Latvian hockey goalkeepers
Up to for the world hockey championship a month and a half left and the hockey players who have agreed to participate in the training camp of the national team are being announced in full swing. Currently, 18 players have been announced – one goalkeeper, seven defenders and ten forwards. No goalkeeper had been named for a long time and although yesterday was announced with much fanfare Elvia Merzlikina joining the team, the situation with this line is still precarious. It would be out of place to over-dramatize here, however, it currently looks like this position Artur Irbe the head will have to be broken the most.
It seems simple that the goalkeeping team should look like this – Artūrs Shilovs, Elvis Merzlikins and another third. However, there is already one but – considering the performance of the “Canucks” this season, the team can fight for the Stanley Cup quite far, and in this case, although Shilov mostly plays in the farm club, Vancouver will 99% be against sending him to the Czech Republic, because “play- off” tournament, the team will need at least three goalkeepers.
But Elvis… it seems that in recent years his ego has become much bigger, while there is no place for it in the national team. And last year’s bronze became possible precisely because no one didn’t hate at times when his playing time was not as great as he would have liked. For example, Kristers Gudlevskis did not spend a single minute on the field, but he always remained positive and supportive. Harijs Vītoliņš has also said that he does not owe anyone to score goals for his previous merits, which means that Merzlikin would also have to fight for a place in the team, but the situation in Columbus shows that he is not ready for that. Will something change in the selection? We will see and see, but for now there is little faith that NHL man Merzlikin would theoretically be ready to sit quietly on the bench, losing competition, for example, to Gudlevsky.
Vītoliņš: I don’t owe it to anyone to simply take someone into the team based on merit
Be that as it may, even with Elvi, the choice among goalkeepers is not so wide and the current situation this spring is worrying, so I decided to look at our puck catchers who could be helpers in the upcoming tournament. Goalkeepers are divided into four categories based on their performance this season and the level at which they play.
You can play in the world championship – experienced goalkeepers who have a high chance of scoring in the upcoming tournament are placed in this category.
Christer Gudlewski (Fischtown Pinguins, Germany)
He had a great season in the German championship – 91.4% of shots saved and an average of 2.09 goals conceded. The team triumphed in the main DEL tournament, but the Latvian herself was recognized as its best goalkeeper. If someone thinks that you don’t need to put in a lot of effort to play in the leading team, then on the contrary, the responsibility and the price of a mistake at this level is much higher, and Kristers has withstood this pressure.
Previously, Gudlevsky did not do too well in the world championships, but the situations were not always favorable, while this year’s WC has such a calendar that allows a good run-in before the games against the giants. Also for goalkeepers.
Getting up after career falls and returning to the top – Gudlevsky’s path from the NHL to dominance in Germany
Ivars Punnenov (“Lausanne” / “Lakers” of Rappersvile-Jonas, Switzerland)
This season turned out to be quite challenging for this 29-year-old goalkeeper – in April 2022, the Latvian signed a five-year contract with “Lausanne”, while already this season he lost the battle for a place in the goal and went to another National League (NL) team “Lakers”, where Punnenov will also play next season.
It is difficult to judge the psychological state of the goalkeeper, we also remember that the only appearance on the field in last year’s World Cup was quite unsuccessful, even against Gudlevsky’s background, his numbers do not look very convincing. However, a big advantage of Ivar is his composure and he can bring the calm that is so much needed.
Elvis Merzlikin (Columbus Blue Jackets, NHL)
As my colleague rightly said, now the fans will have someone to blame for any failure. No matter what Merzlikin’s stats are this season, no matter what he says beforehand, he’ll be on the field in at least one game. I would like to hope that it will not be like it was in 2022.
Did Elvis fail? How many goals conceded by the Latvian national team is Merzlikin’s fault? (VIDEO)
You can fight for a place in the lineup. This category includes goalkeepers who, under certain conditions, could play one or two games in the tournament if they get the opportunity and use it 100%.
Marek Miten (Kladno “Rytiri”, Czech Republic)
After several years in the US hockey system and unsuccessful attempts to break through to the NHL, Mittens decided to return to Europe and build his career here. The Czech team Kladno “Rytiri” was chosen as the first place, which was on fire in attack Eduard Tralmakbut its owner is none other than Czech legend Jaromir Jagr.
Mittens transferred to Rytiri in mid-January, played 11 games, shot 89.7%, allowed 3.08 innings on average, also played one dry match. Maybe the numbers are not the best, but it can be attributed to adaptation to European hockey and the status of the team – however, the defense in the Latvian national team is much better than in the bottom unit of the Czech league.
Jānis Voris (DVTK, Hungary)
Perhaps a somewhat unexpected last name in the context of the national team, because this goalkeeper has recently disappeared from the radar. Voris once played for all Latvian youth national teams, also played for Riga “Dinamo” and is already playing in Hungary for the second season.
This is not the level that one of you will write in the comments. And you will be partly right. But I would like to add that Voris is the main goalkeeper in his team – he played 37 matches, saving 91.4% and averaging 3.10 goals. So, he had good game practice and at least he can fight for a place in the team. And one more thing – Jānis Kalniņš, who no longer applies to play in the Latvian national team, earning money in the aggressor country, made his rapid jump directly from the Hungarian championship.
Third goalie – I’ve included puck catchers here who I don’t see a chance to win the first or second number yet, but who can become the third. And it’s not a shame at all, because spending several weeks training with high-level players is a great opportunity to take the next step in your development.
Erik Vitols (“KeuPa”, Mestis league).
22-year-old Vitols is one of those to whom playing “Zemgale/LLU” in the “Mestis” league last season gave him the opportunity break out from the Latvian championship to join another Finnish second league team “KeuPa”. Vitols looked good at this level and was even loaned to the Finnish championship team JYP, in which he did not go on the field. On the other hand, Vitols is already working with national team coaches before the training camp has officially started.
Journalist: Seven Latvian ice hockey players already started preparing for the WC last week
Gustavs Dāvis Grigals (Atlanta Gladiators, ECHL)
During the season, Grigal, who signed a contract with the NHL organization Nashville “Predator”, spent most of it in the not the best tournament – the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL), while in the only match in the American Hockey League (AHL), he allowed four goals, saving 22 shots. It is difficult to judge his abilities, but Grigal already has experience in world championships as the third goalkeeper and in this sense he is a proven value.
“Emergency” goalkeeper
Patriks Bērzins (“Capitols”, USHL), Dave Rolov (“Lone Star Brahmas”, NAHL), Linards Lipskis (“Windigo”, NAHL)
If by some incredible coincidence most of the goalkeepers mentioned above are unable to help, then it’s worth looking at these men with youth experience. It is clear that this category is purely theoretical, at the same time it will be interesting to see where these men will be in a couple of years.
