Capitals prospect Eriks Mateiko has been selected to Team Latvia for the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, the Latvian Ice Hockey Federation announced today. Mateiko is the fifth player in the Capitals organization to be named to an Olympic roster, joining Tom Wilson (Canada), Logan Thompson (Canada), Martin Fehérváry (Slovakia) and Antoine Keller (France).
Mateiko, 20, was selected by Washington in the third round (90th overall) of the 2024 NHL Draft. The 6’6”, 223-pound forward has recorded five points (1g, 4a) in 25 games played with the Hershey Bears (AHL) this season.
Mateiko, a native of Jelgava, Latvia, has twice represented his home country at the IIHF World Junior Championship. At the 2025 tournament, Mateiko served as an alternate captain and scored five goals in five games, helping Latvia reach the quarterfinals. Mateiko’s five goals ranked tied for fourth at the tournament and were tied for the most among skaters with five or fewer games played. Mateiko also captained Latvia at the 2023 Under-18 World Championship, finishing the tournament with two points in five games.
Mateiko split the 2024-25 season between the Saint John Sea Dogs and Rimouski Océanic (QMJHL), recording 41 points (26g, 15a) in 47 games. Mateiko, who was named captain of the Sea Dogs prior to the start of the 2024-25 season, registered 19 points (14g, 5a) with Saint John before being traded to Rimouski on Jan. 6, 2025. Mateiko recorded 22 points (12g, 10a) in 24 regular-season games with the 2025 Memorial Cup hosts and added 11 points (7g, 4a) in 18 playoff games, helping Rimouski reach the QMJHL Final. Mateiko’s seven goals during the QMJHL Playoffs were tied for the third most on his team. At the Memorial Cup, Mateiko scored one goal in three games.
The men's hockey tournament at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, which will be the first Olympics to feature NHL players since 2014, will begin on Feb. 11 and will conclude with the gold medal game on Feb. 22.
