When Team USA opened its schedule at the 2026 Winter Olympicson Thursday afternoon, it was going up against an undermanned Latvia team. There were plenty of storylines leading into the game. How was Team USA going to look after making some changes following the 4 Nations Face-Off last year?
As far as the Boston Bruins are concerned, defenseman Charlie McAvoy was hoping to have a better time at the Olympics than he did in the 4 Nations when he suffered a season-ending injury early in the tournament. He almost missed the Olympics after taking a hit to the head in last Wednesday's game against the Florida Panthers from Sandis Vilmanis. However, he was good enough to return against the Panthers and played in the Olympic opener.
Vilmanis suited up for Latvia, but there was not going to be any payback in the Olympics. That will be left for the April 2 Bruins/Panthers battle in South Florida. Speaking of Latvia, they had one current Bruins prospect on their roster, forward Dans Locmelis. Team USA rolled to a 5-1 victory in the opener, but Boston's prospect made a noticeable impact for Latvia.
Bruins prospect Dans Locmelis plays well for Latvia against Team USA
First and foremost, Team USA is loaded from top to bottom, but Locmelis held his own for Latvia. He was good on the forecheck and created scoring chances in just over 14 minutes of game action. He even had a heavy hit on Auston Matthews. Again, Latvia was up against it from the drop of the puck despite being tied 1-1 through the first two periods, but in the end, Team USA's talent took over in the final 40 minutes.
In 43 games this season for the Providence Bruins in the American Hockey League (AHL), the former University of Massachusetts standout has 15 goals and 13 assists. Latvia will have at least three more games at the Olympics, and Locmelis will get tremendous experience on a big stage. His first time out was impressive considering who he was going up against.