WC: 2024 Team Latvia Roster Talk

[Namejs]

I wouldn't mind trying Bicevskis too, even think it was weird for him being ignored while he was a center playing in Czechia before, but he also got the impression that no one wants him and retired from the national team last year.

Bicevskis is a small forward lacking upper boddy strength. He could be effectively used only in a scoring role. Is he good enough to make the top 6? No, he isn't. Should we play him instead of Locmelis or some other prospect?

My answer is a resounding no.

We could ice him in a couple of games or give him more O-zone starts against weaker opponents, but he isn't a very important asset.

 

[SoundAndFury]

Bicevskis is a small forward lacking upper boddy strength. He could be effectively used only in a scoring role.

Yes, that's why he played as a bottom-6 center in the Czech league for 5 years. Another brilliant insight.

 

[Namejs]

Yes, that's why he played as a bottom-6 center in the Czech league for 5 years. Another brilliant insight.

The Latvian national team is not Czech Extraliga.

If you manage to score 5 points in 33 play-off games and are not able to contribute offensively while playing in a bottom 6 role at that level, you have no business being a part of the Latvian national team.

Even Girgensons, who scores at the same rate in the NHL, is in no way a write-in for 3C at the national team.

We're not discussing Lithuania here.

 

[SoundAndFury]

Yes we are discussing Latvia where alternative is Dzerins. That's exactly what we were discussing when you provided your valuable input.

 

[Bijelo]

Oskars Batna facts:

2019-20:

Latvia

WC

7

0

0

0

2020-21:

Latvia

WC

3

1

1

2

2021-22:

Latvia

WC

7

1

0

1

 

[RKBoy]

Latvia peaked last year and i dont think theres big chance to replicate that.. defeating Canada, Czechia and Switzerland making it to QF and then eliminating Sweden and winning Bronze againts US.. your roster doesnt get better than what you had last year, on the other hand all those teams will be likely better than they were.. last 3 WC were really weak in terms of overall quality, this year in Czechia many people expects strongest rosters in years, especially for Canada, Finland and Sweden..

saying that Germany are weak oponent with their Silver from last year and consistency of QF apereances over last few years is very ignorant.. plus Silver from Olympics in 2018.. they are ahead of you in every way and with possible incomes of Peterka, Reichel, Stutzle and Sturm from NHL they are going to be stronger than last year..

same for us.. if there not for that fluke of a game againts Kazakhstan, we would be in QF.. but we are on the right track to be again stable PO team, with this year probably having our strongest roster in years..

i dont see Latvia advancing, definitely tought team to play againts bacause of your mentality and good skating, but i dont see enough quality there to do something similar again, especially with those around you being very likely better than they were a year ago.

theres difference between unrealistic expectations you and people in your country have and the reality.

cherish that brozne because even better hockey nations than you didnt win anything in long time or very little at least.

 

[Namejs]

Yes we are discussing Latvia where alternative is Dzerins. That's exactly what we were discussing when you provided your valuable input.

If your alternative to having Bicevskis at 3C is Dzerins, you simply don't have a clue about Latvian hockey.

The alternative of having Bicevskis is not having Bicevskis on the roster.

Dzerins is the 2nd best Latvian C in the Danish league, and he's not producing much more than a prospect defenseman who is not making the national team either.

In terms of pecking order, Dzerins could make the Latvian C team right now.

 

[Namejs]

Blueger
Abols
Batna
Girgensons
Locmelis
Marenis
Veinbergs/Egle

If you're missing most of these, you start looking for wingers with C experience. Tralmaks has played center, Krastenbergs, others.

You're not looking for geriatric has beens or frail midgets playing in Slovenia. You're either looking for power forward types, grinder types or looking into prospects elsewhere for bottom 6 Cs.

