Dans Ločmelis
| Dans Ločmelis | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born |
January 21, 2004 Jelgava, Latvia | ||
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) | ||
| Weight | 179 lb (81 kg; 12 st 11 lb) | ||
| Position | Center | ||
| Shoots | Left | ||
| NHL team (P) Cur. team Former teams |
Boston Bruins Providence Bruins (AHL) HK Mogo Luleå HF | ||
| National team |
 Latvia | ||
| NHL draft |
119th overall, 2022 Boston Bruins | ||
| Playing career | 2025–present | ||
Dans Ločmelis (born January 21, 2004) is a Latvian professional ice hockey center for the Providence Bruins of the American Hockey League (AHL) as a prospect to the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League (NHL). He previously played professional for Luleå HF of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) and HK Mogo of Latvian Hockey Higher League (LHL). He played college ice hockey at UMass Amherst.
Playing career
[edit]Collegiate
[edit]After playing multiple years in Sweden playing for Luleå HF, in 2022 it was rumored that Ločmelis was going to leave in order to play college hockey, in desire of more playing time.[1] Although originally rumored to commit to Northern Michigan University, he later committed to play for UMass Amherst starting in the 2023–24 season.[2][3]
Due to the fact that he played two games for Luleå in the Swedish Hockey League, Ločmelis had to sit out the first four games of the season, as it was a NCAA violation.[4] Because of this late start, Ločmelis struggled to adjust to the new type of play.[5] He finished the season with seven goals and seven assists in 30 games. UMass earned an at-large bid to the 2024 NCAA tournament, where they lost to Denver 2–1 in double overtime.
After an underwhelming freshman season, Ločmelis greatly improved in his sophomore year. He played in all 40 games for the Minutemen, scoring eight goals and 25 assists, which ranked fifth on the team in assists and tied for fourth in total points. Once again, UMass earned an at-large bid to the 2025 NCAA tournament, where they defeated Minnesota 5–4 in overtime to advance to the second round. Ločmelis had two assists in the win, including one on the game winner. The Minutemen faced Western Michigan in the second round, where they lost 2–1, with Ločmelis scoring the lone goal in the loss.
Professional
[edit]At the end of the 2024–25 season, Ločmelis still had two seasons of college eligibility remaining. However, he opted to go pro, and on April 1, 2025, he signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Boston Bruins, who drafted him 119th overall in the 2022 NHL entry draft. He was assigned to the Bruins' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Providence Bruins, for the remainder of the 2024–25 season on an amateur try-out (ATO).[6] Ločmelis thrived in his end of season stint with the Bruins. In only his third game, he had a four point outing, scoring a goal and three assists. He wouldn't score less than two points a game for the rest of the season, and finished the regular season with three goals and nine assists in six games. Ločmelis would register a lone assist in four games in the Calder Cup playoffs for the Bruins before leaving the team to join Latvia in the 2025 IIHF World Championship.[7]
International play
[edit]Ločmelis represents Latvia on the international stage, and has done so on multiple occasions on both the junior and senior level.
