# Latvia men's national ice hockey team

The Latvian men's national ice hockey team represents Latvia in international ice hockey. The team is ranked 10th in the world by IIHF as of 2023. The team is controlled by the Latvian Ice Hockey Federation. Their best ever finish at the World Championships was in 2023, when they won the bronze medal. Latvia reached the quarterfinals at the 2014 Winter Olympics, losing 2–1 to Canada. Latvia has 7,898 registered players (0.43% of its population).

## Overview

| Rank | Olympics | World Championships | European Championships |
| 1st | | | |
| 2nd | | | |
| 3rd | | 2023 | |
| 4th | | | |
| 5th | | | |
| 6th | | | |
| 7th | | 1997, 2004, 2009 | |
| 8th | 2014 | 2000, 2018 | 1932 |
| 9th | 2002 | 1998, 2003, 2005, 2024 | |
| 10th | | 1933, 1938, 1939, 2006, 2012, 2017, 2019, 2022 | |
| 11th | 2022 | 1999, 2002, 2008, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2021 | |
| 12th | 2006, 2010 | | |
| 13th | 1936 | 1935, 1996 (1.B)↑, 2001, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2016 | |
| 14th | | 1994 (2.B), 1995 (2.B) | |
| 15th | | | |
| 16th | | | |
| ↑: promoted, ↓: relegated, (3.B): (rank.pool) ||||

## Tournament record
### Olympic Games

| Games | GP | W | T | T | L | GF | GA | Coach | Captain | Finish |
| 1936 Garmisch-Partenkirchen | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 27 | Arvīds Jurgens | Leonīds Vedējs | 13 |
| 1953–1991 | As part of Soviet Union | As part of Soviet Union | As part of Soviet Union | As part of Soviet Union | As part of Soviet Union | As part of Soviet Union | As part of Soviet Union | As part of Soviet Union | As part of Soviet Union | As part of Soviet Union |
| 1994 Lillehammer | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify |
| 1998 Nagano | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify |
| 2002 Salt Lake City | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 20 | 14 | Curt Lindström | Harijs Vītoliņš | 9 |
| 2006 Turin | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 11 | 29 | Leonīds Beresņevs | Kārlis Skrastiņš | 12 |
| Games | GP | W | OTW | OTL | L | GF | GA | Coach | Captain | Finish |
| 2010 Vancouver | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 22 | Oļegs Znaroks | Kārlis Skrastiņš | 12 |
| 2014 Sochi | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 9 | 14 | Ted Nolan | Sandis Ozoliņš | 8 |
| 2018 Pyeongchang | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify |
| 2022 Beijing | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 7 | 14 | Harijs Vītoliņš | Lauris Dārziņš | 11 |
| 2026 Milan/Cortina | qualified | qualified | qualified | qualified | qualified | qualified | qualified | qualified | qualified | qualified |

