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**The__Y-man__100** · 05-22-2021, 09:58 AM

Latvia S59 Roster Latvia

Latvia is very proud to officially announce the starting roster for the S59 tournament along with some team headlines!

Forwards

W-Mats Marner @leafsftw1967
W - (Clean) Andrei Kostitsyn @Clean Andrei Kostitsyn
C- Jst Maro @JstMaro
W - Krišs Dārziņš @lilstifler
W- Zelma Zuntnere @Jogurtaa
C- Raivo Helminen @jRuutu
W- Calogero Crudelli @jason97
C- Boris "The Beast" Poroshenko @The__Y-man__100
W- Asclepius Perseus Flitterwind @CaptainCrazy
C- Mack Daddy @Mack
W- Nikolaj Boyle @zaynzk
W - Chimkin Wing @Ragnar

Defenders

D- Zebulon Leavitt @Kraagenskul
D- Fleetway Super Sonic @Taxman100
D- Kaspars Claude @Bruins10
D- Leonids Balzams @Cyanide
D- Chris Goodname @kikish18
F- Nat Emerson (playing D this year) @Thelastheraclid

Goalies

G- Kata Vilde @BarnabasCollins
G- Thor Odinson @feeler

Switching it up

Latvia is preparing for a shake up to its roster as two of its highly valued members went through recent position changes. Nat Emerson officially became a forward and Chimkin Wing decided to leave the net and join the office rush as well. While the new addition of the Sweedish Calgary stud goaltender Kata Vilde made filling WIng’s spot a lot easier, Latvia’s wants Emerson to stay on the back end for one more tournament as there is expected to be defensive call ups to come the S60 tournament. When asked in a press release if this bothered Emerson, Nat’s response was “there is no problem at all, I am happy to do whatever is best for the team”. Nat has already been known to be an on ice leader for this squad and statements like that just go to show how much he wants to see this nation succeed. It is expected he will make the jump to the forward line in S60 or S61 being the latest.

The New Recruits

Latvia kept the pedal to the metal this off season as they seeked out enthusiastic individuals who shared the same vision of rebuilding the Latvian name. The first move this off season was adding SHL ready defensive defenseman Zebulon Leavitt! While Baltimore had a successful season and clinched a playoff spot, the heavy cup favorites known as the Chicago Syndicate quickly put an end to their cup hopes as Chicago would win the series 4-1. Having broken down Zebulon Leavitt’s game style in a former article, it is not surprising to see the very high shots blocked and hit numbers (each just under 120). What turned some heads though was his team leading point totals in the playoff run this season along with the high block and hit totals. Latvia is very excited to see how such a versatile defenseman does on the international ice! He is expected to slot in on the second line with Nat Emerson along with the top PK units.

The second move of the off season had the Latvian fans just as excited as the first. While it wasn’t public information, Latvia was made aware of Chimkin’s desire to jump out of the crease and while the nation did support his decision, fans wondered what Latvia would do with the empty spot. They say things happen for a reason and a few weeks after Chimkin’s change, the main headline in the press was “ Kata hits open market as Sweden drops star goaltender”. Already having a lot of ties to the Latvian nation via Calgary, management could not have asked for better timing. Kata was excited to finish off his career with Latvia and he could be a very big factor in what looks to be the best Latvian squad in the last 10 seasons. Kata finished the season with Calgary with a very respectable .918 along with a 2.6 GAA. Considering Latvia’s old goalies averaged 4 GAA, Kata is sure to provide some big support to this team.

Lastly, while this player is still a few seasons away from cracking the roster, the Belarus native Nikolai Ayerzov @Faded officially joins the squad! Adding to our great winger depth, Latvia is excited to see Nikolai develop as a player and one day take the ice with the Latvian crest. Nikolai Ayerzov finished the season with 7 goals and 10 assists, 60 blocks and 45 hits. ironically it appears that St. Louis is playing the sniper in a more two way role. Maybe next season with St. Louis' core getting the call up to the big leagues we will see Nikolai utilized in a more offensive way

Tournament predictions

While the team keeps pushing for a medal round appearance, this tournament should show just how close they are. The pieces keep coming season after season, the kids keep on getting better and better, the defensive core is now all unbanked along with consistent forward development. The squad still has not reached the extreme elite level of Canada, but one might argue they could give one of the lower seed playoff teams a run for their money.

Good luck to all the nations in this year's tournament Cheers

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815 words

First ever Yukon Malamute draft pick (1st overall S65)

Thelastheraclid · 05-22-2021, 10:55 AM

zaynzk · 05-22-2021, 01:50 PM

Lets gooo

*gurbs* · 05-22-2021, 03:23 PM

Good luck guys !

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