 

[Namejs]

Latvia peaked last year and i dont think theres big chance to replicate that.. defeating Canada, Czechia and Switzerland making it to QF and then eliminating Sweden and winning Bronze againts US.. your roster doesnt get better than what you had last year, on the other hand all those teams will be likely better than they were.. last 3 WC were really weak in terms of overall quality, this year in Czechia many people expects strongest rosters in years, especially for Canada, Finland and Sweden..

saying that Germany are weak oponent with their Silver from last year and consistency of QF apereances over last few years is very ignorant.. plus Silver from Olympics in 2018.. they are ahead of you in every way and with possible incomes of Peterka, Reichel, Stutzle and Sturm from NHL they are going to be stronger than last year..

same for us.. if there not for that fluke of a game againts Kazakhstan, we would be in QF.. but we are on the right track to be again stable PO team, with this year probably having our strongest roster in years..

i dont see Latvia advancing, definitely tought team to play againts bacause of your mentality and good skating, but i dont see enough quality there to do something similar again, especially with those around you being very likely better than they were a year ago.

theres difference between unrealistic expectations you and people in your country have and the reality.

cherish that brozne because even better hockey nations than you didnt win anything in long time or very little at least.

You're confusing luck with peaking.

Slovakia peaked 20 years ago, hockey in Latvia is growing.

 

[RKBoy]

You're confusing luck with peaking.

Slovakia peaked 20 years ago, hockey in Latvia is growing.

thats why there were last two drafts when we had 5 players in 1 round, 1OA and 2OA, with another drafts (2025, 2026) where we migh again have 2 or 3 first rounders, maybe even more and 5 to 8 players drafted overall in each year, talent is there..
i am not saying we are going to have over 30 players in NHL again, but its very likely or atleast we are on the path to have around 15, maybe slighty more, players there by 2030 olympics.
but yes, you are the one growing and we have our peak behind us..

hockey at your country maybe is growing but it is enough to crack in terms of quality current top 9 nations? having big core of players in NHL? i see Murnieks maybe Osmanis.. if we are talking about players that might be selected in 1 round.. thats nice, but not enough.. i dont see with your population, league and ressources producing many players to be that nation on regular PO basis and aimig for medals.

 

[SoundAndFury]

If your alternative to having Bicevskis at 3C is Dzerins, you simply don't have a clue about Latvian hockey.

Nobody was talking about 3C, another nice strawman you built here. You should really switch up your fallacious techniques, dealing with the same one every time gets kinda boring.

Nobody expected Dzerins on the team last year and yet he was there and he will need to be replaced by, most likely, a defensively responsible player capable of playing on the bottom lines. Just because you hate Bicevskis based on his physique (which is hilarious remembering people like Datsyuk) doesn't mean he won't get considered. Which is what people are talking about. But it's good to know we can only do that with your permission otherwise we "don't have a clue".

It's also hilarious that you yourself list Marenis or Egle between those considered but draw the line at Bicevskis being completely "clueless" despite all of them having very comparable stats in comparable leagues and Bicevskis arguably fitting the role better.

But again, according to you, he can only be used in the top-6 role so every coach playing him, and every GM hiring him his entire career was just an idiot who didn't get the memo.

 

[Namejs]

thats why there were last two drafts when we had 5 players in 1 round, 1OA and 2OA, with another drafts (2025, 2026) where we migh again have 2 or 3 first rounders, maybe even more and 5 to 8 players drafted overall in each year, talent is there..
i am not saying we are going to have over 30 players in NHL again, but its very likely or atleast we are on the path to have around 15, maybe slighty more, players there by 2030 olympics.
but yes, you are the one growing and we have our peak behind us..

hockey at your country maybe is growing but it is enough to crack in terms of quality current top 9 nations? having big core of players in NHL? i see Murnieks maybe Osmanis.. if we are talking about players that might be selected in 1 round.. thats nice, but not enough.. i dont see with your population, league and ressources producing many players to be that nation on regular PO basis and aimig for medals.

If you look at when Slovakia was peaking, you had several elite NHL players. I'm not going to list them, you know what I'm talking about.

Since the early 2000s, you've had over 80 draftees with none of them becoming elite at the NHL level. Tatar is sub-elite, you can include him I guess. So 1 out of 80.

It's not really about the number of draftees. It's about what happens afterwards.

