VIDEO ⟩ Which hockey players will join the Latvian national team this spring?

The Buffalo Sabers, represented by forward Zemgus Girgensons, have little chance of qualifying for the NHL “play-off” tournament. He is out of contract after the season, so there is a possibility that he will not join the national team.

The LHF has not reported goalkeeper Krister Gudlewski, who reached the semifinals of the German top league (DEL) with the Bremerhaven “Fischtown Pinguins” team.

Gudlevski recognized as the best goalkeeper of the DEL regular championship. The 31-year-old goalkeeper is having a great season and could definitely be a good helper for the national team.

Due to an injury, striker Deniss Smirnovs, who missed most of the season due to injury, will not join the Latvian national team this spring. He played only six games this season in the Swiss top league “EHC Kloten” and scored one assist.

The 25-year-old Smirnov scored one assist in nine matches at the World Championship last year. He also played in the 2022 World Championships and the Beijing Olympics.

The general manager of the national team Rūdolfs Kalvītis recently stated in an interview with “Latvijas Radio” that none of the real national team candidates refused to join the team this spring.

The first two test matches for the Latvian national team will take place on April 4 and 5 against Austria. These two matches will be played behind closed doors.

After that, two games are scheduled for “Arena Riga” – on April 10 and 11 against the strong Finland.

In the future, Latvia will meet Switzerland as a guest, but the testing cycle will end with the May 3rd and 4th matches against Norway in “Arena Riga”.

In subgroup B of the World Championship, Latvia, which won bronze medals last year, will meet France, Germany, Kazakhstan, Poland, Slovakia, Sweden and the USA.

The 2024 championship will take place in the Czech cities of Prague and Ostrava from May 10 to 26. The Latvian national team will play group matches in Ostrava.