This past summer, UMass-Amherst Hockey Coach Greg Carvel had some positive things to say about Boston Bruins 2022 fourth-round draft pick Dans Locmelis. “I’ve been very impressed with him,” Carvel told NESN.com during Hockey East media day at TD Garden. “He’s a really competitive kid. He’s not the biggest kid, (and) he needs to get stronger, but he took some steps this summer. Being on campus was very helpful for him. Just very positive. He competes hard. He’s quick on his feet. I love the competitive edge that he has. And he has a great attitude, always smiling and very just grateful for the opportunities.”
Locmelis has been considered a sleeper pick by Boston after having a great season for Lulea in the Swedish J20 Nationell league in 2022-23 with 59 points in 44 games. The 6-foot-2, 172-pound center was also a top player for Latvia in the World Championships. After committing to UMass, however, the left-shot forward has had to wait to make his college hockey debut in the States.
The UMass hockey team has played three games so far all without their 20-year-old freshman. Locmelis played two games in 2021-22 for Lulea in the Swedish Hockey League, a professional league. Although not confirmed, this could be the reason for the 119th overall pick has yet to suit up for the 2-1 Minutemen.
Locmelis has climbed up the Bruins prospect pool charts since being selected and is currently 9th on the Bruins Benders Podcast Top 30 Bruins Prospects list. The Latvian native was deemed by Elite Prospects as a forward who “uses crossovers on the rush to keep his approach deceptive. He uses the width of the ice, scans for teammates, and passes to them early in transition sequences. He protects pucks in the offensive zone, attacks gaps in coverage, and reloads above the puck when his team loses it. He also keeps his stick in passing lanes to intercept opposing passes.”
UMass will play their next games on Friday, October 20, and Saturday, October 21, against Minnesota State, and Locmelis has not been announced to be in the lineup but could make his debut on that weekend. It will be a good barometer for Locmelis to play in Hockey East and see how far his development has come from this summer.