And not a whole lot is happening afterwards.

With Ruzicka gone, you only have 4 full-time NHLers with Tatar who is on the way out, Cernak and Fehervary who aren't exactly stellar and Slafkovsky who has only recently picked up his pace enough not to be called a major bust.

Nemec looks like he's going to become a full-time NHLer. So that's 5. Where's the rest of the 15? None of the recent draftees have made the switch to major pro hockey succesfully yet, they're not producing at a rate when you can say with any confidence that they're going to be career NHLers.

So you might have 15 Slovakians with some NHL ice time on their CV, but I don't see even 10 career NHLers.

And what makes it worse, with Slafkovsky kind of flopping, there's also no elite NHL players in sight.

So while you are slightly improving and the depth is there, I can't really see any major improvement for Slovakia in the IIHF rankings. You remain exactly where you were, give or take. Half a tier above Latvia.

 

[RKBoy]

If you look at when Slovakia was peaking, you had several elite NHL players. I'm not going to list them, you know what I'm talking about.

Since the early 2000s, you've had over 80 draftees with none of them becoming elite at the NHL level. Tatar is sub-elite, you can include him I guess. So 1 out of 80.

It's not really about the number of draftees. It's about what happens afterwards.

And not a whole lot is happening afterwards.

With Ruzicka gone, you only have 4 full-time NHLers with Tatar who is on the way out, Cernak and Fehervary who aren't exactly stellar and Slafkovsky who has only recently picked up his pace enough not to be called a major bust.

Nemec looks like he's going to become a full-time NHLer. So that's 5. Where's the rest of the 15? None of the recent draftees have made the switch to major pro hockey succesfully yet, they're not producing at a rate when you can say with any confidence that they're going to be career NHLers.

So you might have 15 Slovakians with some NHL ice time on their CV, but I don't see even 10 career NHLers.

And what makes it worse, with Slafkovsky kind of flopping, there's also no elite NHL players in sight.

So while you are slightly improving and the depth is there, I can't really see any major improvement for Slovakia in the IIHF rankings. You remain exactly where you were, give or take. Half a tier above Latvia.

Wau, i am not going to even waste my time to try for longer response for this nonsense.

So much ignorance and lack of knowledge is mindblowing, but i should not be suprised by what i read from you in this thread.

 

[Namejs]

Wau, i am not going to even waste my time to try for longer response for this nonsense.

So much ignorance and lack of knowledge is mindblowing, but i should not be suprised by what i read from you in this thread.

Good luck with those 15 NHLers!

 

[Vikz]

Now I know this thread is about the current state of Slovakian hockey, but as an off-topic - Vitolins named Ville Peltonen as an assistant coach in place of Artis Abols. For me, thats sad. Firing a coach after the historic medal run we had is just unfair, since it appears that the decision was not mutual. Abols always appealed to me thanks to his blunt and straight-forward attitude, but that is probably the reason he is being replaced. Since I dont see how replacing one of the few qualified Latvian coaches with a generic foreigner is performance related. Theres got to be some personal conflict.

 

[Dofs]

Now I know this thread is about the current state of Slovakian hockey, but as an off-topic - Vitolins named Ville Peltonen as an assistant coach in place of Artis Abols. For me, thats sad. Firing a coach after the historic medal run we had is just unfair, since it appears that the decision was not mutual. Abols always appealed to me thanks to his blunt and straight-forward attitude, but that is probably the reason he is being replaced. Since I dont see how replacing one of the few qualified Latvian coaches with a generic foreigner is performance related. Theres got to be some personal conflict.

Abols seems to be a pretty direct guy and I can definitely see how his personality could clash with Vitolinš, especially given that Abols has always wanted to be the head coach of the national team, and never really hid it.

I am now worried though, because Vitolinš had success only with another direct guy - Znarok. Alone, his achievements just aren't that great. And Abols in some ways is kinda similar to Znarok, so without a guy like them, will Vitolinsh be able to properly motivate and hold the team together?

