Harijs Vītoliņš to continue coaching Latvia's national ice hockey team

The Latvian Hockey Federation (LHF) and the head coach of the Latvian men's national ice hockey team, Harijs Vītoliņš, have reached an agreement to continue their cooperation for another season.

Vītoliņš has been coaching the Latvian national team since the summer of 2021. Under his leadership, the national team has achieved one of the greatest successes in the history of Latvian hockey - a bronze medal at the 2023 World Championship. The team also achieved sixth place at the 2026 World Championship, which was the second best result in the world championships.

Latvian Hockey Federation President Aigars Kalvītis emphasizes that the past stage with Vītoliņš at the helm of the team should be evaluated positively.

“Under the leadership of Vītoliņš, the national team has achieved very significant results. The team has become more stable, competitive and capable of competing with the best national teams in the world. We continue the work we have started, so that we will continue to be among the world’s leading teams,” says Aigars Kalvītis.

The Latvian national ice hockey team will play its first international tournament in November, when it will participate in the German Cup – “Deutschland Cup”.

Next year’s world championship will take place from May 14 to 30 in the German cities of Mannheim and Düsseldorf.

The Latvian national team is included in Group A, where it will compete with Switzerland, Finland, Sweden, host Germany, Austria, Slovenia and Ukraine.