Florida Panthers defenseman Uvis Balinskis and winger Sandis Vilmanis have been named to Team Latvia’s Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic roster.
Balinskis, 29, will be participating in his second Olympics, having played in four matches and notched three assists for Latvia at the 2022 Olympics. Balinskis has plenty of experience representing Latvia on the international stage, donning that Latvian jersey at five separate World Championships. In those five tournaments, Balinskis scored one goal and nine points.
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Due to a significant injury to Dmitry Kulikov, Balinskis found himself in the Panthers’ lineup. He played in 32 games this season, scoring one goal and seven points while averaging 13:58 of ice time.
Vilmanis, 21, is in his second season with the Charlotte Checkers in the LAH. In 31 games, he scored eight goals and 19 points, on pace to beat his rookie season numbers. The former fifth-round pick (157th overall) in the 2022 NHL Draft has moved up the ranks within the Panthers’ prospect pool.
Standing 6-foot-1 and 192 pounds, Vilmanis plays a solid game, looking to use his shot as much as possible. He has already represented Latvia at the World Junior Championship three times, scoring three goals and seven points in 16 games.
Uvis Balinskis (Reuters-Imagn Images)
The list of Latvia:
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Attackers: Rodrigo Abols (Philadelphia FlyersNHL), Rūdolfs Balcers (ZSC Lions, SUI), Oskars Batņa (Lahti Pelicans, FIN), Teodors Büugers (Vancouver CanucksNHL), Roberts Bukarts (HC Pioneers Vorarlberg, AUT), Kaspars Daugaviņš (Selber Wölfe Huskies, GER-2), Mārtiņš Dzierkals (HC Sparta Prague, CZE), Haralds Egle (HC Energie Karlovy Vary, CZE), Zemgus Girgensons (Tampa Bay LightningNHL), Renārs Krastenbergs (HC Olomouc, CZE), Ēriks Mateiko (Hershey Bears, LAH), In Ločmelis (Providence Bruins, AHL), Eduards Tralmaks (Grand Rapids Griffins, AHL), Sandis Vilmanis (Charlotte Checkers, AHL).
Defender: Uvis Balinskis (Florida PanthersNHL) Mikkeli, FIN), Kristaps Zīle (Bílí Tygři Liberec, CZE).
Goalkeepers: Elvis Merzikins (Columbus Blue JacketsNHL), Kristers Gudļevskis (Penguins Bremerhaven, GER), Artūrs Šilovs (Pittsburgh PenguinsNHL).
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