Entrepreneur Maris Martinsons and Viesturs Koziols: What Four NHL Draft Selections Mean for Latvian Hockey
Māris Martinsons, entrepreneur, member of the board of the Latvian Ice Hockey Federation and president of Mogo/RSU Hockey Club, together with Viesturs Koziols, a Council Member of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), assess the achievements of Latvia’s young hockey players and discuss the path ahead for their development.
The selection of four Latvian hockey players in the 2026 NHL Draft, including Alberts Šmits with the fifth overall pick, is one of the most notable achievements in Latvian hockey in recent years. Šmits became the highest-drafted Latvian player of all time when he was selected by the New York Rangers, while Olivers Mūrnieks was picked 124th overall in the fourth round by the Buffalo Sabres.
However, being drafted does not guarantee a place in the NHL. Māris Martinsons, member of the board of the Latvian Ice Hockey Federation and president of Mogo/RSU Hockey Club, and Viesturs Koziols, IIHF Council Member, discuss what this achievement says about Latvia’s hockey development system, why young players should not always rush to leave Latvia, and the role that parents, coaches, clubs and agents play in their development.
Four Drafted Players Is a Historic Moment for Latvia
– Four Latvian players in a single NHL Draft, with Alberts Šmits going fifth overall. How significant an achievement is this really?
Māris Martinsons: Of course, it is a major achievement. It is also proof that our hockey players are being valued more highly every year and that, most likely, we are on the right path in developing Latvian hockey.
At the same time, being drafted does not mean they will necessarily play in the NHL. Of these four players, I think Šmits may be the closest to getting a chance to play in the NHL. The others still have time ahead of them and will have to fight for their place among hockey’s elite.
But for Latvia – a country with fewer than two million people – having four players drafted is a historic moment. I hope it does not end here and that we will see something similar again.
Viesturs Koziols: I would look at it somewhat more philosophically. First and foremost, it is recognition for Latvian hockey. It is recognition of the enormous amount of work done by the parents, coaches and clubs that have allowed these young men to grow and develop, as well as by the Latvian Ice Hockey Federation.
Internationally, this is enormous recognition. It once again proves what I have always said – Latvia fully deserves to be a top-division hockey nation. In terms of population, it may be difficult to call us a hockey superpower, but we are a hockey country.
However, this is only the beginning. The situation changes from year to year. There have been years when we did not have a single player drafted. So we cannot assume after one successful year that the job is done.
And after the draft, everything depends on the players themselves – their desire, determination and perseverance. Sometimes it borders on insane persistence. If they have that, the results will follow.
Competition Has Not Become Weaker
– Could it simply be that competition was weaker in this particular draft year?
Māris Martinsons: No, I do not think we can look at it that way. Of these four players, the only one we could have predicted several years ago might be drafted was Olivers. At the time, we did not expect the same from the other three.
It shows how dramatically a child can develop within a single year at this age. A great deal depends on the system they enter, who works with them and how they develop. At this age, they also begin to understand for themselves what they want and where they want to go.
Viesturs Koziols: Competition is certainly not decreasing. Look at the Swedes and Finns – they work towards this very systematically. The competition is enormous.
What we have demonstrated is that the work being done in Latvia by clubs and coaches is good. We know how to give children strong fundamentals.
Latvian Hockey Initially Relies Heavily on Parents
– How important are parents in this system?
Māris Martinsons: Very important. Latvian hockey, at least in its early stages, relies heavily on parents. Clubs, the federation and other parties become involved later, but a large share of the initial funding comes from parents.
It is a collective effort. A kind of chemistry – sometimes it works, sometimes it does not. Almost every parent thinks their child will become an NHL player, but statistically the chances are very small.
Hockey is one of the most popular sports in Latvia, and parents really do sometimes spend their last money so their children can play. At the same time, hockey is a sport that brings people together very strongly, regardless of nationality.
Viesturs Koziols: The contribution of parents, particularly at the beginning, is enormous. But the question is whether the state and municipalities recognise this sufficiently.
What are parents investing this money in? They are investing in a healthy lifestyle for their children. Of course, they are taking care of their own children, but at the same time their money also helps sustain the entire system.
Parents are an enormous partner for Latvian hockey, and the federation greatly appreciates this. In return, we would like to see greater involvement from the state and municipalities.
Sending a Child Abroad Is Not Always the Best Solution
– Many parents believe that a talented child should move to the US, Canada or a larger European hockey nation as early as possible. Is that really the case?
Māris Martinsons: I think many parents underestimate what coaches and clubs in Latvia give their children. In many places around the world, young players will not receive the same individual attention they get in Latvia.
We do not have that many players, so every player is valuable and coaches work with them individually. That will not necessarily be the case abroad.
So anyone who wants to rush abroad very quickly should think carefully. Being drafted is not enough. A young player needs game experience and ice time.
Viesturs Koziols: There are good examples showing that Latvia itself can develop hockey players to a very high level. Artūrs Šilovs came through the Latvian system, through HS Rīga.
That shows that NHL players can also be developed in Latvia.
Of course, there is also an economic component. If the state helped organise the children’s and youth championship system so that players had enough competitive games, we could provide young players with even better opportunities to develop here in Latvia.
If You Play Five Minutes, You Cannot Fully Develop
– What is more important for a young hockey player – joining a big-name club or playing regularly?
