Gatis Tseplis

Gatis Tseplis (born May 1, 1971) is a Latvian former professional ice hockey defenceman.

Career

Gatis Tseplis arrived to the United States from Riga, Latvia, after spending 12 years playing five seasons of professional hockey in Russia and the Czech Republic. From 1996 to 1997 he played for the Huntsville Channel Cats, the Nashville Nighthawks, and the San Antonio Iguanas. During the 1997 to 1998 season, Tseplis played under Bill McDonald and his Fort Worth Brahmas team, scoring 19 goals and 45 assists for 64 points and was ranked 3rd in the league amongst defenseman in scoring. Due to his scoring abilities, he played a two-game call-up against Detroit Vipers.

From 1998 to 1999 Tseplis played with the Fort Worth Fire and the San Antonio Iguanas and in total scored 21 goals and 51 assists for 72 points which ranked him 5th in defenseman scoring for the Central Hockey League.

He participated in a game against New Mexico Scorpions in 2001 which ended with 3-0 loss for Tulsa Oilers. During 2001-2002 season he netted 13 goals and contributed with 29 assists for 42 points in 63 games. By the end of the season he was awarded with the Rick Kozuback Award”.

For the 2002-2003 season, Tseplis initially signed for the Lubbock Cotton Kings of the CHL but ultimately never played for the team. Instead, he spent the season playing for the Knoxville Ice Bears in the Atlantic Coast Hockey League, in what was his final season before retiring.

His memorabilia is in Texas Hockey Museum.