In the second group match of the Olympic ice hockey tournament in Milan, the German men's national team Saturday midday in Latvia. Here you can find all the important information about the German team's second group opponent.
Olympics and World Championships: direct comparison
The two teams have only met once before at the Olympic Games, and that was almost exactly 24 years ago. On February 13, 2002, Germany won 4-1 in Salt Lake City.
In contrast, this pairing has occurred eleven times at World Championships. The record speaks for itself: eight times the team won. DEBThe Latvian team dominated, with their biggest win being an 8-1 victory in the preliminary round in May 2024 in Ostrava (Czech Republic). The Latvians only managed to win two matches, and one ended in a draw.
The two teams last played at Deutschland Cup The two teams will meet again in Landshut in 2025. The team coached by Harold Kreis won the opening match convincingly 4-1 at the beginning of November last year.
Olympics and World Championships: Latvia at tournaments
Latvia has qualified for the Winter Olympics for the sixth time. Their best result to date was an eighth-place finish in Sochi, Russia, in 2014. Four years ago in Beijing, the Latvian national ice hockey team lost 2-3 to Denmark in the quarterfinal qualifiers, finishing eleventh.
Latvia has participated in the World Championships 33 times. A highlight was their bronze medal in 2023. As co-hosts, Latvia reached the semifinals (losing 2-4 to Canada). In the bronze medal match in Tampere, Finland, they secured a 4-3 overtime victory against the USA.
Olympic and World Championship medals: 1
Current IIHF world ranking: 11th.
Squad: Plenty of international experience
The Latvian Olympic squad boasts a wealth of seasoned players with extensive experience from top leagues and major international tournaments. Among them are five current NHL professionals available to national coach Harijs Vitolins.
Two players in this quintet are goaltenders. Elvis Merzlikins (Columbus Blue Jackets) and Arturs Silovs (Pittsburgh Penguins) are two NHL players.Goalies The roster is completed by Kristers Gudlevskis from the Bremerhaven Pinguins of the PENNY DEL. The "Goalkeeper of the Year" of the past two seasons in Germany has only been able to play seven league games this season due to injury.
The top defenseman is Uvis Balinskis, who won the Stanley Cup with the Florida Panthers in 2025 and is a regular starter for the team from the Sunshine State. The 29-year-old previously spent two years in the Young Talent program of the Augsburger Panther active. Otherwise, the defense consists largely of experienced professionals from the Czech Extraliga. Youngster Alberts Smits (18), on the other hand, plays in Finland for Mikkelin Jukurit and is impressing in his first full professional season at the highest level.
The most recognizable name on the offense is likely that of Kaspars Daugavins, who even had the honor of carrying his country's flag at the Olympic opening ceremony. Daugavins is participating in his fourth Olympic Games. The former NHL player is currently under contract with the Kassel Huskies in the DEL2 (second-tier German ice hockey league). In the 2022/23 season, the now 37-year-old tallied 49 points in 55 PENNY DEL games for the... Iserlohn RoostersRihards Burkarts (HC Presov, Slovakia) has also previously played in Germany, including stints in Schwenningen and Düsseldorf. Teddy Blueger (Vancouver Canucks) and Zemgus Girgensons (Tampa Bay Lightning) join from the NHL. Several other professionals from the AHL are also on board. The prolific scorer Rudolfs Balcers also played in North America for many years. For the past three years, the forward has been playing for the ZSC Lions in Switzerland.