Latvia got run over by Sweden in the Olympic qualifier 5-1. They were only in this game for a short time. They were still grinding when they were down 3-1 but that was the issue. There was too much grinding and not enough offense.
- Eduards Tralmaks got the lone goal. Alberts Smits got an assist, more on him later. Teddy Blueger had an assist on the play. This was the closest they got to a comeback. That’s sad.
- Alberts Smits had a great Olympics for a pre-NHL draft player. He has a chance to be the first defenseman off the board in Buffalo. This helped that and seeing offense and physicality may have sealed that deal with more than a few NHL teams.
- Latvia was hoping to at least get to the Quarterfinals and they fell short. Their goaltending wasn’t up to the task and they lacked a real offensive threat.
- Latvia is getting better in the youth portion. The bronze medal in the 2023 World Championship is their gold standard. It has to get better than that. Smits goes a long way in helping that and there are some younger players who could get their chance down the road. Let’s see how that develops.
- The Latvian fans are always all in. They always have a great time at games. I’m sure they are disappointed but happy they were able to see their team play in the Olympics, that’s for sure.
