With the 2026 Winter Olympics just over six months away from beginning, there has been plenty of excitement and curiosity about what each country participating in the men’s ice hockey portion of the Olympics could look like. While countries like the United States and Canada justifiably garner much of the attention for the firepower they bring each time, there are countries that fly under the radar and can make some noise. One of those countries is Latvia, which is returning to the Olympics once again, after earning a spot via the 2025 Olympic Games Qualifier. They named the first six players who will be donning the Latvian jersey, which included two netminders with NHL experience in Elvis Merzlikins and Artus Silovs, so what could the rest of the roster look like come Feb. 2026?
Other 2026 Olympic Roster Projections:
Projected Roster for Latvia
With plenty of time between now and February, players can easily work their way into being considered to represent Latvia at the Olympics. However, as of now, their projected roster is based on past experience and play leading up to the 2025-26 season.
| LW | C | RW |
| Zemgus Girgensons | Teddy Blueger | Kaspars Daugavins |
| Rodrigo Ābols | Dans Locemlis | Martins Dzierkals |
| Rudolf Balcers | Eduards Tralmaks | Miks Indrasis |
| Oskars Batna | Rihards Bukarts | Roberts Bukarts |
| LD | RD | G |
| Uvas Balnskis | Markuss Komlus | Elvis Merzlikins |
| Oskars Cibulskis | Ralfs Freibergs | Arturs Silovs |
| Kristans Rubins | Janis Jaks | Kristers Gudlevskis |
| Roberts Mamcics | Kristaps Zile |
The Latvian roster brings a solid mix of NHL experience, with Girgensons and Blueger both playing over 400-plus games in the league, as well as plenty of international play. While the country did not register a win at the 2022 Olympics, they will be bringing back plenty of players who did participate, with 13 players making their way back to the Olympic stage. Being more of an aged roster, the Latvians would be able to understand the moment of playing on such a big stage, albeit not necessarily having the most offensively gifted roster.
Overall, the forward grouping brings a solid mix of production and role players from top to bottom, with the aforementioned Girgensons and Blueger bringing the firepower. A player who could be a breakout candidate for the Latvians is Dans Locmelius, a 2022 fourth-round pick of the Boston Bruins who has worked his way into the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Providence Bruins. There is plenty of North American experience in the forward grouping.
Related: 2026 Winter Olympics Schedule & Group Pairings Announced
Defensively, the Latvians rely again on veteran experience at the international level, with every projected defenseman outside of Janis Jaks playing in five or more World Championships for their home country. They also have a duo in Kristans Rubins and Roberts Mamcics, who bring plenty of size, standing at 6-foot-5 each. The defensive grouping may not put up a ton of offensive numbers, but they will play solid defense and make sure their opponents know who they played by the end of each game.
In the crease, Merzlikins gets his first chance to represent his country at the Olympics. He has had an up-and-down career so far with the Columbus Blue Jackets, but paired up with Silovs (Pittsburgh Penguins), they could create a strong one-two punch if head coach Harijs Vītoliņš decides to give both netminders playing time. Silovs is coming off a strong season with the Vancouver Canucks’ AHL affiliate, the Abbotsford Canucks, ending in a Calder Cup (AHL Champions), before being sent to the Penguins this offseason.
Final Word
With NHL players returning to the Olympics in 2026, this will definitely help give Latvia a deeper and more skilled roster, especially with their goaltenders. If the hockey world has learned anything about the Latvian national team (especially the 2025 World Junior Championship), they will be a tough team to play against and beat with their non-stop, hard-working mentality and strong goaltending. They will certainly be looking to get a win this time around.
Just missed making the cut: Linards Feldbergs (G), Sandis Valmanis (W), Miks Tomanvos (D), Ralfs Bergmanis (D), Anri Ravinskis (W), Raivis Ansons (W)
