The New Jersey Titans are proud to announce the selection of forward Kristofers Krumins by the Latvian Hockey Federation to represent the Baltic nation at the 2024 World Junior Championships, hosted by Gothenburg, Sweden. He becomes the first active Titan selected for the World Juniors since Levente Keresztes represented Hungary in 2021. Krumins is one of 4 NAHL players in camp for Latvia, with the final roster announced on Christmas, December 25th.
It is the third time Krumins has been selected for his country on the world stage, after previously representing Latvia at last year’s World Junior A Challenge and the IIHF U18 World Championship. “Being selected to try out for my country’s World Junior team is a huge honor for me. It’s a dream come true to wear the Latvian jersey and compete on the international stage,” said Krumins.
The Latvians face an uphill battle in Sweden, needing at least two victories over the likes of Canada, Sweden, Finland, and Germany to punch their ticket to the knockout round. Latvia went 0-3-1 last year at the World Juniors, but swept the relegation round against Austria to maintain their spot at the highest level of international hockey.
When asked about his expectations, Krumins remarked “I am really excited to showcase my skills and contribute to the team’s success. I’ve been training hard and I’m ready to give it my all. I believe that the selected roster for this year will be a good representation of our small but mighty country, and I’m confident that we can make a strong impact in the championship.”
Titans’ Head Coach and General Manager Craig Doremus said “What a great opportunity for Kris to get to represent his country on the grandest of stages of junior hockey. The World Juniors is a collection of some of the best talent in junior hockey, and any time you get a chance to represent your home country it is a privilege and an honor. Krummer has worked hard in preparation of the tournament and we look forward to watching him compete with Latvia.”
Latvia’s tournament gets underway on Tuesday, December 26th, at 1:30pm Eastern, against host country Sweden. All games can be seen live on NHL Network.