 

[Eye of Ra]

If you look at when Slovakia was peaking, you had several elite NHL players. I'm not going to list them, you know what I'm talking about.

Since the early 2000s, you've had over 80 draftees with none of them becoming elite at the NHL level. Tatar is sub-elite, you can include him I guess. So 1 out of 80.

It's not really about the number of draftees. It's about what happens afterwards.

And not a whole lot is happening afterwards.

With Ruzicka gone, you only have 4 full-time NHLers with Tatar who is on the way out, Cernak and Fehervary who aren't exactly stellar and Slafkovsky who has only recently picked up his pace enough not to be called a major bust.

Nemec looks like he's going to become a full-time NHLer. So that's 5. Where's the rest of the 15? None of the recent draftees have made the switch to major pro hockey succesfully yet, they're not producing at a rate when you can say with any confidence that they're going to be career NHLers.

So you might have 15 Slovakians with some NHL ice time on their CV, but I don't see even 10 career NHLers.

And what makes it worse, with Slafkovsky kind of flopping, there's also no elite NHL players in sight.

So while you are slightly improving and the depth is there, I can't really see any major improvement for Slovakia in the IIHF rankings. You remain exactly where you were, give or take. Half a tier above Latvia.

Cernak and Fehevary are good NHLers, saying they aren't exactly stellar is too much. Slaf has 30 points in 58 games with a weak Habs, as a 19 year old. In what world is that flooping? He is one of the best u21 in NHL. Him and Nemec are future elites, there is no doubt.

Now I know this thread is about the current state of Slovakian hockey, but as an off-topic - Vitolins named Ville Peltonen as an assistant coach in place of Artis Abols. For me, thats sad. Firing a coach after the historic medal run we had is just unfair, since it appears that the decision was not mutual. Abols always appealed to me thanks to his blunt and straight-forward attitude, but that is probably the reason he is being replaced. Since I dont see how replacing one of the few qualified Latvian coaches with a generic foreigner is performance related. Theres got to be some personal conflict.

Peltonen is a good add

 

[krutais23]

Btw guys Bicevskis retired from NT in 2022, so its kinda pointless to argue about him

 

[SoundAndFury]

Btw guys Bicevskis retired from NT in 2022, so its kinda pointless to argue about him

So many people retire and un-retire from NT, Toni Kroos being the last one, that those are to be taken with a huge pinch of salt. Nothing is written in stone in those cases, especially when we are talking about a player who is only 32 and having one of the better seasons of his career (although I suppose that really depends on the result today).

 

[Jersey Fan 12]

Gavars, Skrastins, Vitolins and lavins should be tested

Admittedly St. Lawrence-Princeton is a bit lower on the college hockey food chain.

But had the chance to see Gavars play Friday night and he was definitely one of the two or three better players on the ice. Believe he also scored the deciding goal in the shootout if not mistaken.

Leads the Saints with 12 goals on the season. Not sure how that slots with Latvia's men's team but as a 21/22 year old there could be something worth seeing.

 

[erik26]

Elvis Merzļikins - Columbus Blue Jackets/NHL
Kristers Gudlevskis - Fischtown Pinguins/DEL
Ivars Punnenovs - Rapperswil-Jona/NL

Rezervováno:
Eriks Vitols - KeuPa HT/Mestis

čeká, jestli skončí v play off NHL nebo AHL:
Arturs Silovs - Vancouver Canucks/NHL nebo Abbotsford Canucks/AHL


Ralfs Freibergs - Mountfield HK/Česko - Kristians Rubins - MODO/SHL
Kristaps Žile - HC Litvínov/Česko - Janiš Jakš - HC Litvínov/Česko
Karlis Cukste - Brynäs IF/HockeyAllsvenskan/SWE2 - Roberts Mamcics - HC Nové Zámky/Slovensko
Miks Tumanovs - JYP/Liiga - Arvils Bergmanis - Univ. z Alaska-Fairbanks/NCAA

Rezervováno:
Arturs Andzans - HPK/Liiga
Kristofers Bindulis - HK Dukla Michalovce/Slovensko


