OTTAWA — Linards Feldbergs could barely stop smiling throughout the World Juniors.
It started when Latvia upset Canada 3-2 in the preliminary round, which set off alarm bells throughout the host country. Feldbergs stopped 55 of 57 shots through regulation and overtime and then remained perfect through an eight-round shootout.
People across the hockey world were supportive of his performance, including Carey Price, who tweeted about Feldbergs.
Feldbergs, wow. Well done kid.
On to the next one boys. 🇨🇦
— Carey Price (@CP0031) December 28, 2024
“Actually, that’s really crazy that, like, the popular players saw me playing and also (are) saying good words for me,” he said. “I’m really excited about it and I really feel it in my heart.”
Latvia lost to a strong USA team less than 24 hours later, wherein Feldbergs was once again kept busy with 41 shots. The fans inside the arena in Ottawa loudly cheered him on, which energized him.
Despite the result, he was still buzzing over his team’s historic win the night before.
“I’m thinking about it for the day, like for the next two hours I’m going to still be happy about it,” Feldbergs said after the 5-1 loss to USA.
The Latvians next edged Germany 4-3 in overtime to lock up their spot in the knockout round for the second straight year. Again, the crowd’s support wasn’t lost on him.
“When we scored, it was really loud then. And also on power play there was cheering ‘Latvia, Latvia,’” he said.
Latvia ultimately lost to Sweden 3-2 in the quarterfinals on Thursday as Feldbergs faced another 50 shots.
He received a standing ovation from the TD Place crowd who chanted “MVP” as he was named Latvia’s player of the game and one of the team’s players of the tournament.
And amid mixed feelings of disappointment and pride, he still couldn’t help but smile.
“I think this is one of the best weeks in my life,” he said after the quarterfinal contest. “And I’m gonna remember this tournament class, World Juniors. It’s going to stay in my head, in my heart for the rest of my life.”
The goalie behind Latvia’s unexpected run who stood on his head over and over again has become one of the stories of the tournament. It’s exactly what his team set out to do.
“It’s fun being an underdog. Nobody really believed in us and we can always prove them wrong,” said Latvia forward Eriks Mateiko, who led the team with five goals in five games.
In his second World Juniors, Feldbergs has faced the most shots on goal by a mile with 226. He totaled 210 saves.
“We wouldn’t be here if not for our goalie,” said Mateiko. “I think if not (for) him, we will be nowhere near here in this game or the Canada game. Just overall, I think he’s the tournament’s MVP for sure.”
Feldbergs will now return to the QMJHL’s Sherbrooke Phoenix.
A native of Ogre, Latvia, Feldbergs was selected by the Phoenix with the No. 25 pick in the 2024 CHL Import Draft out of HS Riga.
What Phoenix goalie coach Olivier Gervais remembers most about his first interaction with the Latvian netminder was his dedication to getting better and learning the North American style, and his excitement to play in a new country. He also recalls that he wouldn’t stop smiling.
“He was like, ‘Oli, my goal is just to get better 1 percent every day. So I’m willing to do anything,’” Gervais said. “I’m like, OK, let’s have fun together and let’s start with the basic stuff like work ethic.”
Gervais and the coaches learned quickly that Feldbergs’ strength is his athleticism. He has good hands and good speed. And since joining the CHL, his reads and decision-making have improved. Learning to understand structure is what he’s worked on most with Gervais so far this season.
“Right away he jumped into the plan, into the structure without hesitation,” Gervais said. “It’s just like all the hard work since the month of August day after day in the gym, in the video room, on the ice. He’s a student of the game.”
Latvia’s run through Canada and to the quarterfinals — their third appearance ever — wasn’t necessarily expected, but Gervais and Phoenix assistant coach Jonathan Deschenes weren’t surprised to see an impressive performance from their goalie.
“I was not expecting him to get like more than 200 shots in, what, five games? So he must be pretty tired right now,” Gervais said. “But the result, I’m not surprised at all. He deserves all the MVP chants he got from the fans.”
Said Deschenes: “We knew he was able to have a really good performance, he did it with us during the year. But to be able to do it at such a high level, like four games in a row, that’s really outstanding for him. We’re all really proud of him here.”
Feldbergs said he’s emerged from the tournament a much more confident goalie as he heads into the second half of the season with the Phoenix, who sit in third place in the Western Conference and fifth in the league. The team anticipates his experience at the tournament will help his new 17-year-old goalie partner Kyan Labbé, whom they traded for before Christmas.
“Yes, we are a team in rebuild. To have Lenny to show the pass, to work every night, because right now we’re working every night and we’re playing very good teams,” Gervais said. “(Labbé)’s going to learn a ton from Lenny.”
Through 21 games with Sherbrooke, Feldbergs has an 11-4-2 record with a .899 save percentage and a 2.51 goals-against average. His billet family drove from Sherbrooke to watch him defeat Canada. And they were cheering for him.
“He’s so happy to be at the rink every day. He loves everything that comes with hockey: being at the rink, the next rush on the ice, skating a little bit later,” Deschenes said. “He’s just a really happy person all the time.”
Feldbergs is eligible for the 2025 NHL Draft, and there’s a chance he’s proved he’s ready for a team to take a chance on him. But regardless of what the near future brings, beating Team Canada on their home ice in Ottawa will be a career highlight.
“Probably I’m going to be happy about it for the next year. I remember the moment that we won against Canada,” he said.
After the loss to Sweden, FloHockey’s Lizz Child asked Feldberg to sum up the tournament in one word. He said, “Believe.”
Child later asked Mateikos the same question, to which he answered “Feldbergs.”
(Photo: Mathias Bergeld / Sipa USA via AP Images)