Kārlis Čukste

Biography

Čukste began his career with SK Rīga 16, becoming Latvian U-18 champion in 2012–13. The following season he played in the Latvian U-20 league, and in 2014–15 he played for HK Riga in the MHL. After the season, the San Jose Sharks selected him in the 2015 NHL draft. He then moved to North America, playing for the USHL team Chicago Steel. In spring 2016, it was announced he would play for Quinnipiac University in the NCAA Championship, where he remained until 2020. In summer 2020, he signed with the San Jose Barracuda of the AHL. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic delaying the North American season, he started 2020–21 with Latvian club HK Mogo. He played the first part of 2021–22 with Riga Dinamo and finished it with Pelicans Lahti of Finland. In 2022–23, he represented Czech Extraliga club Oceláři Tršinec, winning the championship title. He joined Brynäs IF in Sweden's Hockeyallsvenskan in July 2023 and also won a championship title. Čukste played for Latvia at the 2014 World Junior Championships and the 2014 and 2015 World Youth Championships. He was initially included in the Latvian team for the 2022 Winter Olympics but was withdrawn on departure day due to a positive COVID-19 test. He first represented Latvia at the World Championship in 2022, and also played at the 2023 World Championship, winning a bronze medal.