Rodrigo Ābols

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Rodrigo Ābols
Born (1996-01-05) 5 January 1996 (age 28)
Riga, Latvia
Height 6 ft 4 in (193 cm)
Weight 187 lb (85 kg; 13 st 5 lb)
Position Forward
Shoots Left
SHL team
Former teams
Örebro HK
Dinamo Riga
National team  Latvia
NHL draft 184th overall, 2016
Vancouver Canucks
Playing career 2014–present

Rodrigo Ābols (born 5 January 1996) is a Latvian professional ice hockey forward for Örebro HK of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL). Ābols was selected in the seventh round, 184th overall, by the Vancouver Canucks during the 2016 NHL Entry Draft.

He is the son of Artis Ābols, who also played ice hockey and is currently the head coach of Dinamo Riga of the Kontinental Hockey League.

Playing career[edit]

During the 2014–15 season, Ābols skated for both Dinamo Riga of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) and HK Rīga of the Minor Hockey League (MHL). He made his KHL debut on 27 December 2014 with Riga, whom his father, Artis Ābols, coached.[1]

Ābols joined the Portland Winterhawks of the Western Hockey League (WHL) for the 2015–16 season. In 62 games, Ābols registered 20 goals and 49 points. During the 2016 NHL Entry Draft, Ābols was selected in the seventh round, 184th overall, by the Vancouver Canucks. Ābols split the 2016–17 season between the Winterhawks and the Acadie–Bathurst Titan of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.

Ābols skated for Örebro HK of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) during the 2017–18 season. While on loan, he also played for BIK Karlskoga of HockeyAllsvenskan. With his rights expired from the Canucks, he continued his tenure with Örebro HK in the 2018–19 season, increasing his production with 18 goals and 26 points in 45 games.

On 28 May 2019, the Florida Panthers signed Ābols to a two-year, entry-level contract.[2]

Approaching his second season under contract with the Panthers, on 3 August 2020, Ābols returned to Sweden to begin the 2020–21 season on loan with his former club, Örebro HK. He returned to the SHL with the North American season delayed until mid-November due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[3] On 13 January 2021, Ābols was released by the Florida Panthers.[4]

International play[edit]

Medal record
Representing  Latvia
Ice hockey
World Championships
Bronze medal – third place 2023 Finland/Latvia

Ābols participated at the 2013 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships as a member of the Latvian national junior team. He made his senior international debut in Prague at the 2015 IIHF World Championships.

He represented Latvia at the 2023 IIHF World Championship where he recorded five goals and two assists and won a bronze medal, Latvia's first ever IIHF World Championship medal.[5]

Career statistics[edit]

Regular season and playoffs[edit]

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2011–12 SK Rīga 16 LAT U18 22 20 18 38 18
2012–13 SK Rīga 17 LAT 14 10 13 23 6
2013–14 HK Rīga MHL 44 7 9 16 34 10 1 0 1 12
2013–14 HK Rīga LAT 1 1 3 4 0
2014–15 HK Rīga MHL 35 20 18 38 61 3 0 1 1 2
2014–15 Dinamo Rīga KHL 14 1 4 5 4
2015–16 Portland Winterhawks WHL 62 20 29 49 42 4 0 1 1 4
2016–17 Portland Winterhawks WHL 2 0 1 1 7
2016–17 Acadie–Bathurst Titan QMJHL 52 18 32 50 43 11 5 6 11 12
2017–18 Örebro HK SHL 26 0 1 1 6
2017–18 BIK Karlskoga Allsv 18 7 10 17 20
2018–19 Örebro HK SHL 45 18 8 26 20 2 0 1 1 0
2019–20 Springfield Thunderbirds AHL 36 7 16 23 15
2019–20 Greenville Swamp Rabbits ECHL 4 3 1 4 4
2020–21 Örebro HK SHL 47 20 15 35 16 9 3 7 10 2
2021–22 Örebro HK SHL 47 14 20 34 6 8 7 3 10 0
KHL totals 14 1 4 5 4
SHL totals 165 52 44 96 48 19 10 11 21 2

International[edit]

Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2014 Latvia WJC D1A 13th 5 3 2 5 2
2014 Latvia U18 D1A 12th 5 1 3 4 2
2015 Latvia WJC D1A 15th 5 2 2 4 2
2015 Latvia WC 13th 7 0 0 0 0
2016 Latvia WJC D1A 11th 5 4 1 5 0
2016 Latvia WC 13th 7 0 1 1 0
2016 Latvia OGQ DNQ 3 1 2 3 0
2018 Latvia WC 8th 8 1 4 5 4
2019 Latvia WC 10th 2 1 0 1 0
2021 Latvia WC 11th 7 1 1 2 2
2021 Latvia OGQ Q 3 3 1 4 0
2022 Latvia OG 11th 4 1 1 2 2
2022 Latvia WC 10th 7 1 1 2 4
2023 Latvia WC 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 10 5 2 7 4
Junior totals 20 10 8 18 6
Senior totals 58 14 13 27 16

References[edit]

  1. ^ KHL. "Player game log" (in Russian). khl.com. Archived from the original on 21 February 2015. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
  2. ^ "Panthers Agree to Terms with Forward Rodrigo Abols on a 2-Year Contract". Florida Panthers. 28 May 2019. Retrieved 28 May 2019.
  3. ^ "Welcome back Rodrigo Ābols" (in Swedish). Örebro HK. 3 August 2020. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
  4. ^ "Panthers' Rodrigo Abols: Waived on Wednesday". CBS Sports. 13 January 2021. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
  5. ^ "Latvia wins historic bronze in OT". IIHF.com. 28 May 2023. Retrieved 28 May 2023.

External links[edit]