Nils Roberts Mauriņš sits down to discuss the experience of the World Juniors and how his first season in North America is going
Nils Roberts Mauriņš and the rest of the Latvian squad made sure that Latvia will return to the top division of the World Junior tournament for the sixth straight year when the World Juniors return in 2027 to Edmonton and Red Deer.
Latvia finished fourth in group B, with a 1-0-1-2 record. Mauriņš was the starting goalie at this year’s tournament for Latvia, going 1-2-1 with a 3.51 goals-against average and 0.879 save percentage. The experience of being in Minnesota, competing for his country, was something that Mauriņš cherished greatly.
“It felt amazing, the experience was great, and just being able to represent and play with the guys I grew up with was amazing,” Mauriņš said. “I enjoyed every moment of it, it was a lot of fun.”
For the second straight year, Latvia forced extra time with Canada. After beating them 3-2 in a shootout in 2025 in Ottawa, the Latvians fell 2-1 in overtime in another highly contested game. Mauriņš turned aside 36 shots in the loss, earning player of the game honours for Latvia.
“I just went out there and did my best,” Mauriņš said. “It was nice to get rewarded.”
Latvia has seen success in the past two tournaments, picking up two wins last year against Canada and Germany, and defeating Denmark 6-3 this year, showcasing the growth of Latvian hockey at the junior level.
“The level is growing for sure, and we have a lot of talent coming out of Latvia,” Mauriņš said. “There are a lot of great players playing in this tournament every year for Latvia, so I think we are only getting better and better.”
After being eliminated by Sweden in the quarterfinals by a score of 6-3, where Mauriņš stopped 32 shots, the net-minder was named one of the top three players for Latvia at the tournament after appearing in four games.
“It felt great to be named one of the top three players on the team,” Mauriņš said. “I went out there and gave it my all for my teammates.”
One of the teammates was draft-eligible defenseman Alberts Šmits, who played a key role for Latvia, totalling five points in five games and playing big minutes in all situations. The prospect for the 2026 National Hockey League draft had such a strong showing at the World Juniors that the 18-year-old was named to the Latvian Olympic team. Mauriņš spoke about the impact Šmits had on the World Junior team.
“He did a really good job, I felt really good whenever he was on the ice, especially with him being a defenseman, I knew he was going to do the right things” Mauriņš said. “He’s such a great guy, so I am just happy that he got named for the Olympic team, he deserves that for sure.”
Mauriņš has returned to Omaha to continue playing with the Lancers in the United States Hockey League, in what is the goaltender’s first season in North America. Through 16 games with the Lancers, Mauriņš has a 3-10-2 record, 3.37 goals-against average and 0.896 save percentage. The situation in Omaha has been great for the development of the 19-year-old net-minder.
“I love it here, the organization is great, the coaching staff and the guys are awesome,” Mauriņš said. “Hopefully we have a lot of wins in front of us and we keep working to make the playoffs, that’s our goal.”
The Lancers currently find themselves six points back of the Des Moines Buccaneers for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. With 28 games left to play, the focus remains on taking it day-by-day for Mauriņš.
“I don’t think too far ahead, just trying to keep my focus on going to the rink everyday and give it my best,” Mauriņš said.