Two young Latvian talents have been selected in the draft of foreign players of the Canadian Hockey League

18-year-old Švanenbergs was chosen in the first of two rounds with the total number of 58, but his peer Ziemiņš was chosen in the second round with the number 103.

Schwanenberg has spent the last three seasons in the team of the Russian Youth Hockey League (MHL) “Riga”. Last season, he scored 57 goals and made 15 assists in 57 regular games and play-offs.

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He also made his debut in the Continental Hockey League (KHL), where he scored with one result in 12 matches in the Riga “Dinamo”.

Švanenbergs has represented Latvia in the U-18 and U-20 national world championships.

The Oil Kings team was once represented by Edgars Kulda and Kristiāns Pelšs, who tragically passed away in 2013. In 2014, Kulda won the CHL Memorial Cup with the Edmontonians and was recognized as the most valuable player in the prestigious tournament.

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Meanwhile, the 18-year-old striker Ziemiņš in the 2019/2020 season mostly played in the Latvian championship, where he scored eight goals in 31 rows of the Hockey School “Rīga” and assisted three times effectively. He also played in youth championships in Latvia and Russia.

Ziemiņš has also played in the Latvian youth national team.

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Latvian national team defender Artūrs Kulda has previously played in the “Pete” team.

CHL brings together three Canadian junior leagues – the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), the Quebec Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) and the Western Hockey League (WHL). The Oil Kings play in the WHL, where they won the Central Division last season, while Petes fights the OHL, where he was in the third Eastern Conference. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the CHL season was terminated prematurely.