After the group stage of the World Championship, three Latvian hockey players found themselves in the top ten most productive players of the tournament. Sandis Vilmanis and Rudolfs Balcers stood out particularly.
The Latvian national team continues to hold one of the brightest World Championships in recent years — this is confirmed by the individual statistics of the players. After the group stage, three Latvian hockey players made it into the top ten scorers of the tournament.
The best result among Latvians is shown by Sandis Vilmanis. In seven matches, he scored 11 points — netting four goals and providing seven assists. This is the fourth best result in the entire World Championship.
Rudolfs Balcers, with 10 points, ranks sixth, while Denis Smirnov, with nine points, is also in the top ten players of the tournament.
Moreover, it is Balcers who became the top scorer of the World Championship after the group stage. He has scored seven goals — more than any other player in the tournament.
Another important statistic is power play performance. The Latvian team shares second place in the tournament with Finland and Switzerland, having scored eight goals with a numerical advantage. Only the United States has a better power play conversion rate.
This is particularly important for the Latvian team, as power play performance has often been considered one of the issues for the national team in recent years.
Vilmanis is also among the most utilized players of the tournament. On average, he spends over 23 minutes on the ice per game — the best figure among forwards in the World Championship.
Goalkeeper Kristers Gudlevskis looks very confident as well. He saves over 94% of shots and is among the top three goalkeepers of the tournament. Additionally, Gudlevskis has already recorded two shutouts.
Against the backdrop of many young players and the absence of several NHL stars, the current performance of the team is already being called a pleasant surprise of the tournament. It is especially noticeable that the leaders of the team are becoming players of the new generation, not just experienced veterans.
The Latvian national team finished the group stage in third place in Group A. In the quarterfinals, the Latvians will face Norway.
In other playoff matches, Finland will play against the Czech Republic, the USA will meet Canada, and Switzerland will face Sweden.
For Latvia, this is an opportunity to reach the semifinals for the first time since the bronze medal World Championship and compete for medals.
