Team Latvia prepared to surprise at Olympics after climb to prominence

Though Latvia won't rank among the medal favorites when the men's hockey tournament begins at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, recent history suggests they shouldn't be overlooked by any of the leading hockey powers.

From three straight trips to the quarterfinals at the IIHF World Junior Championship to a bronze medal at the 2023 IIHF World Championship to six NHL players named to the Olympic roster, and a potential top 10 pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, Latvia hockey might be primed for something special.

"It's different from back in my (younger) day, when you know you're going in to play the big teams and you know you're going to get probably rocked," said Philadelphia Flyers forward Rodrigo Abols, one of the first six players named to Team Latvia but who will miss the tournament after sustaining a lower-body injury Jan. 17. "These guys go in and they believe they can win. I think the coaching staff and everyone there I think is doing a good job of kind of changing that mentality of making guys believe that they can do it."

It's been quite the climb to prominence for Latvia hockey. Thirty players (24 skaters, six goalies) born in the country have played in the NHL, starting with Helmut Balderis, who played 26 games for the Minnesota North Stars at age 37 in 1989-90 after 18 seasons in the Soviet Union.

The most prominent Latvia-born players to reach the NHL are defenseman Sandis Ozolinsh, who helped the Colorado Avalanche win the Stanley Cup in 1996 and played 875 games in 15 NHL seasons, and goalie Arturs Irbe, who had 218 wins and 33 shutouts in 13 seasons.

Both will be on Latvia's staff at the Olympics, Ozolinsh as an assistant to coach Harijs Vitolins and Irbe as goaltending coach.

When Sandis Vilmanis made his NHL debut with the Florida Panthers on Jan. 10, the 22-year-old forward became the seventh Latvian player to play an NHL game this season, tying for the most in a single season (there also were seven each season from 1998-99 to 2000-01).

"At the start of my career (2013-14), we didn't have many NHL guys, and now you look, we just had [Vilmanis] debut the other night in Florida," said Tampa Bay Lightning forward Zemgus Girgensons, also one of the first six players named to the Olympic roster. "So, I think we're up to seven right now. At the same time, that's the most I've ever seen. We have a bunch of guys in the [American Hockey League], a ton of kids committed to college. It's definitely trending in the right direction."

That trend got a giant push at the 2023 World Championship, when Kristians Rubins scored in overtime for a 4-3 victory against the United States in the third-place game at Nokia Arena in Tampere, Finland, giving Latvia its first medal in major men's international hockey.

Arturs Silovs, now playing for the Pittsburgh Penguins, made 26 saves in the bronze-medal game. He had a 2.20 goals-against average, .921 save percentage and one shutout in 10 games and was named the tournament's top goalie and most valuable player.

"Just the whole tournament, it was pretty cool," said Panthers defenseman Uvis Balinskis, who had two assists and a team-high 21:10 average ice time in 10 games. "It was an amazing experience. We never get past the quarterfinals. We got the most out of it, so it was pretty cool."

The team received a hero's welcome when it landed in Riga, Latvia's capital, followed by a massive celebration at the Freedom Monument.

"You see how much it means to people, and how many people are there to greet us," said Abols, who led the team with five goals in 10 games. "It was like 40-50,000 people there, so it's definitely something special. We definitely feel that support, and we couldn't have done it without them, because they were there behind us every game.

"It's probably hockey wise my best moment in my life."

Girgensons, who missed the tournament because of a knee injury, was part of the celebration at home.

"It was cool," he said. "Back home the people were going crazy. ... Freedom Square, 50,000 people. After the game it was like, all in the streets, cars honking, flags everywhere. It was cool.

"People love hockey, they love the team to succeed, and just even getting a bronze in the World Championship is a big deal."

Seventeen players from that World Championship victory are on the Olympic roster, including Balinskis and Silovs. They join 18-year-old defenseman Alberts Smits (6-foot-3, 205 pounds), who is No. 2 on NHL Central Scouting's midterm ranking of International skaters for the 2026 draft.

"Of course, it would be a great opportunity for my career to take a big step up," Smits said during the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship. "Of course, it's going to be a big honor if I'm going to get into the roster, and that's my goal for the season."