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Representing Latvia
| ||
| Ice hockey | ||
| World Championships | ||
 |
2023 Finland/Latvia | |
Ločmelis played for Latvia in both the 2023 IIHF World Championship and the 2024 IIHF World Championship, helping the team win their first ever medal, a bronze, on home ice in 2023. Ločmelis also played for Latvia in the 2024 Olympic Qualifiers, where he scored a goal and an assist in three games to help clinch a spot in the 2026 Winter Olympics.[8]
Ločmelis also captained the Latvian junior team in the 2024 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. During the quarterfinals, Ločmelis delivered a hit on United States player Ryan Leonard, which led to him being given a two-game suspension by the International Ice Hockey Federation. Latvia lost the game 7-2, eliminating them from the tournament, and Ločmelis served the suspension in the first two games of the 2024 World Championship.[9]
On April 30, 2025, in the midst of a playoff run with the Providence Bruins, it was reported that after Game 2 of the second round, Ločmelis would leave the team to join Latvia once again in the 2025 IIHF World Championship.[10] Although Latvia would not qualify for the playoff round of the tournament, Ločmelis continued scoring, posting four goals and two assists in seven games. His play got praise from hockey legend and Team Canada captain Sidney Crosby after their game against each other.[11]
Career Statistics
[edit]Regular season and playoffs
[edit]| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2019–20 | Luleå HF | J18 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2019–20 | Luleå HF | J18 Allsv | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | Luleå HF | J18 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | Luleå HF | J20 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | HK Mogo | LHL | 9 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 2021–22 | Luleå HF | J18 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2021–22 | Luleå HF | J20 | 44 | 18 | 16 | 34 | 16 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 2021–22 | Luleå HF | SHL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2022–23 | Luleå HF | J20 | 44 | 25 | 34 | 59 | 22 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 2 | ||
| 2023–24 | UMass Amherst | HE | 30 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2024–25 | UMass Amherst | HE | 40 | 8 | 25 | 33 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2024–25 | Providence Bruins | AHL | 6 | 3 | 9 | 12 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| NCAA totals | 70 | 15 | 32 | 47 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| AHL totals | 6 | 3 | 9 | 12 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||||
International
[edit]| Year | Team | Event | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Latvia | U18 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 2022 | Latvia | U18 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | ||
| 2022 | Latvia | WJC | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | ||
| 2023 | Latvia | WJC | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | ||
| 2023 | Latvia | WC | 9 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | ||
| 2024 | Latvia | WJC | 5 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 4 | ||
| 2024 | Latvia | WC | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2024 | Latvia | OGQ | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 2025 | Latvia | WC | 7 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 2 | ||
| Junior totals | 24 | 8 | 6 | 14 | 12 | ||||
| Senior totals | 24 | 7 | 4 | 11 | 4 | ||||
References
[edit]- ^ SkyonAir (2022-09-15). "Prospect Dans Locmelis plans to head to college hockey next year". Stanley Cup of Chowder. Retrieved 2025-04-13.
- ^ "Latvian Dans Locmelis now set to play for Northern Michigan University". www.eliteprospects.com. Retrieved 2025-04-13.
- ^ "Massachusetts Hockey Welcomes Dans Locmelis For 2023-24". University of Massachusetts Athletics. Retrieved 2025-04-13.
- ^ Barry, Matt (2023-11-17). "Prospect Profile: Dans Locmelis". Inside The Rink. Retrieved 2025-04-13.
- ^ Gregoire, Kayla (2024-07-02). "Why Dans Locmelis Felt Drawn To UMass At Bruins Camp". NESN.com. Retrieved 2025-04-13.
- ^ Staff, USCHO (2025-04-01). "UMass sophomore Locmelis signs NHL contract with Boston, leaves Minutemen after pair of seasons". College Hockey | USCHO.com. Retrieved 2025-04-13.
- ^ Barry, Matt (2025-05-05). "Boston Bruins Prospect Leaving Providence for World Championships". Inside The Rink. Retrieved 2025-05-05.
- ^ "IIHF - Milano Cortina, here comes Latvia!". IIHF International Ice Hockey Federation. Retrieved 2025-04-13.
- ^ "IIHF - Dans Locmelis Suspended". IIHF International Ice Hockey Federation. Retrieved 2025-04-13.
- ^ Brože, Ulvis [@UlvisBrozhe] (30 April 2025). "🇱🇻 Latvijas izlase panākusi vienošanos ar NHL klubu Bostonas Bruins - Dans Ločmelis pēc AHL otrās playoff spēles tiek atbrīvots un pirmdien dodas ceļā, lai pievienotos valstsvienībai un spēlētu pasaules čempionātā" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ Roche, Scott (2025-05-14). "Rising Bruins prospect has a hysterical response to an NHL superstars encounter". Causeway Crowd. Retrieved 2025-05-28.
External links
[edit]- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Eurohockey.com, or The Internet Hockey Database