Latvia has announced its roster for the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milano Cortina, featuring NHL goalies Elvis Merzlikins and Arturs Silovs. The team, placed in Group C, aims to build on its best-ever Olympic finish from 2014. This marks the first time since Sochi that a group of NHL players will represent Latvia in the tournament.
Latvia revealed its roster for the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 on Tuesday, with Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Elvis Merzlikins leading the lineup. Joining him in net are Pittsburgh Penguins' Arturs Silovs and Kristers Gudlevskis of Bremerhaven. The selection includes 14 forwards, eight defensemen, and three goalies, blending NHL talent with European league players.
The roster highlights players like Zemgus Girgensons of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Teddy Blueger of the Vancouver Canucks, and Rudolfs Balcers now with Zurich. Defensemen include Uvis Balinskis from the Florida Panthers and Ralfs Freibergs of Vitkovice. Forwards such as Rodrigo Abols with the Philadelphia Flyers and Kaspars Daugavins of Kassel add depth.
Latvia's Olympic history peaked at the 2014 Sochi Games, reaching the quarterfinals. This will be the first Olympics since then with NHL players on the team, a significant boost. "I think it's a solid team," Silovs said. "I think it's a pretty good team for us. I think it's just all about preparation. We'll see how it's going to go."
Merzlikins expressed enthusiasm: "I'm super excited. I've been waiting for this moment my whole career. It's like a dream coming true. Checking out the roster this morning, I could not imagine the coach's situation. It's not easy to choose the right players for their opinion. The coaching staff definitely had tough decisions over there."
In Group C, Latvia opens against the United States on February 12, followed by Germany on February 14 and Denmark on February 15. The tournament format sees 12 teams play three preliminary games each. Group winners and the top second-place team advance directly to the quarterfinals, with the gold medal game on February 22.