### World Championship

| Championships | GP | W | T | L | GF | GA | Coach | Captain | Finish |
| 1933 Prague | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 9 | – | Arvīds Jurgens | Finished in 10th place |
| 1935 Davos | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 11 | 25 | – | Leonīds Vedējs | Finished in 13th place |
| 1938 Prague | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 8 | Arvīds Jurgens | Leonīds Vedējs | Finished tied in 10th place |
| 1939 Zürich/Basel | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 21 | Larry Marsh | Leonīds Vedējs | Finished in 10th place |
| 1993 Bled/Ljubljana (Group C) | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 101 | 9 | Helmuts Balderis | Konstantīns Grigorjevs | Finished in 21st place (Won Group C) |
| 1994 Copenhagen/Aalborg (Group B) | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 61 | 9 | Helmuts Balderis | Konstantīns Grigorjevs | Finished in 14th place (2nd in Group B) |
| 1995 Bratislava (Group B) | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 65 | 16 | Ēvalds Grabovskis | Aleksandrs Beļavskis | Finished in 14th place (2nd in Group B) |
| 1996 Eindhoven (Group B) | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 41 | 16 | Leonīds Beresņevs | Oleg Znarok | Finished in 13th place (Won Group B) |
| 1997 Helsinki/Tampere/Turku | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 37 | 23 | Leonīds Beresņevs | Normunds Sējējs | Finished in 7th place |
| 1998 Zürich/Basel | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 21 | 18 | Leonīds Beresņevs | Oleg Znarok | Finished in 9th place |
| 1999 Oslo/Hamar/Lillehammer | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 24 | 22 | Leonīds Beresņevs | Oleg Znarok | Finished in 11th place |
| 2000 Saint Petersburg | 7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 15 | 17 | Haralds Vasiļjevs | Harijs Vītoliņš | Finished in 8th place |
| 2001 Nuremberg/Cologne/Hanover | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 19 | 13 | Haralds Vasiļjevs | Harijs Vītoliņš | Finished in 13th place |
| 2002 Gothenburg/Karlstad/Jönköping | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 11 | 18 | Curt Lindström | Harijs Vītoliņš | Finished in 11th place |
| 2003 Helsinki/Tampere/Turku | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 14 | 16 | Curt Lindström | Harijs Vītoliņš | Finished in 9th place |
| 2004 Prague/Ostrava | 7 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 12 | 14 | Curt Lindström | Sergejs Žoltoks | Finished in 7th place |
| 2005 Vienna/Innsbruck | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 10 | 21 | Leonīds Beresņevs | Kārlis Skrastiņš | Finished in 9th place |
| 2006 Riga | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 12 | 24 | Petr Vorobiev | Aleksandrs Semjonovs | Finished in 10th place |
| Championships | GP | W | OTW | OTL | L | GF | GA | Coach | Captain | Finish |
| 2007 Moscow | 6 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 20 | 22 | Oleg Znarok | Rodrigo Laviņš | Finished in 13th place |
| 2008 Halifax/Quebec City | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 11 | 19 | Oleg Znarok | Rodrigo Laviņš | Finished in 11th place |
| 2009 Bern/Kloten | 7 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 15 | 23 | Oleg Znarok | Kārlis Skrastiņš | Finished in 7th place |
| 2010 Cologne/Mannheim/Gelsenkirchen | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 15 | 18 | Oleg Znarok | Herberts Vasiļjevs | Finished in 11th place |
| 2011 Bratislava/Košice | 6 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 18 | 19 | Oleg Znarok | Herberts Vasiļjevs | Finished in 13th place |
| 2012 Helsinki/Stockholm | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 11 | 19 | Ted Nolan | Jānis Sprukts | Finished in 10th place |
| 2013 Stockholm/Helsinki | 7 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 14 | 25 | Ted Nolan | Lauris Dārziņš | Finished in 11th place |
| 2014 Minsk | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 20 | 24 | Ted Nolan | Herberts Vasiļjevs | Finished in 11th place |
| 2015 Prague/Ostrava | 7 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 11 | 25 | Aleksandrs Beļavskis | Kaspars Daugaviņš | Finished in 13th place |
| 2016 Moscow/Saint Petersburg | 7 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 13 | 22 | Leonīds Beresņevs | Kaspars Daugaviņš | Finished in 13th place |
| 2017 Cologne/Paris | 7 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 14 | 18 | Bob Hartley | Kaspars Daugaviņš | Finished in 10th place |
| 2018 Copenhagen/Herning | 8 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 18 | 19 | Bob Hartley | Roberts Bukarts | Finished in 8th place |
| 2019 Bratislava/Košice | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 21 | 20 | Bob Hartley | Lauris Dārziņš | Finished in 10th place |
| 2020 | Cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic | Cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic | Cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic | Cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic | Cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic | Cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic | Cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic | Cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic | Cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic | Cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic |
| 2021 Riga | 7 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 15 | 16 | Bob Hartley | Lauris Dārziņš | Finished in 11th place |
| 2022 Helsinki/Tampere | 7 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 14 | 20 | Harijs Vītoliņš | Rodrigo Ābols | Finished in 10th place |
| 2023 Tampere/Riga | 10 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 30 | 25 | Harijs Vītoliņš | Kaspars Daugaviņš | Finished in 3rd place |
| 2024 Prague/Ostrava | 7 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 19 | 29 | Harijs Vītoliņš | Kaspars Daugaviņš | Finished in 9th place |
| 2025 Stockholm/Herning | | | | | | | | Harijs Vītoliņš | | |

### European Championship

| Games | GP | W | T | L | GF | GA | Coach | Captain | Finish | Rank |
| 1932 Berlin | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 13 | – | Arvīds Jurgens | Consolation Round | 8th |

