Boston Bruins prospect Dans Locmelis is creating plenty of excitement among fans. After posting eight goals and 33 points in 40 games this season with UMass-Amherst, the 2022 fourth-round pick joined the Providence Bruins on an amateur tryout near the end of the campaign and made an immediate impact. In just six regular-season games with Providence, he posted an impressive three goals, nine assists, and 12 points.
With the Bruins' prospect pool needing all the help it can get, it was certainly encouraging to see Locmelis make an immediate impact. Now, he is representing Team Latvia at the IIHF World Championship and has grabbed the attention of one of the NHL's greatest players.
According to Mārtiņš Kļavenieks of Latvijas Radio, Pittsburgh Penguins superstar Sidney Crosby showed Locmelis some love after Team Canada's matchup against Team Latvia.
"Canadian national team captain Sidney Crosby reportedly approached Dans Locmelis after the World Championship game against Latvia, tapped him on the shoulder, and praised his performance on the ice," Kļavenieks posted on X (translated from Latvian to English). "Dans was reportedly confused and didn't know how to respond."
It is understandable that Locmelis was taken aback by Crosby going out of his way to compliment his play. No. 87 is one of the best players in the history of the NHL and is, without a doubt, a future Hall of Famer. However, Crosby praising Locmelis shows that the Bruins prospect is clearly doing something right.
Locmelis is certainly having success at the World Championships, too. In three games thus far, he has three goals, one assist, 10 shots, and a plus-1 rating. With this, he is currently tied second in goals in the tournament with Mika Zibanejad, Cutter Gauthier, Jonas Brodin, and Damien Riat.
Nevertheless, getting a shoutout from a spectacular talent like Crosby only shows just how well Locmelis is playing right now. It will be fascinating to see how he builds on his play from here, but it is clear that he is only continuing to create more hype around him.
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