The Juniors Riga were an ice hockey team in Riga

Riga

Riga is the capital and largest city of Latvia. With 702,891 inhabitants Riga is the largest city of the Baltic states, one of the largest cities in Northern Europe and home to more than one third of Latvia's population. The city is an important seaport and a major industrial, commercial,...

, Latvia

Latvia

Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...

. They played in the Latvian Hockey League

Latvian Hockey League

The Latvian Hockey League is a professional ice hockey league based in Latvia. It is also known in Latvian as Latvijas atklātais čempionāts hokejā ....

 and the Eastern European Hockey League

Eastern European Hockey League

Eastern European Hockey League was a regional ice hockey league which existed from 1995 to 2005.The league was formed in 1995 by Belarus, Latvia, Lithuania and Ukraine, to provide a higher-level competition for teams from those countries. In some years, the league also included teams from Poland...

.

History

The Juniors Riga were founded in 1993 and first took part in the Latvian Hockey League

Latvian Hockey League

The Latvian Hockey League is a professional ice hockey league based in Latvia. It is also known in Latvian as Latvijas atklātais čempionāts hokejā ....

. With the establishment of the East European Hockey League in 1996, the Juniors were included in this multinational league, and finished runner-up in their first season. They joined the LHL for the semifinals this year. A year later, Juniors Riga were EEHL champions by defeating Sokol Kiev in five games.

They participated in the 1997 IIHF Continental Cup.

Before the 1997-98 season, the team found a new sponsor, so they were renamed Essamika Juniors Riga. They finished fourth in the EEHL.

Due to financial problems, an affiliation with LB Prizma Riga was set up for 1998. The affiliate played in the LHL as LB/Essamika/Juniors-82 Riga.

The club folded after the 1999-00 season, in which they participated in the Latvian Hockey League and the EEHL Division B.

Notable Players

• Ģirts Ankipāns
  Girts Ankipans
  Ģirts Ankipāns is a Latvian ice hockey player. He started his professional ice hockey career in Latvia, where he played for various local teams. During the 1996-97 season, he became the best goal-scorer of the Latvian Hockey League. Next 7 seasons Ankipāns spent playing in German hockey leagues...
  
  
• Armands Bērziņš
  Armands Berzinš
  Armands Bērziņš is an Latvian professional ice hockey centre currently playing for HPK of the Finnish SM-liiga. He played for Dinamo Riga of the Kontinental Hockey League...
  
  
• Edijs Brahmanis
  Edijs Brahmanis
  Edijs Brahmanis is a Latvian ice hockey left winger, currently playing for HK Metalurgs Liepaja of the Belarusian Extraleague....
  
  
• Raitis Ivanāns
• Vladimirs Mamonovs
  Vladimirs Mamonovs
  Vladimirs Mamonovs is a Latvian professional ice hockey player. He plays Left Wing. He currently plays for HK Liepajas Metalurgs of the Belarusian Extraliga.-Career statistics:Club statistics...
  
  
• Jānis Sprukts
  Janis Sprukts
  Jānis Sprukts is a Latvian professional ice hockey forward, who currently is playing for KHL team Dinamo Riga. Last year he spent in North America, playing 12 games for Florida Panthers...
  
  
• Jēkabs Rēdlihs
  Jekabs Redlihs
  Jēkabs Rēdlihs is a Latvian ice hockey Defender currently playing for Dinamo Riga in Kontinental Hockey League.-Playing career:...