The Panthers’ message to rookie Vilmanis as he waits for chances to become goals

Florida Panthers admin October 13, 2026 0 Comments

The Panthers’ message to rookie Vilmanis as he waits for chances to become goals

As the Florida Panthers wrapped up practice Sunday, all eyes were on Sandis Vilmanis.

The Panthers were shooting one-timers from the slot with the group divided into two teams. The team’s top two forward lines for that practice — Sam Bennett, Matthew and Brady Tkachuk, Sam Reinhart, Carter Verhaeghe and Sam Lafferty — in white. The third and fourth lines — Vilmanis, Anton Lundell, Eetu Luostarinen, Garnet Hathaway, Lars Eller and Bokondji Imama — in blue. Losing team does a lap around the ice before the group disperses into the dressing room.

“Blue always does the laps, right?” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said. “It’s just the way it works in life. The guys who wear white have the power play guys on it. They usually win those games and the blue skates every time.”

Not this time. Vilmanis scored on the final shot of the drill to seal it for the blue side. The white team took its lap.

“It’s a big win for the blue team,” Maurice said.

And maybe a little bit of a confidence boost for Vilmanis.

The 22-year-old rookie forward is in the midst of his first full NHL season after getting a 19-game trial period last season. Vilmanis has good hands, a strong shot and is a solid skater that looks the part of a player who can contribute in a middle-six role for a contender.

But points have been hard to come by so far for Vilmanis this season. He has just one point through six games — a secondary assist in Florida’s 5-3 loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Monday — despite having a slew of good looks. According to the advanced hockey statistics website Natural Stat Trick, Vilmanis is second on the team in expected goals (1.13) and tied for second scoring chances (11) at 5-on-5 on five but has little to show for it. That run of tough luck early could rattle a young player trying to make an impression early in his career.

Vilmanis, however, isn’t fazed.

“I have already had a couple talks with the coaches about this,” Vilmanis said. “It’s just play the right way, play Panthers hockey, play it really simple. It’s understanding the game more than trying to do something. I’ve had a lot of chances already, but hopefully some are gonna get it in the net as well. But for now, I just don’t think about it. Just play the same way. Play hard and listen.”

Despite his youth, Vilmanis has shown a knack for being a contributor. He put up five points in his first NHL stint last year, playing up and down the lineup and averaging about 10-and-a-half minutes of ice time. He’s also showcased his skills on the international stage, breaking out at the IIHF World Championship in May when he put up 11 points (four goals, seven assists) across eight games, which tied for the fifth-most points by a player in the tournament.

But Maurice is making sure Vilmanis doesn’t solely look at points when defining his game because Maurice himself isn’t solely looking at the points he produces.

“Whether he scores or not will not affect his ice time, which is the single best thing for a young player,” Maurice said. “If he goes two weeks and he doesn’t score, we still have a good chance of winning with him in our lineup. He came in, and you worry about that young player. He had an incredible world championships. He was very productive, and he did a great job in training camp, not allowing that to become what he was going to try to offer us.”

Playing on a line with center Lundell and winger Luostarinen helps hammer that point home.

Lundell’s lines always have a defense-first approach. Their attack starts with minimizing the opponents’ opportunities and capitalizing on mistakes. In about 49 and a half minutes of playing time together at five-on-five this season entering Tuesday’s game against the Columbus Blue Jackets, the trio of Lundell, Luostarinen and Vilmanis holds a 54-40 edge in shot attempts, 27-17 advantage in shots on goal and 25-16 lead in scoring chances on their opponents.

“He’s a very talented younger player,” Lundell said of Vilmanis. “He’s very mature for his age. He’s playing the right way. He’s he’s playing hard. He’s strong with the puck. Everything is there. He’s super skilled. It’s just a matter of time when the puck starts to go in. He has a great shot and great hockey IQ. He finds the passes when they’re open and plays smart when there’s not a play. … It’s just a matter of time if we just keep creating chances and trust that it’s gonna bounce our way at some point.”