He met that goal when Latvia's Olympic roster was announced Jan. 19.

Smits has 13 points (six goals, seven assists) and is averaging 20:09 of ice time in 37 games for Jukurit in Liiga, the top professional league in Finland. He had five points (one goal, four assists) and a team-high 23:40 of ice time in five games at World Juniors.

"He combines size, mobility and poise far beyond his years," NHL Director of European Scouting Jukka-Pekka Vuorinen said. "He has logged over 20 minutes of ice time regularly, with dominant performances that showcase confidence and control throughout. A strong skater with excellent balance and surprising acceleration, he transitions smoothly from defense to offense, often leading the rush himself. His hockey IQ is exceptional, as evidenced by his ability to read plays, make intelligent first passes, and position himself effectively in both zones."

Smits' play was a giant reason Latvia was able to reach the quarterfinals at the WJC. After a memorable 3-2 shootout win against Canada at the 2025 WJC, they took Canada to overtime again at the 2026 tournament, but lost 2-1.

"Our young kids are growing and they're doing good things and we're putting our name on the map," Columbus Blue Jackets goalie Elvis Merzlikins said. "Now opponents like Canada, the Americans or others like Sweden, Finland, they look at us with another perspective, and they know we can win. We battle and we're going to fight until the end."

Artis Abols, Latvia's WJC coach and Rodrigo Abols' father, said during the World Juniors that he wouldn't be surprised if Smits was named to the Olympic team. He believes it will be a barometer for teams trying to assess how close to NHL-ready Smits is.

"He has good size," Abols said. "He's a good skater. Is this (Matthew) Schaefer, what he's doing in the NHL? I think physically, he's ready."

Irbe already got a taste of Smits' ability during their time together at the Deutschland Cup tournament in Germany in November.

"He's a complete package," Irbe said. "Very impressive kid. ... He is so well-rounded. Not only hockey wise, but also off the ice, I would say. Just mature, and his poise off the ice, it's amazing.

"It's going to be another step and another sort of new room that he is going to enter. I'm pretty sure he's not going to buckle. I would say he's going to open the door and he's not going to be that timid first grader that has missed the start of the school, the bell has rung already and the school has started. He's not going to hold back. I think he's just going to open the door and dive into it. It's a new world, but what I saw him doing in Germany in November, he didn't get phased. ... It's going to be great for him, it's going to be great for us. Myself, being one of the coaches of the team, it's going to be great for us."

His Olympic teammates certainly are excited to see him in person.

"Watched him in World Juniors," Vancouver Canucks forward Teddy Blueger said. "He moves really well, really big for his age. I thought he looked really good and obviously he's got really, really high projections, so I think he'll be able to help us for sure."

Girgensons is eager about the possibility of handing off his status of highest-drafted Latvia-born player to Smits. The Buffalo Sabres selected Girgensons with the No. 14 pick of the 2012 NHL Draft.

"I'm excited that he made the Olympic team," Girgensons said. "Very good for him, good for his draft stock. Excited to see him, how he is in person. ... Can be a top-10 pick, so hopefully he can be the first one to be a top 10.

"Anytime any Latvian succeeds, it's a great honor to the country, so you always root for your guys. We're a small country. Anytime a guy can get up there and do something that's hasn't been done, it's huge for the whole country. It's a boost of morale, and people love it. And I hope he's a top five (pick).

Latvia never has finished higher than eighth at the Olympics, and was 11th at the 2022 Beijing Games, but this team will have a different vibe.

"As one of our coaches said, we will go with the idea to break up a party a little bit there," Irbe said. "Because there's a party for some big teams, so we want to break in and disrupt it a little."

They believe they can be disrupters based on their recent success and the talent of present and future players.

"Us winning a bronze medal a couple of years ago, I think our team is getting better every year, and our players are getting better every year," Balinskis said. "More and more guys signed with NHL teams, and I think players from Latvia are just getting better every year. I think it helps the national team and us to compete with the best teams in the world."

NHL.com independent correspondents Wes Crosby, Craig Merz, George Richards and Kevin Woodley contributed to this report