All 10 countries have officially announced preliminary rosters for the 2026 World Junior Championship. The final announcement came earlier this morning, when Team Latvia named 28 players to their initial roster. They will need to cut three before the tournament opens on December 24th. Latvia’s full roster is as follows:
F Olivers Mūrnieks (2026 draft eligible)
F Kārlis Flugins (2026 draft eligible)
F Kristers Ansons (2026 draft eligible)
F Dmitrijs Diļevka (2026 re-entry draft eligible)
F Bruno Osmanis (2026 draft eligible)
F Markuss Sieradzkis (2026 re-entry draft eligible)
F Maksims Pumpiņš (2026 re-entry draft eligible)
F Roberts Polis (2026 draft eligible)
F Toms Trockis (2026 re-entry draft eligible)
F Rūdolfs Bērzkalns (2026 draft eligible)
F Kristiāns Utnāns (2026 re-entry draft eligible)
F Antons Macijevskis (2026 re-entry draft eligible)
F Roberts Naudiņš (2027 draft eligible)
F Daniels Serkins (2026 re-entry draft eligible)
F Martins Klaucāns (2026 draft eligible)
D Alberts Šmits (2026 draft eligible)
D Mārtiņš Vītols (2026 re-entry draft eligible)
D Oskars Briedis (2026 re-entry draft eligible)
D Rolands Naglis (2026 re-entry draft eligible)
D Darels Uļjanskis (Ducks, 2024, 7-214)
D Krišjānis Sārts (2026 re-entry draft eligible)
D Krists Retenais (2026 re-entry draft eligible)
D Matīss Ošāns (2026 re-entry draft eligible)
D Reinis Auziņš (2026 re-entry draft eligible)
D Harijs Cjunskis (2026 re-entry draft eligible)
G Nils Roberts Mauriņš (2026 re-entry draft eligible)
G Mikus Vecvanags (Canadiens, 2024, 5-134)
G Ivans Kufterins (2026 re-entry draft eligible)
Latvia is building up a track record of aggressive and physical international hockey. That has helped them push to a quarterfinal loss in each of the last two seasons. Back-to-back fourth-place finishes is impressive for a country that was promoted to the top level of World Juniors just four years ago. They faced, and avoided, relegation in 2023 and now boast lineups capable of outplaying much more skilled opponents.
That trend should continue this season. The Latvians saw a lot of turnover from last year’s tourney, including leading scorer and Washington Capitals prospect Eriks Mateiko. But they’ll still be able to lean on a strong group of returnees. The hard-nosed Osmanis and flashy Murnieks are set to lead the lineup once again, after each scoring four points – second-most on the team – last year. They’ll both be pushing for a 2026 draft selection, but the games will matter a little bit more for Murnieks, who is considered a first-round pick by many.
The defense will also return a long lsit of players, including shutdown defender and Ducks prospect Uljanskis. But the focus of the defense will undeniably sit with Šmits – a high-skill, offensive-defenseman who has established a top-line role in Finland’s Liiga despite being one of the league’s youngest defenders. After leading all Liiga rookie defenders with 12 points in 29 games, Šmits could be an X-factor addition to the Latvian side.
Latvia will look entirely different in net after icing a trio of 2005-born goalies last year. The starter’s crease could go to anyone this year. Vecvangs, one of two NHL prospects on the team, could have the early advantage. Starting minutes could help him kick a slow start to the year, marked by an .850 save percentage in six QMJHL games. Mauriņš could be a better option, after earning a promotion from the NAHL to the USHL, a move between America’s top two junior leagues. He has posted a .896 Sv% in 16 games with the Omaha Lancers since his promotion. Kufterins, the youngest of the three, has a .888 Sv% in 13 games. Deciding between three junior-level goalies could be a determining factor in Latvia’s chances to return to the Quarterfinals this year.
Go team Latvia!
Only one players name doesn’t end with an S. :D