Abols became the head coach of the Latvian Under-20 hockey team in March 2022. His main goal was to bring junior hockey players back to the elite. After the elimination of Russia and Belarus from the competition, Latvia secured a place in the tournament, where they managed to reach the quarterfinals for the first time in history. This time, under the leadership of Abol, the Latvians played in the elite division for the third time in a row and, after a year’s break, again managed to reach the top eight. In the quarterfinals, a defeat against the future champions, the Americans, followed.
Reinis Ošinek: The first two elite tournaments of the world championship in Canada, now in Sweden: did they manage to organize such a real hockey party?
Artis Abols: Everything was fine, conditions were good, similar audience. In the games where neither the home team nor Canada were there, because a lot of Canadian fans had come, there was a little less, but it was good enough.
I understand that I also managed to clear my head on the hockey pitch, playing on the Engure lake…
We have to thank Aivars Zeltiņas, he gave us a break until Monday. It’s not on a pond, it’s a wet ice hockey rink. Engure is now my second home. The last time I played on the ice was in Engure a couple of years ago.
Eighth place in the world. After losing in the quarterfinals you said there was no satisfaction, but if you look back now, when you had time to catch your breath, what is the aftertaste after the tournament?
It is our place that has actually been reached.
One phrase stuck in my mind when your colleagues interviewed you after the match against the USA: “Unfortunately we had to talk to the players about things that absolutely shouldn’t be talked about.” What are these things? Are they related to the focuses, to the childhood coaches, because some elementary things have not been learned? Concentration?
If I didn’t speak out then, I won’t now. As they say, that’s what we talked about in the locker room and they know what I told them. I won’t say it here.
Another very interesting thing: “Write down the emotions you felt after great losses.” Did you notice anyone taking notes? Have you done this too during your career?
In rhythm I didn’t notice, I wasn’t there. I said it in the locker room. It was after the game. Logically, no one wrote it right away. I haven’t written down my feelings throughout my career. I wrote a little, but not in the context I had in mind for the players now. The first people who suggested it to me were both [treneri] Julius Schupler and Peka Rautakalio when I was an assistant. Write what you think as you see it. So I advised the players to do it because the situation we were in after the first three games was not good.
Coach Artis Ābols gives explanations during training of the Latvian Under-20 hockey team
Photo: Screenshot from LTV
Before the quarter-final against the USA, had you already heard someone among your colleagues say: “Yes, these are the champions”? The Canadians didn’t come for the gold, but the United States is the clear favorite.
Not among colleagues, but I think no one hid it and it was both in the media and in the Canadians themselves, as I saw in Sweden, what they broadcast, and the NHL commentators Button and McKenzie said that the United States was the main candidate also before the tournament.
What made Team USA different? From my point of view, I thought they were better than the Canadians in terms of gameplay too.
With those mega-fast transitions from defense to attack. Watching the match with Sweden, I have Rodrigo [Ābols] he writes that in his opinion, if the pressing wasn’t so serious, the last two attackers perhaps wouldn’t run back at all to counterattack immediately, because even three times they faced each other one-on-one against a good team like Sweden. He told me immediately after the second goal. Ok, so it was the second period, but at the same time they did it right now, even without good plays.
The Swedes want the puck more [piespēlēt] crosswise, but America is just a little closer to the mega-speed goal, and all of this is still complemented by excellent skating skills and craftsmanship.
Yes, there are several first-round NHL draft prospects…
Ten were chosen in the first round!
Many of them also play together at university. What role does it play in a tournament like this?
Regarding those players, don’t ask me if they will be professionals. They already know it will happen, it’s just a question of when and how soon. A lot has already been said about this team. Two years ago, the Latvian Under-18 national team of these teams won the opening match in Germany; more precisely, they beat Sweden, I’m talking about Sweden right now. They beat the Swedes and the Swedes became champions but they lost that match. There, many players from both teams, both Swedish and American, were also present in this final. The Swedes stole that victory from him. There were 16 shots and six goals, the last into an empty net. America had 51 shots. Havelid himself was in goal. He also says that the Swedes stole his victory. They were already potentially the strongest team. In two years they have proven to be the strongest at U-20 level.
