A Battle in Riga – Olympic Qualification Group E preview

The final qualification round for the 2026 Winter Olympic Games set in Italy has finally arrived, with one of the groups – group E – being held in Riga once more. The four participants this time around are Latvia, France, Slovenia, all of which qualified to the final round via national team ranking, and Ukraine, the winners of Group J. While Latvia is predicted to come out on top, the others will not be easy pushovers in the race for a spot in the Olympics.

Feisty and unpredictable – Ukraine

Ukraine has earnt it’s spot in the final round, having triumphed in a group containing Poland, South Korea and Estonia, winning in every game. The country has experienced an uptick in both senior hockey, having been promoted to the second tier of world championships for the first time since 2017, and youth hockey, where the under-18s team almost got promoted to the world’s elite. Ukraine is truly the most unpredictable team in the group, and they will be putting in their hardest effort to try to win in every game they play. Ukraine won their only pre-tournament friendly game against Hungary with a score of 6-3, and they’ll be looking to turn that into a win streak, starting from their first game against France.

The most interesting player to look out for on the Ukrainian national team is defenseman Artur Cholach, who was drafted by the Vegas Golden Knights in the 2021 NHL draft. The team has a vast domestic league representation, with 10 of the players coming from the Ukrainian hockey league, most of whom play for the current champions, Sokil Kyiv.

No Kopitar, domestic defense – Slovenia

While Slovenia may be stuck without their clear leader, Los Angeles Kings forward Anze Kopitar, the Slovenian team is still not to be taken lightly. Veteran goalie Gasper Kroselj, who has spent a lot of time playing for teams in the top tiers of Czechia and Slovakia, appears to be the Slovenian starting goaltender in the tournament. The Slovenian defense appears to be the weakest link, with most of the defense playing for Olimpija Ljubljana in the Austria-based ICE Hockey League, while they have multiple talented forwards in the form of Matic Torok, Jan Urbas, Ziga Jeglic and more. Slovenia lost both of their pre-tournament friendly games against Austria with the same score of 1-2, resulting in a losing streak that may be extended even longer, as their first game is against the favourites, Latvia.

Slovenia will be relying on teams giving them powerplay opportunities, as well as their offense-creating ability, to battle for a spot at the Olympics.

Experience and ability – France

France’s last rodeo in the Olympic Games Qualification, back in 2021, was soured by Latvia, which took a 2-1 win in the deciding game for qualifying to the Beijing Winter Olympic Games. This loss has clearly upset both the French players and fans alike, and they will be looking to get revenge this time around. France brings 2 players with current NHL contracts to the tournament, with the well-known forwards Alexandre Texier and Pierrick Dube. This signals what is likely their strongest area, with the team’s forward group being able to create chances out of nowhere. Julien Junca and Quentin Papillon are both great goalies that the French can rely on, while the French defense may be the weakest part of what is an undoubtedly strong team.

The French lead-up to the tournament has not been the prettiest, however, with the team losing in both of their pre-tournament games against Norway with a score of 2-3 and 0-9. It is up to the French players to pick themselves up, otherwise the Ukrainian team will be looking to capitalize on the opportunity in the first game of the tournament.

Depth, ability, the home team- Latvia

Riga once more hosts the Olympic Games Qualification, with the Latvian team looking to reach the Olympics for the seventh time in history. Latvia brings great depth and ability to the tournament, with no clear issues despite the lack of Vancouver Canucks forward Teodors Blugers and goalie Arturs Silovs, who was excluded from the roster in the last minute due to an injury. Kristers Gudlevskis seems to be the starting goalie for Latvia, with Gustavs Grigals and Eriks Vitols backing him up. The defense is bolstered especially by Stanley Cup champion Uvis Balinskis and 2023 World Champions bronze medal winning goal scorer Kristians Rubins, while Rodrigo Abols, Zemgus Girgensons, Rudolfs Balcers and Kaspars Daugavins are clear standouts on the offensive side. Latvia will be looking to qualify for the Olympics once more on home ice, and anything less than qualification will be seen as a failure.

Latvia split their preseason two-game series against Denmark with a score of 2-3 and 5-3, where Latvia had issues concentrating for the full 60 minutes in a game. This can potentially be Latvia’s biggest downfall, and teams should be looking to use the lapse of concentration to overcome the threat.

Game schedule (Latvia time)

France – Ukraine (16:00, 29/08/2024)
Latvia – Slovenia (20:00, 29/08/2024)
France – Slovenia (16:00, 30/08/2024)
Ukraine – Latvia (20:00, 30/08/2024)
Slovenia – Ukraine (13:00, 01/09/2024)
Latvia – France (17:00, 01/09/2024)

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