Vilmanis pleased to get a place on Florida Panthers' second forward line
Latvian hockey player Sandis Vilmanis now plays on the second forward line of the NHL's Florida Panthers, alongside Carter Verhaeghe and Sam Reinhart. He calls the opportunity huge.
Latvian forward Sandis Vilmanis, who plays for the Florida Panthers in North America's National Hockey League (NHL), was moved up to the club's second forward line last week. His linemates there are Carter Verhaeghe and Sam Reinhart. Vilmanis rates the chance highly.
The 22-year-old is playing his first full NHL season. Speaking to US journalists, he said that playing on one line with such players is a huge opportunity. He said he tries to help as much as he can by getting the puck to them, and hopes he will also get chances to score himself.
A game from the stands
The Panthers have played 13 games this season, but Vilmanis watched one of them from the stands after being left out of the lineup. He treats it as a useful experience. He noted that he is still young and hopes for a long career. In his words, watching from the stands gave him information from a different point of view. He quoted the coach as saying that on the ice it can sometimes seem there is no space left anywhere, but from above everything looks different.
Statistics
Earlier this season Vilmanis has scored one goal and made one assist in 12 games. His plus-minus rating is -2.
As for the team, the Panthers have 16 points from 13 games and sit sixth in the NHL's Eastern Conference.