The coaches are different. Others are more inspirational, tacticians, strategists, perhaps numerologists. How does Artis Abols approach a tournament like this? What is your tactical approach, your working style?
There’s a vision of how you want to play, but,
when you face reality during the match or before the match, when you are preparing and see how you want to play, but the material doesn’t allow you to play that way, then you have to make some changes and play a little differently.
This is what we did with the same thing in the US or Germany. I have already said that Germany is perhaps atypical for itself, it wants to deceive the attackers into the defenders’ game. Sometimes it goes beyond their capabilities because they lose the puck and there are mistakes, but at the same time they attract and with long passes they want to put their tip against two opposing defenders. Starting from the fact that your attackers are not all very good skaters, you have to be more pragmatic.
Have you heard from any of the opponents: Canada, the United States or Sweden – that there are some tactical nuances. Despite understanding their superiority, they changed something against Latvia. Something you hadn’t noticed when analyzing before.
I won’t say it right away, nothing like that catches my attention.
But overall from the design of the game? You already mentioned Germany, but are there any new trends in the way North American teams play? Above all, there is individual skill, high speed, and is that what they try to use?
Today’s attack is like this: they are all repeated attacks or, as they say in English, reorganize, everything immediately back. If we compare Canada with the United States, as we say in Latvian, then the situation goes backwards. As soon as you get the puck, nobody wants to stand behind the goal. You see the Finns want it from time to time, the Swedes tend to switch sides well, skating with that puck, but here it is right back and it all happens so fast. Most often, the US team does not need to throw the puck into the zone at all, because it does it so quickly that the opponent cannot be organized and get close to his opponent. They just skate it in the puck zone.
US hockey players rejoice after victory in the final of the Under-20 World Championship
Photo: SCANPIX NEWS AGENCY/TT
Did your son Rodrigo come to one of the matches?
NO.
About two hours away…
He was busy.
Information about U-20 hockey as such. On the phenomenon, what is being followed in North America, and whether it is also felt in Sweden. More than three thousand Canadians had arrived. As the NHL commentators also mentioned, the games are subordinated to the Canadians and Americans so that they have a better time zone. What role does he play for North American teams?
An important role. We already said that the United States has 10 [drafta] first-rounders, probably only one undrafted. Canada has a similar situation. Naturally they look with great attention to other countries, to the top countries: Sweden, Finland.
Obviously there are a lot of scouts and agents out there that have caught my attention.
In Canada there are already some lodges in the halls where they go to sit. “Scandinavium” is a renovated hall, there is no lodge. Walking through the concourse, there was a sign and cordoned off area that said “For NHL Scouts and Agents.” A place to drink coffee or beer, who drank there. They were isolated from other visitors.
You said you live in the stone age when it comes to using different social platforms. Did Jana Dulevska’s post or any speech or comment reach you?
It came to me because “Sportacentrs” had also republished it, where I found it. I also texted Jan to thank her for supporting the kids in the very difficult situation we were in.
The guys really cared so much about how to deal with the pressure. Are they actually reading and are they affected by it?
Partially yes. Today the exchange of information is so vast that, in my opinion, many things reach them, even things that should not reach them. I didn’t ask each one individually. One thing we suggested was that they read less, or not read at all at that time. To think about the match. To prepare, clear your head whenever possible. So get ready for the game instead of reading what some intelligent commentator writes about you. I didn’t ask everyone, “Have you read? Many bad articles about you?”
How much have you heard, at least from the media and then also from the hockey players themselves, that the bronze team inspired and created faith?
There is no justification. The greatest pressure a person puts on themselves is not just an unpleasant comment. You read it, but it gets stuck for a while. After a while you can remember it.
There is no justification for the fact that it was now bronze [pieaugušajiem] once every 30 years we will now win at Under 20 level too.
Of course, if you look at the results in August and December, everyone was like we were everywhere and it wasn’t like the first two games [čempionātā]. Although there were some phases, especially against Sweden, in which the match absolutely did not correspond to the result, to the way we played. We are U20, the players have changed. It’s a different team, a different situation.
2024-01-11 09:27:31
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