Latvian forward Kaspars Daugaviņš, who suddenly and surprisingly announced his retirement in October, announced on Friday that he intends to play for Latvia at this year’s IIHF World Championship.

“Greetings to all hockey friends in Latvia,” Daugaviņš is quoted on the website of the Latvian Hockey Federation. “I would like to announce that I will be fighting for a place in the national team at this year's World Championship. Thank you to the people who spoke to me, inspired me and did not let me forget my dreams. I am full of energy, have worked hard and am ready to fight for a place in the national team.”

If he makes the team, and it’s hard to imagine that he won’t, it would be Daugaviņš’s 13th World Championship. He has 48 points in 78 games in his first 12 and has been the Latvian team captain on six previous occasions, including the team’s miracle bronze-medal win in 2023.

Daugaviņš also represented Latvia at the 2010, 2014 and 2022 Winter Olympics. In his most recent appearance for Latvia, Daugaviņš helped the team qualify for the 2026 Winter Olympics on home ice last summer.

Latvia, Denmark, Slovakia (and maybe France) qualify for 2026 Olympics Three teams qualified for the men’s ice hockey tournament at the 2026 Winter Olympics on Sunday by winning de facto play-in games on the last day of the final qualifying tournament.

Neither Daugaviņš nor the LHF mentioned whether his comeback would extend beyond this year's World Championship. 

Drafted in the third round, 91st overall, by the Ottawa Senators in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, Daugaviņš went immediately to North America and, after two seasons playing for the OHL’s Toronto St. Michael’s Majors, played 91 NHL games for the Senators and Boston Bruins between 2008 and 2013, recording six goals, nine assists and 21 penalty minutes. He also played in seven playoff games and was on the roster of the Boston team that played in the 2013 Stanley Cup final.

Since then, Daugaviņš has played in Europe, largely in the KHL – including one season for hometown Dinamo Riga – but also in Switzerland for Genève-Servette and SC Bern and in Germany for the Iserlohn Roosters.

His most recent club team was Dukla Michalovce in Slovakia, where he served as team captain in 2023-24 and the start of the 2024-25 season. He had 20 points in 19 games before his sudden retirement announcement on Nov. 25, which caught everybody off guard.

Kaspars Daugavinš Retires! Kaspars Daugavinš, captain of the Latvian national team and Dukla Michalovce, has retired, <a href="https://hkduklamichalovce.sk/clanok1309-Daugavins_konci_karieru.htm">the Slovak Extraliga club announced</a> on Monday.

“Today in the early hours of the morning we learned the news that shocked everyone in the Dukla Michalovce organization,” the club announced that day.

Daugaviņš cited “family issues” as one of his reasons for quitting but said, “I’ll be back. Not as a hockey player but I’ll be back as a person for you.”