Latvia Unveils 2022 Men's Olympic Roster

Martins Dzierkals of Latvia — Yuri Kuzmin/KHL

As the opening ceremony inches closer and closer, nations continue to unveil the rosters that they will take to Beijing next month to compete for Olympic gold.

Latvia is the latest participant to get in on the action on Monday morning, announcing the 25-man group that will represent the country at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games.

Despite the NHL opting against sending its players to Beijing back in December, a number of nations have still managed to fill their rosters with a sizeable big-league contingent. That is not the case for Latvia here, however, as the nation only harbors two players with NHL resumes of note.

Kaspars Daugavins is the longest-tenured former NHLer on Latvia’s roster this year, with the 33-year-old having suited up in 91 career games for the Ottawa Senators and Boston Bruins over four seasons. Daugavins last played in the NHL back in 2013, before heading overseas to Switzerland, and, later, the KHL.

Joining Daugavins in Latvia’s NHL alumni is goaltender Kristers Gudlevskis, who is expected to be the team’s third goaltender in the tournament. Gudlevskis played a total of three NHL games for the Tampa Bay Lightning before continuing his career overseas. But that isn’t his dominant career highlight. No, Gudlevskis briefly became a household name during the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, when he almost singlehandedly ousted Canada in the quarter-final by making 55 saves to keep the game tied at 1-1 before a Shea Weber point shot beat him with seven minutes to go.