Viesturs Koziols: You need strong games and plenty of competitive games during the season. I would say at least 40–50. And you also need meaningful ice time.
If a player gets only five or six minutes on the ice or sits out several games, he cannot fully develop. He needs to play.
One huge advantage of America is education, which often comes together with hockey. But at the same time, a player needs the right environment, regular game experience and a good agent.
Māris Martinsons: It really is a kind of chemistry – the place where the player ends up, the coach and the agent.
An agent is necessary. But you also have to understand that an agent’s primary objective is to make money. That is why it is so important for a player to end up in the right system and to have people around him who can help him make the right decisions.
If We Are Where Decisions Are Made, Latvia Is Taken More Seriously
– How important is it for Latvian hockey to have its own representatives in international organisations?
Māris Martinsons: Viesturs joining the IIHF is a good example of how we can look after our own interests. We are a small country, and internationally our voice is not always heard. That is why it is very important to be present where decisions are made.
The same applies to referees. A few years ago, there were very few Latvian referees on the international circuit, but the situation has changed significantly. The more of our people there are in the international hockey community, the more seriously Latvia is taken.
Viesturs Koziols: Of course, referees must be objective. We do not need Latvian referees to favour Latvia. What we should demand is that everyone else is equally objective.
Trust a Good Club and Let Your Child Play
– The Falkons system is often mentioned in connection with Olivers Mūrnieks’ development. How important was the club?
Viesturs Koziols: It starts with the parents – they take the child to practice, arrange additional training and invest in their development. But after that, it is important to become part of a well-organised system.
At Falkons, for example, there is a strength and conditioning coach, its own arena, ice time and physical training. If a child joins a good club with a well-structured development pyramid, parents should place more trust in the club.
Let the child play without constantly moving them from one place to another.
Māris Martinsons: When Falkons was created, we took a slightly different approach. I have been involved with Hockey School Rīga for around 20 years and currently serve as chairman of its council.
At Falkons, we essentially built the system from scratch, starting with young children. The idea was not to take players from other clubs but to develop our own. We brought together coaches who shared the same philosophy.
The goal was to create a pyramid through which we could develop our own players while also producing players for a strong Latvian top division. A very important stage in Olivers’ development came when, at the age of just 15, he was given the opportunity to play for Mogo/RSU in Latvia’s top league. Coach Ģirts Ankipāns played a particularly important role at this stage, trusting the young player and giving him the opportunity to gain experience in senior hockey at such an early age.
An Eight- or Ten-Year-Old Child Should Not Live by the League Table
– Do we start chasing results too early in youth hockey?
Māris Martinsons: That is one of the problems. Our philosophy was very simple – young children do not need to be the best. They are learning to skate and play hockey.
For an eight-, nine- or ten-year-old child, results should not be the main priority. They should enjoy the process and enjoy what they are doing.
We see that until the age of 12, 13 or even 14, our children are often among the leaders in Europe – they beat the Swedes and Finns. But then something disappears. In Sweden, for example, results are not treated as the main priority up to a certain age.
Another problem is that we push children too hard. Two training sessions a day, one camp after another. But a child needs to rest, grow and learn. Without that, they cannot progress. Parents need to learn to trust the coach and the system.
Viesturs Koziols: I compare it to a fuel tank. If the tank holds 60 litres, you cannot pour 100 litres into it and expect to travel further as a result.
My own son is 15. He does physical conditioning during the summer, but I do not want to send him from one camp to another. Let him rest, enjoy his childhood and youth, even spend some time at the computer. There is no need for five or six camps over the summer.
Olivers Is Not Just a Good Hockey Player – He Also Has the Right Mindset
– Finally, Olivers Mūrnieks and Buffalo. Is the Sabres the right organisation for him?
Māris Martinsons: The good thing about Olivers is that he is not only a good hockey player, but he also has the right mindset. He has chosen both to play hockey and to study, and that is important.
The fact that he was drafted by the Sabres does not mean that he will immediately play there. He needs to continue playing at his level, studying and gaining experience.
The NHL system works in such a way that the draft gives an organisation the rights to a player, but the player still has to earn his place.
The Mind Plays First, the Body Follows
– What will ultimately determine which of these young players actually make it to the NHL?
Viesturs Koziols: Talent alone is not enough. You need natural ability, skills and experience, but a player must also be given the opportunity to play and must be trusted.
I attended a championship where there were a great many NHL scouts. A single organisation may have several people with different responsibilities – one looks at skating, another at mental readiness, how a player prepares for a game, behaves on the bench and communicates with teammates, coaches and referees.
Hockey has become much faster. I say that hockey players should play chess and study mathematics because everything on the ice happens very quickly as well. The mind plays first, and then the body follows.
Māris Martinsons: That is also why education is so important. At many clubs, coaches monitor how children are doing at school and sometimes even prevent them from playing if their schoolwork is not in order. That is normal practice.
Viesturs Koziols: During the teenage years, a coach often has even more authority than the parents. That means the coach is also in a position to demand the right attitude towards school.
And hockey involves a huge number of components. We talk about the big things – coaches, agents and clubs – but the small things are just as important: teaching a child to take care of their body, eat properly, rest and understand the specifics of physical and psychological preparation.
Again, we come back to the same fuel-tank analogy: if it holds 60 litres, there is no point trying to pour in 100. A child does not need six camps over the summer. Let them rest.
