2026 World Junior Championship: Team Latvia Final Roster

In 2025, Latvia delivered the most shocking upset of the World Juniors, securing their first-ever win over Canada in dramatic shootout fashion. This year, they will bring a relatively young squad as they look to repeat the magic they found in Ottawa.

Goaltenders

Ivans Kufterins – The eighteen-year-old import for the Kamloops Blazers has posted a 0.888 save percentage in his rookie season.

Nils Roberts Maurins – Standing at six-foot-four, Maurins has earned the starting crease for the USHL’s Omaha Lancers, sporting a 0.896 save percentage in sixteen games.

Mikus Vecvanags – A 2024 fifth-round pick of the Montreal Canadiens, Vecvanags now plays for the Newfoundland Regiment, where he has a 0.850 save percentage in six appearances.

Defencemen

Oskars Briedis – With good size at six-foot-three, Briedis is a physical presence for Luleå’s U20 squad.

Harijs Cjunskis – After spending last season with the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies, the nineteen-year-old has made the move to the BCHL’s Brooks Bandits. It will be Cjunskis’ second appearance at the World Juniors.

Rolands Naglis – At just eighteen years old, Naglis is already the captain of SC Bern’s U21 Elit team. So far, Naglis has recorded thirteen points through thirty contests.

Krists Retenais – A now teammate of Cjunskis in Brooks, Retenais helped the Bandits on their 2024-2025 BCHL Championship run. He too, will be returning for his second tournament.

Krišjānis Sārts – The speedy two-way defenceman has also taken his talent to the BCHL, suiting up for the Blackfalds Bulldogs this season. At eighteen years old, Sārts will already be making his second World Juniors appearance and will likely be back in 2027.

Alberts Šmits – The headliner of the Latvian blue line, Šmits projects to be a top-ten selection in 2026. In his first full season in the Finnish Liiga, the smooth-skating seventeen-year-old has already racked up twelve points in twenty-nine games. Šmits has looked every bit the part in pre-tournament action so far, recording a point in every contest.

Darels Uljanskis – The lone NHL-drafted prospect on the team, Uljanskis has taken his talents to the Flint Firebirds this season, helping lead them to first place in the Western Conference. The mobile Anaheim Ducks prospect has scored at a point-per-game pace so far in the OHL.

Martins Vitols – At nineteen years old, Vitols is currently playing professional hockey in Latvia. Through twenty games for his hometown team, Zemgale, he has recorded fourteen points.

Forwards

Kristers Ansons – With good size at six-foot-four, Ansons is off to a strong start to his fourth season of Latvian professional hockey, scoring over a point per game.

Rūdolfs Bērzkalns – One of the youngest skaters on the team, the seventeen-year-old Boston College commit is playing his second season for the USHL’s Muskegon Lumberjacks. After playing a depth role in last year’s USHL Championship run, the six-foot-four centerman has already doubled his 2024-2025 production in sixteen fewer games.

Dmitrijs Dilevka – After debuting at the 2025 World Juniors, Dilevka has joined countryman Harijs Cjunskis and Krists Retenais on the Brooks Bandits. This season, he has flashed his goalscoring ability with eight goals in fifteen contests.

Karlis Flugins – The former Flint Firebird has returned to Europe this season, dressing for KooKoo in Finnish U20s.

Martins Klaucāns – Another young forward, the 2008-born winger was selected in the second round of the 2025 CHL Import Draft. Klaucāns has tallied six points so far in his rookie season for the QMJHL’s Sherbrooke Phoenix.

Antons Macijevskis – A returnee from the 2025 team, Macijevskis is in his second year with the NAHL’s Watertown Shamrocks.

Oliviers Mūrnieks – Mūrnieks entered the season as a projected first-round selection, making the jump from the USHL to the QMJHL’s Saint John Sea Dogs. This decision has not aged the greatest, as his production has slowed on the QMJHL’s second-worst team, causing his draft stock to slip. A strong World Juniors could help Murnieks push back into contention as a first-round candidate. 

Roberts Naudinš – The towering power forward at six-foot-six is in his second season at the prestigious Shattuck St. Mary’s prep school. A late-born 2008 Harvard commit, Naudinš will play his NHL draft-eligible season in Penticton next year before making the jump to the NCAA.

Bruno Osmanis – Although undrafted in 2025, Osmanis was regarded as one of, if not the best, prospects to have been passed over in Los Angeles. This season, the undersized winger has already surpassed his 2025 Allsvenskan totals with nine points in nineteen games.

Roberts Janis Polis – The five-foot-ten winger made the midseason jump to the first division of Latvian pro hockey after scoring two points per game in the second tier.

Maksims Pumpins – The six-foot-tall nineteen-year-old is having a breakout season in the Czech U20s, already doubling his totals from last season.

Daniels Serkins – A former captain for Latvia at the U18 level, Serkins is now teammates with Rolands Naglis in Switzerland, where he sits third in team scoring.

Markuss Sieradzkis – A returnee from 2025, Sieradzkis is a high-energy forward with a strong shot. This year, he has taken his talents to HC Plzen in the Czech U20s, where he is tied for second in team goalscoring.

Kristian Utnans – The six-foot-four power-forward has made the transition to the NAHL this season for the Kenai River Brown Bears, registering eight points in twenty-one games.

Final Thoughts on Country Roster

This Latvian squad will go as far as their top players take them. If Šmits, Mūrnieks, and Osmanis have strong tournaments, Latvia has a good chance of repeating the success they found in Ottawa.