Earning a contract in North America – Balinski signed a contract with the NHL team Florida “Panthers”

Photo: Eddy Palen/LETA

Gints Narogs, “Latvijas Avīze”, JSC “Latvijas Mediji”

Latvian hockey national team defenseman Uvis Balinskis has signed a contract with the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League (NHL).

The “Panthers” interest in Balinskis was announced earlier, the Florida team followed the performance of the winger throughout the season, but both sides have agreed on a one-year entry-level or two-way contract. This does not yet guarantee the 26-year-old hockey player playing in the NHL, as he will have to prove himself in the next season’s training camp.

“A productive defenseman who has proven his skill at the European elite level both in defense and attack,” Panthers general manager Bil Zito described the Latvian. Balinskis attracted the interest of the Florida club with a productive performance in the Czech extra league, where he scored 42 (12+30) points in 60 games this season for Liberec “Bīlī Tygrži”, becoming the league’s most productive defender. Balinskis spent the last four seasons in the Czech Republic, before that he played for “Dinamo” of Riga.

He also spent two seasons in Germany as a junior. Balinskis is currently preparing for his fifth world championship with the Latvian national team (two test matches for the national team in Great Britain this weekend).

Meanwhile, the Stanley Cup has started in the NHL. Teodors Blüger remained in the reserve, but the Vegas “Golden Knights”, who won the Western Conference, lost 1:5 to the Winnipeg “Jets” at home.

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