The Latvian national team will be without experienced forward and usual captain Kaspars Daugavins at the World Championship in May, the Latvian Ice Hockey Federation (LIHF) announced on Sunday.
In the Olympic season, the Latvian national team will take the opportunity to refresh its roster, and there are many young players available before the World Championship, noted the Latvian Ice Hockey Federation (LIHF). Daugavins was part of the national team in February at the Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina, and he finished the club season in April in the second strongest league in Germany with the Huskies (Kassel), which lost in the final playoff series.
The 37-year-old Daugavins represented Latvia at 13 World Championships, where he took to the ice in 85 matches, scoring 23 goals and providing 26 assists, as well as at four Olympic Games, where he recorded three assists in 16 matches.
Forwards Rihards Melnalksnis and Daniels Andersons have left the training camp of the Latvian men's national team. Defenders Sandis Smons and Rihards Simanovich, as well as forward Roberts Cjunski, who was injured in a test match in Lahti, have also been cut from the candidate pool.
The team continues training in Riga and will play its next test matches on May 2 and 3 away against the Slovak national team. The Latvian team will conclude its preparation phase with games on May 6 and 7 when they will face the Norwegian national team in front of their fans.
The World Ice Hockey Championship will take place from May 15 to 31 in Zurich and Fribourg (Switzerland).
