KEARNEY, NE. – The Tri-City Storm has acquired goaltender Patriks Berzinš from the Danbury Jr. Hat Tricks (NAHL) in exchange for goaltender Karlis Mezsargs and future considerations. Berzinš was a standout player for Team Latvia in this month's IIHF World Junior Championship in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and Moncton, New Brunswick. He faced more shots than any other goaltender in the tournament during the preliminary round of the event.  
 
Patriks Berzinš, 19, of Talsi, Latvia, appeared in six games for Team Latvia during the 2023 World Junior Championship. He completed the tournament with a Goals Against Average (GAA) of 2.47, and Save Percentage (SV%) of .914. Berzinš backstopped the team to victory on two occasions during the team's relegation round series against Austria. He also shined in prominent performances in Latvia's three-goal losses against Top 5 finishers Team USA and Team Finland in the tournament. Berzinš' 160 saves were the second-most of any goaltender in the event. He finished the tournament in the top five in multiple major goaltending statistics including GAA (2.47), Saves (160), Shots Faced (175), and overall goals allowed (15). Berzinš also appeared in net for Team Latvia in one game during the 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship in Edmonton, Alberta. He has spent the 2022-2023 season as the starting goaltender for the Danbury Jr. Hat Tricks (NAHL). Berzinš has recorded a GAA of 3.77 and a SV% of .917 in 15 games played for the Jr. Hat Tricks this season. He was recently ranked in the Top 25 of the NHL Central Scouting Bureau's Mid-Term Rankings for North American Goalies for the 2023 NHL Draft. Berzinš previously announced a commitment to play collegiate hockey in the future at the University of Maine.
 
"We are excited to add Patriks to our group and feel he can help us in solidifying our goaltending position. His performance so far this season in both the NAHL, and World Junior Championship has been impressive. We also wish Karlis the best of luck. He was a good teammate, and worked extremely hard."- President of Hockey Operations/Head Coach Anthony Noreen
 
"After a strong performance the first part of this season in the NAHL, and in two international events wrapped around that, Patriks Berzinš has performed very well on a big stage and in competitive environments. We felt we needed to improve our goaltending situation, and we feel Patriks does that. We are pleased to welcome him to Kearney, and are excited to have him aboard. We wish Karlis Mezsargs nothing but the best moving forward as he was a great teammate while he was here. Finally, we would like to thank the Danbury organization for working with us on this trade and making this happen."- General Manager Jason Koehler