## Team
### Current roster

Roster for the 2024 IIHF World Championship.
Head coach: Harijs Vītoliņš
| No. | Pos. | Name | Height | Weight | Birthdate | Team |
| 2 | D | Kārlis Čukste | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | 98 kg (216 lb) | (1997-06-17) 17 June 1997 (age 27) | Brynäs IF |
| 6 | D | Markuss Komuls | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | 84 kg (185 lb) | (1998-01-04) 4 January 1998 (age 27) | Trois-Rivières Lions |
| 9 | F | Renārs Krastenbergs | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | 84 kg (185 lb) | (1998-12-26) 26 December 1998 (age 26) | Graz 99ers |
| 13 | F | Rihards Bukarts | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | 84 kg (185 lb) | (1995-12-31) 31 December 1995 (age 29) | Vítkovice Ridera |
| 16 | F | Kaspars Daugaviņš – C | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | 101 kg (223 lb) | (1988-05-18) 18 May 1988 (age 36) | Dukla Michalovce |
| 17 | F | Mārtiņš Dzierkals | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | 84 kg (185 lb) | (1997-04-04) 4 April 1997 (age 27) | Skellefteå AIK |
| 18 | F | Rodrigo Ābols – A | 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) | 93 kg (205 lb) | (1996-01-05) 5 January 1996 (age 29) | Rögle BK |
| 20 | F | Raivis Ansons | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) | 84 kg (185 lb) | (2002-01-29) 29 January 2002 (age 23) | Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins |
| 27 | D | Oskars Cibuļskis | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | 96 kg (212 lb) | (1988-04-09) 9 April 1988 (age 36) | Herning Blue Fox |
| 29 | D | Ralfs Freibergs | 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in) | 84 kg (185 lb) | (1991-05-17) 17 May 1991 (age 33) | Mountfield HK |
| 30 | G | Elvis Merzļikins | 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) | 87 kg (192 lb) | (1994-04-13) 13 April 1994 (age 30) | Columbus Blue Jackets |
| 34 | F | Eduards Tralmaks | 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) | 85 kg (187 lb) | (1997-02-17) 17 February 1997 (age 27) | Rytíři Kladno |
| 35 | G | Ēriks Vītols | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | 84 kg (185 lb) | (2001-07-17) 17 July 2001 (age 23) | JYP Jyväskylä |
| 36 | F | Martins Laviņš | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | 80 kg (180 lb) | (2003-04-10) 10 April 2003 (age 21) | New Hampshire Wildcats |
| 50 | G | Kristers Gudļevskis | 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in) | 97 kg (214 lb) | (1992-07-31) 31 July 1992 (age 32) | Fischtown Pinguins |
| 55 | D | Roberts Mamčics | 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) | 105 kg (231 lb) | (1995-04-06) 6 April 1995 (age 29) | Nové Zámky |
| 65 | D | Arvils Bergmanis | 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in) | 79 kg (174 lb) | (1999-12-29) 29 December 1999 (age 25) | Alaska Nanooks |
| 70 | F | Miks Indrašis | 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) | 89 kg (196 lb) | (1990-09-30) 30 September 1990 (age 34) | Brynäs IF |
| 71 | F | Roberts Bukarts – A | 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) | 84 kg (185 lb) | (1990-06-27) 27 June 1990 (age 34) | Vítkovice Ridera |
| 72 | D | Jānis Jaks | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | 86 kg (190 lb) | (1995-08-22) 22 August 1995 (age 29) | HC Litvínov |
| 77 | D | Kristaps Zīle | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | 86 kg (190 lb) | (1997-12-24) 24 December 1997 (age 27) | HC Litvínov |
| 82 | F | Fēlikss Gavars | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | 82 kg (181 lb) | (2002-05-15) 15 May 2002 (age 22) | St. Lawrence Saints |
| 85 | F | Dans Ločmelis | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | 81 kg (179 lb) | (2004-01-21) 21 January 2004 (age 21) | UMass Minutemen |
| 95 | F | Oskars Batņa | 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in) | 106 kg (234 lb) | (1995-05-07) 7 May 1995 (age 29) | Mikkelin Jukurit |
| 97 | F | Haralds Egle | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | 95 kg (209 lb) | (1996-05-11) 11 May 1996 (age 28) | MHk 32 Liptovský Mikuláš |

### Retired numbers

* 1 – Artūrs Irbe
* 7 – Kārlis Skrastiņš
* 19 – Helmuts Balderis
* 33 – Sergejs Žoltoks

