Just like the London Knights, the Flint Firebirds are another team who have been active in revamping their defense for the upcoming season. However, arguably their biggest acquisition came just over a week ago.
On Aug. 13, the Firebirds organization announced the signing of Latvian defenseman Darels Uljanskis to a Standard Player Agreement. Flint traded with the Guelph Storm to acquire the fifth-overall selection in the 2025 CHL Import Draft, which they used to draft Uljanskis.
The OHL had only one Latvian-born player in the league last season. Ironically, he hailed from the Firebirds organization — Karlis Flugins.
Uljanskis, 18, a native of Riga, Latvia, has spent the last four years playing in Sweden. During the 2024-25 season, he played for the AIK organization in Sweden’s top junior league (J20 Nationell), leading his team in points amongst defensemen with 39 (9 goals, 30 assists) in 44 games, which was also good for second-best on the entire team. Additionally, he suited up in one game for AIK in Sweden’s second-tier men’s league, Allsvenskan.
The 6-foot-2, 194-pound left-shot defenseman is an Anaheim Ducks draft pick, having been selected by the organization 214th overall in the seventh round of the 2024 draft. His production from the prior year with AIK J20 improved by ten points and saw an increase in his plus/minus rating of +12 compared to +1 in 2023-24.
Harvard Commit Luka Graziano Signs With Flint Firebirds
Flint Firebirds GM Dave McParlan has been active this summer in bringing in new pieces to his blueline for the upcoming 2025-26 season. The additions continue to come with the signing of former <a href="https://chl.ca/ohl/article/firebirds-sign-former-third-round-pick-luka-graziano/">OHL Cup champion Luka Graziano</a>.
Matthew Mania led all Firebirds blueliners in points last season with 45. He’s off to the NCAA to play for the University of Michigan, and the organization needed to find someone to replace him on their top powerplay unit.
Uljanskis plays with an active offensive mind and should be seen as a suitable replacement for Mania. “He doesn’t hesitate to activate in the offensive zone and always seems to find an open seam or a teammate’s stick when using his shot from the point,” said Flint Firebirds Head Scout Mike Oliverio.
Along with several years of experience playing in the top Swedish junior league, Uljanskis brings lots of international experience. He has represented Latvia at two IIHF U18 Men’s World Championships and two IIHF World Junior Championships.
Since the end of last season, the Firebirds have signed the following defensemen: Dryden Allen, George Komadoski, Luka Graziano, Zack Bleick, and now Darels Uljanskis. Expectations are that 2007-born defenders Artem Frolov and Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Rylan Fellinger will take strides forward in their development as they each head into their third year in the league. It’s a crowded blueline, and there will be extensive battling for playing time throughout training camp and preseason.
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