From fifth-round longshot to one of the hottest scorers at the World Championship, the 22-year-old Latvian winger is making Florida’s offseason decisions a lot more complicat
Sportswire Miami Staff | May 27, 2026
There’s always one player who sneaks up on everybody.
Not the top-10 draft pick. Not the hyped prospect with a million highlight clips and a marketing campaign already waiting for him. The guy fans end up obsessing over is usually the one buried deep in the draft board somewhere, quietly grinding in the minors while everyone else is focused somewhere else.
For the Florida Panthers, Sandis Vilmanis is starting to look exactly like that guy.
And right now? He’s making it impossible to ignore him.
While most Panthers fans are locked into Florida’s playoff run, Vilmanis is over in Switzerland turning the IIHF World Championship into his personal breakout party. Latvia’s 22-year-old winger has exploded offensively, putting himself right alongside some of the biggest young names in hockey — and suddenly that “fifth-round project” label from 2022 looks laughably outdated.
Tuesday’s 8-1 demolition of Hungary was another reminder.
Vilmanis scored twice, including a nasty shorthanded goal that instantly started circulating across IIHF social media. Every game feels like another “wait… this kid was drafted where?” moment.
And the stats are getting harder to brush aside:
- 4 goals in 7 games
- 11 points through the group stage
- Sitting at or near the top of the entire tournament scoring race
That puts him in the same conversation as players like Macklin Celebrini, the Sharks’ superstar prospect who came into this tournament with exponentially more hype and attention. Celebrini has 10 points in 7 games for Canada. Vilmanis is right there with him.
That’s not a small thing.
Latvia now heads into the quarterfinals against Norway with Vilmanis driving the offense and playing with the kind of confidence that organizations love to see from young forwards trying to crack full-time NHL roles.
And honestly, none of this feels completely random if you’ve been paying attention to how Florida has handled him.
The Panthers have quietly believed in this kid for a while now.
Drafted 157th overall in 2022, Vilmanis was viewed as a developmental swing — one of those late-round picks teams hope maybe becomes useful someday. Instead, he’s steadily climbed the ladder faster than expected.
His 2025-26 season was sneaky impressive once you look past the surface numbers.
In 19 NHL games with Florida, he posted 3 goals and 5 points while averaging just over 10 minutes a night in a limited fourth-line role. But the underlying numbers were what really stood out. Florida controlled over 53% of shot attempts with him on the ice, and his expected-goals metrics were even stronger.
Translation? The Panthers played better when he was out there.
That matters in Florida’s system.
Paul Maurice doesn’t hand out trust easily to young players, especially on a Stanley Cup contender. Vilmanis earned it anyway. He also threw 38 hits in those 19 games, showing he wasn’t remotely intimidated by NHL pace or physicality.
Then there was Charlotte.
In 48 AHL games, Vilmanis put up 17 goals and 38 points despite missing time during the year. He finished near the top of the Checkers’ scoring list and kept showing flashes of the exact style Florida values — relentless forechecking, physical play, smart puck support, and enough offensive touch to make defenses nervous.
What’s interesting now is what happens next.
The Panthers suddenly have a real roster decision looming for 2026-27.
If veterans like A.J. Greer or Tomas Nosek move on this offseason, there’s a natural opening for Vilmanis to grab a fourth-line NHL role full time. If those veterans stay, Florida still has flexibility because Vilmanis remains waiver exempt, meaning the organization can send him back to Charlotte without risking another team claiming him.
But there’s a point where prospects stop asking politely for roster spots.
Vilmanis is getting close to that point.
A big training camp could force Florida’s hand completely.
And from the Panthers’ perspective, this is exactly the kind of internal development that keeps contenders alive long term. Stanley Cup teams survive by finding contributors outside the first round. Cheap, young depth becomes critical once the salary cap starts squeezing everybody.
Florida has built a reputation for identifying players other teams overlook. Vilmanis is starting to feel like the latest example.
Meanwhile, he’s not the only Panther making noise internationally.
Matthew Tkachuk helped Team USA punch its ticket to the quarterfinals with another goal in a 4-1 win over Austria, giving him 7 points in 7 games entering a huge matchup against Canada.
Aleksander Barkov and Anton Lundell also advanced with Finland, and Barkov’s tournament has been especially impressive considering he’s still working back after knee surgery. The Panthers captain already has 8 points in 7 games.
So while Florida’s NHL roster continues chasing another deep playoff run, the organization’s fingerprints are all over this tournament — from established stars to emerging prospects.
But the biggest surprise may still be Vilmanis.
Four years ago, he was a fifth-round flyer from Riga that most casual fans never noticed on draft day.
Now he’s one of the top scorers at the World Championship and making a legitimate case to become a full-time NHL player sooner rather than later.
And if this tournament keeps going the way it’s going, Panthers fans may not have to wait much longer to see him permanently in Sunrise.
