STOCKHOLM – After a 13th-place finish at the 2011 IIHF World Championship, the Latvian Hockey Federation made internal changes beginning with the head coach. Ted Nolan, a one-time NHL coach of the year, takes over. Long-time team members Aleksandrs Macijevskis and Atvars Tribuncovs were final cuts. Still, there is enough experience and talent that Latvia should be competitive but it’s never been easy for this team.
 
Goal
 
Since Arturs Irbe retired, Edgar Masalskis has been the number-one goaltender for the Latvian national team. Although his performances can be uneven, he’s been a superb competitor for his team. Masalskis has appeared in 32 games since 2004 and has been effectively their starting goaltender since 2007.

Both goaltenders on the roster behind Masalskis have no World Championship experience. Maris Jucers has not participated in a World Championship game for Latvia. Jucers played for Dinamo Riga in the KHL and posted a 2.41 goals against average. Ervins Mustukovs has represented Latvia twice at U20 World Championships in 2002-03 and 2003-04. Should Masalskis falter in any game either goaltender will be immediately tested.
 
Defence
 
Latvia will get some major help with Oskars Bartulis in the line-up. Bartulis spent the season with the Adirondack Phantoms of the American Hockey League. Kristaps Sotnieks should as well. He contributed four assists at last year's tournament. There should be familiarity among certain players. Six members of Latvia’s KHL entry, Dinamo Riga, are on the team. Rodrigo Lavins has been a steady member on defence over the years. More than providing significant offensive contributions, Latvia needs their defencemen to shut down opposing forwards and clearing traffic in front of Masalskis.
 
Forward
 
Latvia has complementary scorers but no true sniper. Goal scoring has to be by committee. Mikelis Redlihs led Dinamo Riga in scoring with 13 goals and 44 points. His goal and seven points at the 2011 IIHF World Championship were a personal best. Janis Sprukts has been a member of the national team since 2000 when he was a facemask wearing 18-year-old. Sprukts was Dinamo’s second leading scorer in the regular season and added five playoff goals in seven games.

Latvia’s lone NHLer on the team is Ottawa’s Kasper Daugavins, who is fresh off a first-round playoff elimination at the hands of the New York Rangers. There are multiple players who’ve represented Latvia over the last five years who have suffered through scoring droughts. Gints Meija has not scored since 2009; Girts Ankipans has not scored since 2008; Aleksejs Sirokovs also has none since 2008; and Armands Berzins no goals since the 2007 World Championship. Andris Dzerins did not score a goal at the 2011 tournament but contributed five assists. Kaspars Saulietis and Roberts Bukarts both scored three goals apiece in Slovakia.
 
Coaching
 
Make no mistake: Ted Nolan will be the single most important reason why Latvia does better than a 13th-place finish. Nolan brings to Latvia the credentials of a winning coach, whose brief NHL coaching career with Buffalo and the New York Islanders have been marked by overall success and playoff qualification.

Nolan last worked as head coach of the Islanders, guiding them to the 2007 playoffs. The Islanders as a team were a reflection of the coach and his desire for a workmanlike effort from his players.

Latvia will not outgun or outmatch any of the elite team at the World Championships but that’s not going to be Nolan’s mantra. Instead, he’ll build on the fundamentals and establish effective habits that trickle down the roster.
 
Projected Results
 
If fan pride and energy could be channeled to each Latvian World Championship entry, the team would be perennial contenders. Since this is not the case, Latvia has to instead rely on consistent efforts from their skaters and solid goaltending to stay in the hunt. When that happens – as it did in 2004 and 2007 and 2009 – Latvia is in the top half of the final results in IIHF World Championship play.

When that doesn’t happen, you get 13th place finishes as was the case last year. The change in format should help and ensure that relegation is avoided; early games against Russian and Germany will reveal a lot.

JOHN SANFUL