Vilmanis ‘earned some fans’ during NHL debut with Panthers

OTTAWA – A lifetime of work culminated with one game.

Making his long-awaited NHL debut on Saturday in Ottawa, Sandis Vilmanis didn’t have time to stop and pinch himself while helping the Florida Panthers to a 3-2 win over the Senators at Canadian Tire Centre.

“Just super happy,” the 21-year-old forward said with a big smile following the game. “That’s the way to end it – we won. I can’t be happier for my first game as a Florida Panther here."

He wasn’t the only one happy.

Looking like he belonged and playing a sound game in all three zones, Vilmanis made a good first impression on Paul Maurice and the rest of Florida’s coaching staff in his debut.

Over 11:48 of ice time, he recorded one shot on goal and one takeaway.

When he was deployed at 5-on-5, the Panthers also led 4-2 in shots on goal.

“I think for his first game in the National Hockey League, Sandis Vilmanis held onto some pucks and showed some poise,” Maurice said. “He kind of earned some fans in the coaches’ room because I thought he played hard, but he didn’t play not to make a mistake.”

As always, the Panthers don’t want their rookies playing scared.

Any time a player has been called up, they’ve all been told to just play their game.

Every time Vilmanis got back to the bench, a teammate was there to greet him.

“When maybe I didn’t have the best situation on the ice, they’d give me a tap,” Vilmanis said. “It’s just awesome. The guys are behind me and supporting me. That’s great. It’s so crazy. I’ve dreamed of playing with these guys. Hopefully, one day I can make the roster.”

Originally taken by the Panthers in the fifth round (157^th overall) of the 2022 NHL Draft, Vilmanis has made great strides during his first two seasons in the professional ranks.

After recording 27 points (9G, 18A) in 61 games with the Charlotte Checkers in his first AHL season in 2024-25, Vilmanis has notched 19 points (8G, 11A) in just 31 games this season.

At the time of his call-up on Saturday, he was tied for first on the Checkers in scoring.

Put in a position to succeed right way during his debut with the Panthers, Vilmanis was deployed on the team’s third line alongside Mackie Samoskevich and Evan Rodrigues.

Earning some early trust, five of his 14 shifts came in the third period.

“I just got a little more confident with every period, with every shift,” Vilmanis said “I think that really helped with the debut I had. I played a lot. With every shift, I got more confident.”

In the game, his mental fortitude was also put to the test.

After a good shift in the offensive zone in the second period, Vilmanis and his line ended up enduring a long stretch in the defensive zone as Ottawa’s offense tried to wear them down.

Doing more than just holding down the fort, the shift, which lasted more than two minutes, ended with Vilmanis and Samoskevich mustering the strength to earn a 2-on-1 rush that resulted in Samoskevich being slashed and the Panthers being awarded a power play.

On the ensuing man advantage, Carter Verhaeghe scored to put Florida up 2-1.

“Every game, I think there’s a situation like that to some line,” Vilmanis said of the sequence. “You just have to stay calm and composed in that situation. I don’t think they had a lot of chances off that. They just played around. We played really good defense.”

In February, Vilmanis will face similar competition at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games.

Suiting up for Latvia, he’ll be one of the youngest players on the team.

“It means a lot,” Vilmanis said. “I’m really proud to wear a Latvian jersey.”

With one major life event coming after another, Vilmanis is still only at the starting line of what he hopes will become a very long and fruitful journey in the NHL with the Panthers.

For now, a win is a great place to start.

“First game is always special,” teammate Gustav Forsling said when asked about Vilmanis’ debut. “I remember mine very well. It’s always good to get a win for him for the first one.”