Latvia: Latvian prospects

[Vikz]

Mateiko and Ansons look really promising for next year's draft. Perhaps 2-3 rounders?

The only time Latvia had two top 100 picks in the draft, both of them became NHLers. So that alone would be a big thing for Latvian hockey.
Its hard to predict those middle-round tallents a year before the draft. Everything will depend on their next season performance.
Mateiko shows that he can easily go PPG + in the next season. QMJHL is kinda overlooked in comparison with OHL and WHL, but his size and playing style should give him edge over other smallish forwards who get skipped in the draft.
Ansons is a few years ahead of other players from the Latvian league. He will probably get selected in the CHL draft this summer. No point in him staying here, and his older brother, who is a Penguins prospect, played in the CHL. So there probably is will, opportunity and connections to go to Canada. There, everything will depend on his production.
Both of them are listed currently as top 100 picks. But theyre both not elite, so it still can go both ways. Depending on the performance of the U18 and U20, someone hopefully joins them.

 

[Jakub97]

Wish the best for Latvia and let's be optimistic towards the draft. There will be some guys taken and even If not there is a way to get into NHL without being drafted anyway. For example right now Jonathan Marchessault very likely doesn't care and can only laugh with the beer in his left hand meanwhile hugging the Stanley Cup with his right.

 

[Vikz]

Imo trio Fenenko, Bulans and Rullers will be taken somewhere from in between 4-7. round.

Well, heres your 3-5 guys taken. It was expected, though. I still hoped for the better. But these later rounds are something else.
A goalie from kazakh u-20 league? How is he better than Ozols?
A D from QMJHL with 5 points?
Then again, the last pick was a guy ranked between 60 and 100 by almost every ranking. He was even in attendance. And was barely selected because of 7th round to 7th round pick trade, because Vegas probably had no idea who to pick anymore.
5 belarusian players!! Not a signle missed draft since 2016, with 17 players selected over these 8 years. These guys will soon compete with Slovakia and Germany, while Latvians will be watching the game on TV. At least the Swiss have only one guy this year, and this time, its not even Bichel. So maybe we will have a chance to rival Switzerland one day. Just not for the 7th - 8th place like we hoped for.

Next year should be better. Now, we wait for the CHL draft and see who gets a real chance of getting drafted next year besides Mateiko.

 

[Jakub97]

Well, heres your 3-5 guys taken. It was expected, though. I still hoped for the better. But these later rounds are something else.
A goalie from kazakh u-20 league? How is he better than Ozols?
A D from QMJHL with 5 points?
Then again, the last pick was a guy ranked between 60 and 100 by almost every ranking. He was even in attendance. And was barely selected because of 7th round to 7th round pick trade, because Vegas probably had no idea who to pick anymore.
5 belarusian players!! Not a signle missed draft since 2016, with 17 players selected over these 8 years. These guys will soon compete with Slovakia and Germany, while Latvians will be watching the game on TV. At least the Swiss have only one guy this year, and this time, its not even Bichel. So maybe we will have a chance to rival Switzerland one day. Just not for the 7th - 8th place like we hoped for.

Next year should be better. Now, we wait for the CHL draft and see who gets a real chance of getting drafted next year besides Mateiko.

Yeah it is bitter. I really believed some Latvians would go...there have been some questionable picks for sure. Anyway this not end and it should only be motivational for all guys who haven't been picked to work even harder.

We've had Jedlička as a late pick who was born in 2002 so don't loose hope. Next year will be better for you.

Wish your country only the best in hockey development.

 

[garbageteam]

5 belarusian players!! Not a signle missed draft since 2016, with 17 players selected over these 8 years. These guys will soon compete with Slovakia and Germany, while Latvians will be watching the game on TV.

Latvia just medaled for the first time ever while Belarus is at least one, if not two entire Olympic cycles away from being allowed to play in a competition again so I wouldn't worry about it. Also not a ton of their picks have panned out from recent years apart from Sharangovich anyway.

 

[Jakub97]

Who can be realisticly picked in CHL draft this year? Ansons and Ozols? Anybody else?

 

[Prizrak]

5 белорусских игроков!! Ни одного пропущенного проекта с 2016 года, за эти 8 лет выбрано 17 игроков.

