generally I would say he has no NHL upside because otherwise he would play a much bigger role in the national team being few months away from 23 birthday. But I think he might play in the AHL for some time since he chose to move to NA.