čeká, jestli skončí v play off NHL nebo AHL:
Uvis Balinskis - Florida Panthers/NHL nebo Charlotte Checkers/AHL



Kaspars Daugavins - HK Dukla Michalovce/Slovensko - Rodrigo Abols - Rögle BK/SHL - Rudolfs Balcers - ZSC Lions/NL
Rihards Bukarts - HC Vítkovice/Česko - Oskars Batna - Jukurit/Liiga - Eduards Tralmaks - Rytíří Kladno/Česko
Roberts Bukarts - HC Vítkovice/Česko - Haralds Egle - HK32 Liptovský Mikuláš/Slovensko - Martins Dzierkals - Skellefteå AIK/SHL
Toms Andersons - HC La Chaux-de-Fonds/SL - Miks Indrasis - Brynäs IF/HockeyAllsvenskan/SWE2 - Renars Krastenbergs - Graz99ers/ICEHL
Dans Locmelis - UMass/NCAA

 

[SoundAndFury]

Elvis Merzļikins - Columbus Blue Jackets/NHL
Kristers Gudlevskis - Fischtown Pinguins/DEL
Ivars Punnenovs - Rapperswil-Jona/NL

Rezervováno:
Eriks Vitols - KeuPa HT/Mestis

čeká, jestli skončí v play off NHL nebo AHL:
Arturs Silovs - Vancouver Canucks/NHL nebo Abbotsford Canucks/AHL


Ralfs Freibergs - Mountfield HK/Česko - Kristians Rubins - MODO/SHL
Kristaps Žile - HC Litvínov/Česko - Janiš Jakš - HC Litvínov/Česko
Karlis Cukste - Brynäs IF/HockeyAllsvenskan/SWE2 - Roberts Mamcics - HC Nové Zámky/Slovensko
Miks Tumanovs - JYP/Liiga - Arvils Bergmanis - Univ. z Alaska-Fairbanks/NCAA

Rezervováno:
Arturs Andzans - HPK/Liiga
Kristofers Bindulis - HK Dukla Michalovce/Slovensko


čeká, jestli skončí v play off NHL nebo AHL:
Uvis Balinskis - Florida Panthers/NHL nebo Charlotte Checkers/AHL



Kaspars Daugavins - HK Dukla Michalovce/Slovensko - Rodrigo Abols - Rögle BK/SHL - Rudolfs Balcers - ZSC Lions/NL
Rihards Bukarts - HC Vítkovice/Česko - Oskars Batna - Jukurit/Liiga - Eduards Tralmaks - Rytíří Kladno/Česko
Roberts Bukarts - HC Vítkovice/Česko - Haralds Egle - HK32 Liptovský Mikuláš/Slovensko - Martins Dzierkals - Skellefteå AIK/SHL
Toms Andersons - HC La Chaux-de-Fonds/SL - Miks Indrasis - Brynäs IF/HockeyAllsvenskan/SWE2 - Renars Krastenbergs - Graz99ers/ICEHL
Dans Locmelis - UMass/NCAA

Best part of this post is s/š, c/č, z/ž being completely randomized.

 

[SoundAndFury]

Playoffs going great for almost all meaningful players, at least in terms of team results: Zurich won in 4, Skelleftea are leading series 3-0, Rogle are leading their series 3-0, Brynas won in 4, Litvinov made 2nd round of the Czech league 2nd time in their history.

 

[Jersey Fan 12]

St. Lawrence made a surprising run to the ECAC Hockey championship game; falling to Cornell in the final. They didn't reach the NCAA tournament so Gavars is available.

 

[Vikz]

St. Lawrence made a surprising run to the ECAC Hockey championship game; falling to Cornell in the final. They didn't reach the NCAA tournament so Gavars is available.

Gavars is indeed in the training camp, as well as aforementioned Lavins and Skrastins. The overall list of players is just something. Not sure why you even start a training camp when theres like 1.5 players who can make the final roster. Maybe coaches need practice too? Anyways, the NCAA guys are the best there is at the moment, and they should have a good look in the nearest games.