Mikelis Redlihs will not help Latvia at this year’s Ice Hockey WC

RIGA - One of the offensive leaders of the Latvian national men's ice hockey team, forward Mikelis Redlihs, will not play for Latvia at this year's Ice Hockey World Championships, the player admitted to the Latvijas Avize newspaper.

Redlihs is to undergo a procedure on his knee in the near future, and will not be able to recover in time for May's tournament.

This past season, Redlihs played for Russian ice hockey club Yaroslavl ''Lokomotiv'' in the Kontinental Ice Hockey League, where he scored three goals and made four assists in 35 matches.

M.Redlihs has played for Latvia in the past eight Ice Hockey World Championships, scoring four goals and making 12 assists in 45 games.

The 2013 Ice Hockey World Championships will kick off in Helsinki and Stockholm on May 3, with the final being played on May 19.

Latvia will play its group's games in Helsinki against Russia, Finland, Slovakia, Germany, France, Austria and the United States.

The top four teams in each of the two groups will qualify for the tournament's quarterfinals.