The hockey player in the video says that he is glad that he is finally in Latvia.
“I can’t wait for the World Cup, because in the last ten games of the NHL season, I imagine what it will be like to play in Tampere, what the hall will be like, what the championship will be like,” says the hockey player.
“I haven’t played in the world championships in two years, and it will be a great pleasure to meet all the old friends I have played with as children as well as in Switzerland. This is a family I have missed,” adds the goalkeeper.
He says that he is ready to score in one of the matches with Kazakhstan, but he does not decide who will stand in the goal.
“It is important for me to play at least one game, which I also told the head coach of the national team Harijs Vītoliņš. Now I definitely want to take a few days off, because it is very difficult to fall asleep with overflights at the moment and I am not asleep,” says Merzlikins. “It’s important to play at least one match to get in the rhythm and feel the team, especially the defenders, because I think it will be very important in the World Cup.”
He adds that he hopes for some defects in defense during the test matches so that they can be pronounced and analyzed so that this does not happen in Finland.
The Latvian national team will play the last test matches before the world championship on Sunday and Monday, hosting Kazakhstan at the “Arena Riga”.
On Saturday and Sunday, Latvians met Switzerland in Weinfelden and suffered two losses with 2: 5 and 1: 3. Last week, Latvian hockey players played test matches with France, first losing 1: 2 and winning 3: 2 a day later.
The Latvian national team at the World Championships in Group B in Tampere crossed sticks with Finland, the United States, the Czech Republic, Sweden, Norway, Great Britain and Austria. Canada, Germany, Switzerland, Slovakia, Denmark, Kazakhstan, Italy and France will play in Group A. Helsinki.
It has already been reported that after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the International Hockey Federation (IIHF) suspended all Russian and Belarusian national teams and clubs from competitions organized by the IIHF.
Russia and Belarus will be replaced by France and Austria, which ranked the highest selection of countries not expected to play in the top division.
The 2022 World Championships in Finland are scheduled for May 13-29.
List of candidates for the Latvian men’s hockey team in the training camp:
Goalkeepers: Gustav Dāvis Grigals (University of Alaska Fairbanks, NCAA), Ēriks Vītols (“Zemgale” / LLU), Rūdolfs Lazdiņš (“Rīga”, MHL; “Olimp” https://news.google.com/ “Venta 2002”) ;
Defenders: Jānis Jaks (“Sochi”, KHL), Kārlis Čukste (Lahti “Pelicans”, Finland), Kristaps Sotnieks (Riga “Dinamo”, KHL), Roberts Mamčics (“Linkoping”, Sweden), Arvils Bergmanis (University of Alaska, Fairbanks) , NCAA), Ernest Ošenieks (Kiekko-Vantaa, Finland), Artūrs Kulda (Pinguine in Krefeld, Germany), Kristaps Zīle (Orebro, Sweden), Nauris Sējējs (Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland) , Sandis Smons (Geneva Servette, Switzerland), Patrick Ozols (Zemgale / LLU);
Attackers: Mārtiņš Dzierkals (Škoda, Pilsen, Czech Republic), Richard Bucharest (Admiral of Vladivostok, KHL), Robert Bucharest (Ridera, Czech Republic), Andris Dzerins (Linz “Black Hawks”, Austria), Richard Maren Vita Hasten, Sweden), Denis Smirnov (Servette, Geneva, Switzerland), Patrick Zabusov (PSG Berani, Zlin, Czech Republic), Daniel Berzins (Jiviskeles JYP, Finland), Oskars Lapinskis (Langnavas Tigers), Switzerland ), Ronald King (Lausanne, Switzerland), Mick Indras (Biel-Bienne, Switzerland), Oskar Batni (Mikeli Jukurit, Finland), Renar Krastenberg (Villach, Austria), Klav Weinberg, Edgar Kuld ( both – Zemgale / LLU), Rodrigo Apple (Orebro, Sweden), Nikolay Yeliseev (MoDo, Sweden), Tom Anderson (Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland).
