SUNRISE, Fla. – Florida Panthers General Manager Bill Zito announced today that the club has agreed to terms with defenseman Uvis Balinskis on a one-year, entry-level contract commencing in the 2023-24 season.
“Uvis is a productive defenseman who has proven his impressive two-way skillset at an elite level in Europe,” said Zito. “We look forward having a player of his caliber in our system.”
Balinskis, 26, recorded 35 points (11-24-35) over 50 games in the Czech Extraliga with the Liberec White Tigers in 2022-23, leading all Extraliga defensemen in goals and points while ranking third in assists. He also produced seven points (1-6-7) in 10 Extraliga postseason games.
The 6-foot, 187-pound native of Ventspils, Latvia has appeared in 140 Extraliga games between Liberec (2022-23) and HC Litvinov (2020-21 to 2021-22), amassing 75 points (25-50-75). Balinskis also skated in parts of five seasons in the Kontinential Hockey League (KHL), logging 34 points (10-24-34) over 135 games with Dinamo Riga from 2015-16 to 2019-20.
Undrafted, Balinskis represented Latvia at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing, posting three assists over four contests. He also represented his home country at the IIHF World Championships in 2018, 2019 and 2021, and helped Latvia win the 2016 D1A World Junior Championships.
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