Panthers’ rookie Uvis Balinskis cherishing his NHL opportunity

SUNRISE — At 27-years-old, Uvis Balinskis didn’t think the chance to play in the NHL would come to light — that was until the Florida Panthers came calling. 

Born in Ventspils, Latvia, Balinskis played youth hockey in his home country before moving to Germany in 2013  — joining the Augsburger EV junior program. 

Balinskis would spend two years in Germany before he returned to Latvia to play with KHL side Dinamo Riga, and their then farm team HK Riga.  

After playing five years for Riga in the Russian leagues, Balinskis made the switch to the Czech ExtraLiga in 2020 — joining HC Litvínov.

Three years in Czechia went by, and Balinskis, now with Czech side Bílí Tygři Liberec, entered the summer of 2023 with his 27th birthday on the horizon.

At this point in his career, it didn’t seem like Balisnkis would leave Europe. 

 “I didn’t really think I was gonna make the NHL or sign in the NHL in my life anymore,” Balinskis told Five Reasons. 

Despite this feeling, the NHL dream wasn’t over just yet. 

Over the summer, Balinskis’ fate changed  — he would sign a one-year NHL contract with the Panthers.

This past September, Balinskis attended Panthers training camp as a 27-year-old rookie — well, rookie in North America. 

The blueline battle at camp had a lot of guys competing for limited open spots, but nonetheless there were jobs to be earned during the preseason. 

The first few games of the preseason went by and Balinskis survived the first waves of cuts.

He didn’t necessarily stand out from the pack at the start, but he continued to improve as the camp went on.

Multiple players who were with the organization, and had NHL experience started getting sent down. Yet, the newcomer Balinskis started to climb up the depth chart.

“He built through his camp,” head coach Paul Maurice said about Balinskis after training camp.

Balinskis kept chipping away and eventually got word that he did it. On Oct. 12 he would be making his NHL debut on opening night in Minnesota.

Alongside fellow rookie Mackie Samoskevich, Balinskis hit the ice for the infamous rookie lap — at 27, he made his NHL debut. 

“[The] first game was really exciting, fun, I really enjoyed that day,” Balinskis said smiling.

In the early stages of this season Balinskis grabbed his chance on the Panthers’ blueline and ran with it. The coaching staff had high praise for him after his first few games.

“He has not looked remotely out of  place in his game… some of the things he tries, he’s  got a little risk to his game and I’m not talking about foolish risks,” Maurice said. “He would be the biggest surprise of camp for us.” 

The Latvian defenseman plays a fast, and physical game. He’ll throw the body, jump up into the play and as Maurice said, he’s not afraid to take risks.

Balinskis is enjoying his time as Panther, an opportunity that he didn’t think would be there at this stage in his hockey career. 

He’s living every hockey player’s dream — the NHL dream.

“Everyday I just feel better and I think my game is also getting better,” he said. “Just being here and making the NHL, [my] first game, everything is exciting about this.”