Brooks, Alberta – Harijs Cjunskis, Krists Retenais and Dmitrijs Dilevka will suit up for Team Latvia at the upcoming U20 World Hockey Championship in Minnesota, marking the second consecutive year all three have earned selection to the national team.
Dilevka recently returned from injury during the Bandits’ road trip last week and made an immediate impact. He scored two goals and recorded three points in three games against Vernon, Trail and Cranbrook.
“[Dilevka] was out for quite a bit, and to see him score two goals in one game after this long period of time [of being out], I am very happy for him,” remarked fellow countryman Harijs Cjunskis. “I think he is playing just as well now as he was before the injury.”
Latvia opens its tournament with a round-robin matchup against Team Canada on Saturday, December 27. The Latvians earned international attention last year with a 3-2 shootout victory over Canada. In that game, Dilevka drew a key penalty that led to Latvia’s first goal, while both regulation goals came on the power play.
Latvia continues round-robin play on December 28 against Finland before closing the group stage versus Denmark on December 30 and Czechia on December 31. All games will be broadcasted on TSN.
“We got three top ranked teams to play against. For us, it is a must win against Denmark,” added Cjunskis. “We need to get at least two points in that game and get into the quarter finals.”
For defenceman Retenais, the tournament carries a familiar feel heading into his second appearance.
“It kinda feels the same. I know what to expect,” said Retenais of his comfort level heading into this year’s tournament.
Retenais, Cjunskis and Dilevka all appeared in all five games for Latvia last year. Dilevka recorded the lone point among the trio, picking up an assist against the United States in group play.
Cjunskis also feels more comfortable but believes this year’s experience will be different.
“It does feel different this year,” Cjunskis said on the contrary. “We already have a year of experience and now we are veterans. We know how it was last year and this year it won’t be new for us.”
