Ä’riks Skalbergs doesn't really have many rivals. He wasn't even registered for the draft, so there wasn't much time during the time before and after the draft for the media to make anything up. However, recently the media have really been playing up the rivalry between Skalbergs and Boris Denisovich, who is a winger for the Kelowna Knights. There are a lot of interesting comparisons to make between the two. They're both right wingers and they both have had similar stats this season. On top of that, not only do they play for rival SMJHL teams - the Whalers and the Knights - but they also come from rival countries, with Skalbergs being from Latvia and Denisovich being from Russia. When I asked Skalbergs about this, this is what he said: "I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about. I've never even interacted with the guy, there is no rivalry here. Stop trying to cook up *censored*."

Now, let's compare their stats from this season. Let's start with what most people probably consider the most important stat - points. In 31 games, Boris Denisovich has 5 points, all of which are from assists. Skalbergs, on the other hand, has 3 points in 21 games, with a goal and two assists. Despite Denisovich having 2 more points, the two are actually very close in terms of PPG since Skalbergs was signed 10 games into the season, so he hasn't played as many games as Denisovich. Denisovich has scored about 0.16 points per game, meanwhile Skalbergs has scored 0.14. While Denisovich has technically been scoring more, the gap is so small it's practically meaningless, plus Skalbergs has scored a goal while Denisovich has gotten all of his points from assists. A stat that's also very interesting is penalty minutes. Skalbergs has only had 4 penalty minutes, which means he's only taken two penalties in over 20 games. Denisovich, on the other hand, has had a total of 8 PIM, twice as many as Skalbergs. +/- wise Skalbergs wins out as well, with a +/- of 3, meanwhile Denisovich is at -4.

Overall, the two players are so close that it's pretty much impossible to tell who is better at this point in time. We'll just have to wait and see how they turn out.