Goalkeeper Merzlikins and six hockey players from the extra league are in the Latvian nomination

The 30-year-old Merzlikins will make his appearance at the World Championship after two years and for the sixth time overall. In five seasons in the NHL, he caught 191 games with an average of 3.20 goals per game, with a success rate of 90.4 percent and caught 10 clean sheets.

Goalkeeper Kristers Gudlevskis from Bremerhaven, who played three times for Tampa Bay, and forward Kaspars Daugavinš from Michalovci also have NHL experience. The Latvian captain is already preparing for his twelfth World Cup and has also been to three Olympic Games. For Ottawa and Boston, he played 91 games in the regular season of the NHL and another seven in the playoffs.

In addition to Tralmaks, goalkeeper Eriks Vitols from KeuPy from the second Finnish league, defender Markuss Komuls from Trois-Rivieres from the lower ECHL overseas league and forwards Raivis Ansons from the Pittsburgh farm from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton from the AHL, Haralds Egle from Liptovský Mikuláš, Felikss Gavars will debut alongside Tralmaks from St. Lawrence University and Martins Lavinš from the University of New Hampshire.

Karlis Čukste from Sweden’s Brynäs, who won the title with Třinec last season, Oskars Cibulskis from Herning (Hradec Králové, Litvínov and Kladno), Roberts Mamčics from Nový Zámků (Zlín) and Martinš Dzierkals from the team of the Swedish champion Skelleftea also previously worked in the Czech Extraliga. AIK (Pilsen and České Budějovice).

In preparation, the Latvians lost to Finland 2:3 in overtime and 2:3. They lost to Switzerland 1:5 and 0:4. They lost to the Norwegians 0:1 in extra time and subsequently outclassed them 8:0.

The championship will start on Saturday from 16:20 against Poland. In other group B duels in Ostrava, they will play against France, Kazakhstan, Germany, Sweden, Slovakia and the USA.