Hmm, what with the all Latvians recently? It's not like there has been ton of NHL players coming out of Latvia in the past.
Not hating the picks or players , just curious.
I honestly don't understand what you're saying. It's not like Latvia is a some sort of an exotic country like Australia or China or something.
More than 20 Latvians have made it to the NHL. That's quite a lot for a country of 1.9 million people. In fact, per capita, Riga is one the biggest hockey hot beds in Europe. Latvia is one of only 3 countries on the planet, where hockey is the most popular sport.
Why does it surprise you that Latvians are getting drafted?
Balcers and Cukste were very solid for the Latvian U-18 team in this year's WJC. The Latvians actually scored 6 goals on Canada there, and Cukste recorded a goal and an assist in that game, btw. I'm guessing they were both scouted there, although Balcers has been doing very good with his club team in Norway, where he spent the season in a pro league, recording 21 points.
How many 18 year-olds from this year's draft class have recorded 21 points in a pro league?