Florida Panthers Rookie Keeps Up Impressive Fight for a Roster Spot

FORT LAUDERDALE — Sandis Vilmanis has never played a professional game, but the 20-year-old is turning heads at training camp with the Florida Panthers.

A fifth-round draft pick in 2022, the young Latvian has been impressive. 

Vilmanis has three goals and two assists in four exhibition appearances — and he should play in No. 5 tonight when the Panthers visit the Los Angeles Kings in Quebec City.

Although he may not make the Panthers opening night roster, he is still here before final cuts are made. 

It may be a big jump from junior hockey to playing for the defending Stanley Cup champs, but Vilmanis has looked like he belongs.

“Playing with these guys on the ice is like a dream,” Vilmanis said on Friday morning.

“Just learning something new every day and trying to work hard and intensively in every practice.”

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The preseason highlight for Vilmanis came Wednesday night when he beat, perhaps, the best goalie in the world, Tampa Bay’s Andrei Vasilevskiy.

That goal came 15 seconds into overtime and gave the Panthers a 2-1 win. 

On Friday morning, he worked on a line with Matthew Tkachuk and Evan Rodrigues as Sam Bennett took the day off. 

“It’s always nice to score, and I actually still haven’t realized that I scored on Vasilevskiy,” Vilmanis said. 

“It’s a big play from Lundell, just leaving me the puck. I just had to shoot there and it bounced in, so that’s good.”

Vilmanis had been playing on the right side of Anton Lundell and Eetu Luostarinen — but that appears to be Mackie Samoskevich’s spot. 

With Samoskevich back, coach Paul Maurice wants to see what Vilmanis looks like on the left side. 

“He had a very good camp,” Maurice said, “but we want to see him in different positions so he’ll play left wing next game, which would have been his natural position.”

Vilmanis credits countryman Uvis Balinskis with making the road smoother with the Panthers for him.

“He helps me a lot. I have somebody to talk with in Latvian and he gives me advice,” Vilmanis said. “He gives me all the experience he had. It’s just amazing to have a guy like that on one team.”

What hasn’t been fun are Maurice’s notoriously tough training camp drills.

“They’re tough. They’re hard and intensive, but you have to work hard and show that you want to work,” Vilmanis said. “Just don’t really think about it. Just go and do it.”

Vilmanis came to Florida with a very impressive junior record. 

In his final season, split between the Sarnia Sting and the North Bay Battalion of the OHL, he scored 38 goals and 67 points in 60 games.

With the logjam of forwards — and Vilmanis not being subject to waivers — Vilmanis is probably off to Charlotte to get some much-needed experience playing regularly at the professional level.

Yet with the type of skill he has shown in this camp, he should be back.

— The Panthers are expected to give Sergei Bobrovsky the full game tonight against the Kings before Tuesday’s season-opener against the Boston Bruins.

— All four players placed on waivers on Thursday — Zac Dalpe, Toby Bjornfot, Rasmus Asplund, and Jaycob Megna — cleared Friday and will be assigned to Charlotte.

— Will Lockwood hit waivers on Friday, bringing the Panthers’ roster to 29.

— Florida has a number of injured players still counting on their roster cap, including Justin Sourdif, whom Maurice said would still be out for a few weeks after sustaining an upper-body injury.

PANTHERS (PRESEASON) ON DECK

FLORIDA PANTHERS VS. LOS ANGELES KINGS

• When: Saturday, 7 p.m.
• Where: Videotron Center, Quebec City
• Streaming: LA Kings Website
• Last Season (Kings Won 1-0-1) — At Los Angeles: Kings 2, Panthers 1 (Nov. 17). At Florida: Panthers 3, Kings 2 OT (Jan. 11)
• All-time Regular Season Series: Los Angeles leads 26-14-1, 3 ties
• Up Next for the Panthers — END OF PRESEASON
• 2024-25 NHL Season Opener: Boston Bruins at Florida, Tuesday, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN)

KEY DATES FOR THE FLORIDA PANTHERS

• Florida Panthers Preseason: Through Saturday
• Florida Panthers Ring Ceremony, Sunrise: Monday, 6:30 p.m.
• Florida Panthers Opening Night/Banner Unveiling: Tuesday vs. Bruins (ESPN), 7:30