Lauris Dārziņš

In the 2004–05 season, Dārziņš played in the North American WHL with the then-reigning Memorial Cup champion Kelowna Rockets, alongside fellow Predators prospect and 2003 draft choice Shea Weber.

After completing two seasons with the Rockets, Dārziņš went unsigned with the Predators and opted to return to Finland in 2006, signing with Ilves Tampere of the SM-liiga.

In the summer of 2007, Dārziņš signed on with HC Třinec but played just one game for the club before latching on with HK Gomel of the Belarusian Extraleague.

[1] Dārziņš would never play a game for MVD and eventually landed with the resurrected Dinamo Riga club in his hometown for the team's inaugural campaign.

At 17, he made his debut with the national team at the Division I (second tier) IIHF World U18 Championship, scoring two goals and three total points in five games.

He broke through with the Under-20 team in 2003 and would go on to play in three Division I IIHF World U20 Championships, where he would score 12 goals and 24 points in 15 games over three tournaments.

In 2006, Dārziņš made his debut with the full national team as a 21-year-old in the 2006 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships, which were held in his hometown of Riga.