Per the Latvian Hockey Federation, Columbus Blue Jackets goalie Elvis Merzļikins will not be playing for the Latvian team in the upcoming 2026 Olympic Qualification Tournament. The Federation says in a press release that Merzļikins will not take part due to “personal reasons.”
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The tournament, which includes France, Slovenia, and Ukraine, will be played in Elvis Merzļikins’ hometown of Riga, Latvia. It will run from August 28th until September 1st.
Merzļikins was one of the goalies for Latvia when they tried to qualify for the 2018 Olympic Games. He went 1-1 with a GAA of 1.32 and a save % of .931. Since then, he has only played for Latvia at the World Championships and has not played in the Olympics.
Merzļikins not going to Riga to play in a short tournament is surprising. Many thought he would go play to get some more games in before the start of Jackets training camp, but for whatever reason, he won’t be there.
Don Waddell is giving him a chance to prove that he is a true #1 goalie in the NHL, so maybe he is just prioritizing that over representing his country.
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