• On the first day of the world championship, the Latvian U18 national team led by Oļegs Sorokin recognized the superiority of the host Finland – 1:3.
• Bruno Osmanis scored the only goal for Latvians with a minute and a half to go. The 17-year-old forward made his debut in the Swedish second league this season and scored 0+1 in 15 games for Bjorkloven.
• Osmanis is one of 13 legionnaires in Latvia. Seven play daily in Sweden, three in Switzerland, one in Denmark, Canada and the USA.
• Defender Darels Uļjanskis, who also plays in Sweden, represented Latvia’s U20 national team at the turn of the year, although he only played sporadically. For example, in the quarter-finals against the USA, he spent only one substitution on the ice.
• Slovak hockey players lost to the United States 0:9 on Thursday.
• The most recognized Slovak hockey player is Miroslav Šatan Jr., the 18-year-old son of the legendary Slovakian captain.
• Also in the lineup is Adam Nemetz, whose three-years-older brother, Shimons, was selected with the second overall pick in the NHL draft and who debuted with the New Jersey Devils this season, scoring 19 points in 60 games.
• Latvians will compete against Slovakia and Norway to enter the quarterfinals, while the Americans and Finns are strong favorites.
• The Latvian U18 national team has been playing in the elite of the world championship since 2019. Last year, in the decisive game of the group, Norway was beaten 1-0, and in the quarter-finals it was followed by 1-6 against Sweden.
Latvian calendar
| The date | Opponent | Res. |
|---|---|---|
| 25.04. | Finland | 1:3 |
| 26.04. | Slovakia | 14.00 |
| 28.04. | United States | 18.00 |
| 29.04. | Norway | 17.30 |
Tournament table
| V | Group A | S | U | UP | ZP | Z | +/- | P | Group B | S | U | UP | ZP | Z | +/- | P | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | United States | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9:0 | 3 | Canada | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6:3 | 3 | |||
| 2. | Finland | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3:1 | 3 | Czech Republic | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3:0 | 3 | |||
| 3. | Latvia | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1:3 | 0 | Sweden | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3:6 | 0 | |||
| 4. | Slovakia | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0:9 | 0 | Switzerland | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0:3 | 0 | |||
| 5. | Norway | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0:0 | 0 | Kazakhstan | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0:0 | 0 |
Latvian U18 national team
| Player | Pos. | Born | Club |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mikus Veczvanags | V | 17.01.2006 | HS RIGA |
| Nils Roberts Mauriņš | V | 06.09.2006 | SÖDERTÄLJE SK (SWEDEN) |
| Dylan Birkan | V | 13.06.2006 | ODENSE (DENMARK) |
| Christ the Rare | A | 04.07.2006 | HS RIGA |
| Oskar Nils Briedis | A | 10.06.2006 | HS RIGA |
| Krisjānis Sārts | A | 18.01.2007 | HS RIGA |
| Harry Cjunsky | A | 30.04.2006 | HC LUGANO (SWITZERLAND) |
| Roland Naglis | A | 10.02.2007 | BERN (SWITZERLAND) |
| Darrell Uljanski | A | 25.08.2006 | AIK (SWEDEN) |
| Bruno Petrovich | A | 27.04.2006 | ALBERTA ACADEMY (CANADA) |
| Anton Macijewski | U | 28.02.2006 | HS RIGA |
| Edvins Berzins | U | 09.08.2006 | HS RIGA |
| Maksims Pumpiņš | U | 11.05.2006 | HS RIGA |
| Alexander Zaprivoda | U | 16.04.2006 | HS RIGA |
| Dmitry Dilevka | U | 13.10.2006 | HS RIGA |
| Oliver Mūrnieks | U | 31.07.2008 | MOGO/LSPA |
| Bruno Osmanis | U | 16.12.2006 | IF BJÖRKLÖVEN (SWEDEN) |
| Nils Vaags | U | 19.02.2006 | IF BJÖRKLÖVEN (SWEDEN) |
| Marcus Christian Sieradzki | U | 22.05.2006 | MORA IK (SWEDEN) |
| Maksim Kharitontsev | U | 27.07.2006 | MORA IK (SWEDEN) |
| Karl Flugin | U | 11.11.2007 | IK OSKARSHAMN (SWEDEN) |
| Daniel Serkin | U | 24.07.2007 | THURGAU (SWITZERLAND) |
| Martins Klaucans | U | 08.07.2008 | NEW JERSEY ROCKETS (USA) |
Head coach – Oleg Sorokin,
coach – Herberts Vasilijevs,
coach – Maksims Shirokovs,
goalkeeper coach – Reinis Repšs,
video trainer – Artūrs Barovskis,
physical sag. coach – Raivis Miezāns.
doctor – Toms Eglītis,
physiotherapist – Rudolfs Vertulaitis,
equipment manager – Aldis Karulis,
general manager – Renars Freibergs.
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