### Coaching history

| | Coach | GP | W | T | L | GD | P-ts |
| 1939 | Larry Marsh | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 6:21 | n/a |
| 1992–1994 | Helmuts Balderis | -- | -- | - | -- | --- | -- |
| 1995 | Ēvalds Grabovskis | -- | -- | - | -- | --- | -- |
| 1996–1999 | Leonīds Beresņevs | 56 | 36 | 7 | 13 | 275:143 | 79 |
| 1999–2001 | Haralds Vasiļjevs | 32 | 12 | 8 | 12 | 81:76 | 32 |
| 2001–2004 | Curt Lindström | 65 | 32 | 8 | 25 | 202:161 | 72 |
| 2005–2006 | Leonīds Beresņevs | 32 | 25 | 3 | 14 | 112:113 | 53 |
| 2006 | Petr Vorobiev | 11 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 25:35 | 9 |
| 2007–2011 | Oleg Znarok | 37 | 15 | 0 | 22 | 98:126 | 41 |
| 2011–2014 | Ted Nolan | 26 | 11 | 0 | 15 | 57:65 | 35 |
| 2015 | Aleksandrs Beļavskis | 7 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 11:25 | 5 |
| 2016 | Leonīds Beresņevs | 7 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 13:22 | 6 |
| 2016 | Haralds Vasiļjevs | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 13:5 | 6 |
| 2017–2021 | Bob Hartley | 29 | 11 | 7 | 11 | 68:73 | 41 |
| 2021–present | Harijs Vītoliņš | 24 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 73:69 | 36 |

## All-time record

    As of 17 December 2024.
| Opponent | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | GF | GA | GD |
| Austria | 25 | 21 | 0 | 4 | 98 | 56 | +42 |
| Belarus | 40 | 19 | 3 | 18 | 106 | 97 | +9 |
| Belgium | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 4 | +27 |
| Canada | 23 | 1 | 1 | 21 | 28 | 119 | -91 |
| China | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 0 | +22 |
| Czech Republic | 19 | 1 | 1 | 17 | 34 | 66 | −32 |
| Czechoslovakia | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 16 | −16 |
| Denmark | 38 | 24 | 0 | 14 | 131 | 93 | +38 |
| Estonia | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 6 | +26 |
| Finland | 33 | 4 | 2 | 27 | 61 | 128 | −67 |
| France | 56 | 36 | 4 | 16 | 191 | 114 | +77 |
| Germany | 41 | 13 | 4 | 24 | 91 | 111 | -20 |
| Great Britain | 11 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 44 | 39 | +5 |
| Hungary | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 31 | 12 | +19 |
| Israel | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 0 | +32 |
| Italy | 19 | 14 | 1 | 4 | 71 | 30 | +41 |
| Japan | 13 | 12 | 0 | 1 | 79 | 26 | +53 |
| Kazakhstan | 15 | 10 | 0 | 5 | 54 | 31 | +23 |
| Lithuania | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 45 | 2 | +43 |
| Netherlands | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 45 | 6 | +39 |
| North Korea | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | +4 |
| Norway | 43 | 26 | 0 | 17 | 141 | 109 | +32 |
| Poland | 21 | 16 | 0 | 5 | 72 | 50 | +22 |
| Romania | 8 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 49 | 7 | +42 |
| Russia | 22 | 6 | 1 | 15 | 38 | 83 | −45 |
| Slovakia | 36 | 11 | 2 | 23 | 74 | 118 | -44 |
| Slovenia | 13 | 11 | 0 | 2 | 44 | 23 | +21 |
| South Korea | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 38 | 2 | +36 |
| Sweden | 29 | 3 | 1 | 25 | 50 | 120 | −70 |
| Switzerland | 41 | 9 | 3 | 29 | 73 | 128 | -55 |
| Ukraine | 20 | 14 | 1 | 5 | 67 | 49 | +18 |
| United States | 19 | 4 | 2 | 13 | 38 | 61 | −23 |
| Yugoslavia | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | +10 |
| Total | 600 | 287 | 28 | 285 | 1 872 | 1 650 | +222 |

## Uniform evolution

* National team jerseys
* 1996-2005 IIHF jerseys
* 2006-2013 IIHF jerseys
* 2014-2017 Winter Olympics and IIHF
* 2018–2021 IIHF jerseys
* 2022– Winter Olympics and IIHF