Yes, we have selected 17 players in 8 years, but we still have a lot to do to get these players to a good level. 99 year of birth - these are the first sprouts of the renewal of the national team, but no one has yet become a player of the required level. Many hopes, but no stability. We are waiting for Levshunov in the draft next year. And the confrontation between Belarus vs Latvia will be tense at any time.

 

[Vikz]

So, four guys drafted in the CHL draft:
#27 Medicine Hat Tigers - Bruno Petrovics (D)
#68 Blainville-Boisbriand Armada - Kristers Ansons (F)
#74 Charlottetown Islanders - Aksels Ozols (G)
#120 Wenatchee Wild - Rodzers Bukarts (F)

A little late for Ozols and Bukarts, who were not picked at this years NHL draft. They will have to outperform themselves to have a chance to be drafted as an overagers, which, to be fair, CHL is all about. Want attention of the scouts - go there. They both had little chance to be noticed from the Swiss and Latvian leagues they are currently playing in.

Petrovics and Ansons are next year draft elegible. Tbh, I was hoping that Ansons will go to the OHL or WHL - it seems like points matter more in them than in the QMJHL, which is a less competitive league. Plus, the team is underwhelming. He might put up good numbers and still get skiped in the NHL draft.
Petrovics is a weird one. His numbers dont seem like a top tallent. 0+0 and -7 in U18 WC are bad even for one of the youngest players on the team. Uljanskis looks like a better tallent in this age group, but I suppose he decided to stay in Sweden.

Anyways, pretty excited to see all of them in the CHL. They rarely draft players unless there is an agreement to come and play, so we will see two more draft eligible players in the most scouted league in the world plus two more guys who got a promotion and have a slight chance to catch up.

 

[zero100scout]

2 Latvian players were included in the Central scouting's preliminary players-to-watch list for the 2024 NHL draft, unless I'm overlooking someone!

Celebrini, Eiserman earn A rating from NHL Central Scouting | NHL.com

Forwards lead way on preliminary players to watch list for 2024 Draft

www.nhl.com

Defenseman Darels Uljanskis (AIK U20, in the Swedish J20 nationell) ranked with a B grade (2nd-3rd round)

Darels Uljanskis at eliteprospects.com

Eliteprospects.com hockey player profile of Darels Uljanskis, 2006-08-25 Riga, LAT Latvia. Most recently in the J20 Nationell with AIK J20. Complete player biography and stats.

www.eliteprospects.com

Forward Eriks Mateiko (Saint John Sea Dogs, QMJHL) ranked with a C grade (4th-5th round)

Eriks Mateiko - Stats, Contract, Salary & More

Eliteprospects.com hockey player profile of Eriks Mateiko, 2005-11-18 Jelgava, LAT Latvia. Most recently in the undefined with undefined. Complete player biography and stats.

www.eliteprospects.com

Otherwise, somewhat surprised to see that HK Zemgale is in the running to get promoted to the top tier of the Finnish U16 leagues, they're currently 1st in their group in the 2nd tier. Emils Brakse and Artis Duklavs look interesting, both lead the team with 21points in 9 games & 17 points in 6 games respectively. Promotion/Relegation series start in the second half of November.

 

[Vikz]

2 Latvian players were included in the Central scouting's preliminary players-to-watch list for the 2024 NHL draft, unless I'm overlooking someone!

Good: Uljanskis! I had him on the radar last year as the best defender in his age group, but had no idea he would be valued so high. Latvian media does not cover swedish juniors, so it came as a complete surprise that he is in the draft rating, let alone so high. We havent had a defenceman drafted in 9 years, and a 3rd round defenceman in 19 years, since Bartulis.
Bad: Mateiko. I am still considering him a 3rd round pick, even top 50 hopefully. Point per game in QMJHL combined with his size and soft hands should make him a great player. He has all the tools to draw more attention to him in this season.
Ugly: Ansons not making it to the 400 something draft candidates, not even an honorable mention. A year ago he seamed like our best prospect, but slow start in the QMJHL threw him off the radars.

To summarize, its really good to have 2 prospects projected to be drafted, even relatively high by Latvian standards. Its really bad that there is not a single one who could potentially join them.