March 1st was an important date on the NHL calendar as it was the first day that teams could sign players to contracts for next season. We saw several of those deals handed out yesterday and today, the Panthers joined in, announcing that they’ve signed winger Sandis Vilmanis to a three-year, entry-level contract beginning in the 2024-25 season. Financial terms of the deal were not released.
Vilmanis was a fifth-round pick by the Panthers back in 2022 (157th overall) and has shown steady improvement since then. He had a good rookie season with OHL Sarnia last season with 20 goals and 25 assists in 62 games and has already set new benchmarks for goals and points this year with 28 and 53, respectively. The 20-year-old was traded to North Bay just before the OHL trade deadline back in January.
Vilmanis has suited up for Latvia at multiple international tournaments. He has played at the last three World Juniors and picked up four points in five games at the most recent event. He also played in two World Under-18 events leading into his draft year. He won’t be expected to make the jump to the NHL next season but instead should play with their AHL affiliate in Charlotte.