He has also been a regular for Latvia on the international stage, playing in the IIHF World Junior Championship in 2022, 2023 and 2024, and at the World Championship in 2023, 2024 and 2025.
“He’s a great player and he’s doing everything right in his career with the path he’s on,” Latvia and Tampa Bay Lightning forward Zemgus Girgensons said. “Boston, I would assume, will give him a shot soon to show what he’s made of. I think this is a great showing for him that he’s ready to go against top dogs.”
Locmelis scored his first goal on the power play at 15:48 of the first period to tie it 1-1. Girgensons slipped the puck across the slot to Locmelis and he swept it into the net from in front of the right post.
His second goal, at 8:02 of the second period to tie it again at 2-2, was a snipe of beauty.
With Latvia on a 5-on-3, Locmelis got the puck below in the right circle. He stepped up toward the face-off dot, turned and ripped it short side high into the small right-corner opening between goalie Philipp Grubauer‘s left shoulder and his head.
Girgensons, who got pushed down through the crease, actually had to duck his head slightly so not to get clipped by the rising shot.
“I think I heard the puck,” Girgensons said. “That could have been bad. I’m just happy he has a quality shot.”
With the Olympics being the first true best-on-best tournament since the 2014 Sochi Olympics, Locmelis has never faced the level of competition he has faced in his first two games here.