Playing in the NHL ‘a dream come true’ for Panthers’ Balinskis. Scoring his first goal? ‘Unreal’

Uvis Balinskis is already living a dream he thought wouldn’t happen.

Moments like the one he had on Friday night make this dream he is calling reality that much sweeter.

Balinskis scored his first career NHL goal late in the first period of the Florida Panthers’ 5-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday at Amerant Bank Arena. He became the 17th Latvian-born player and just the fifth defenseman from the country to score in the NHL.

“It’s really crazy,” Balinskis, 27, said. “First of all, I was happy to make an NHL team and play the first game of the season. Obviously now, first NHL goal, it’s unreal.”

Especially since, as recently as last season, Balinskis’ aspirations of making it to the NHL nearly became an afterthought.

Balinskis was in his third season playing in the Czech Extraliga, the highest-level ice hockey league in the Czech Republic. It was his seventh season playing at the senior level in Europe, first with Dinamo Riga in the Kontinental Hockey League before moving to the Czech Republic.

But Balinskis really got on the Panthers’ radar during his time playing for the Latvian National Team, which participated in the 2022 Winter Olympics and won the bronze medal at this year’s World Championships. The Panthers signed him to a one-year deal in April and made enough of an impression in training camp and the preseason to crack Florida’s 23-man roster to begin the season.

“He’s a heck of a player,” Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov said. “His skill level has surprised me a lot this year, starting from the camp. He’s doing the right things on the ice; playing with so much confidence. ... He came ready. Even from the first game, he was already [playing like] an NHL player. You see him doing the right things, not trying to make the fancy plays. He’s executing really well. He just keeps building.”

It all came together in that goal sequence Friday.

Balinskis was driving down the ice as part of an odd-man rush. Eetu Luostarinen carried the puck down the right board into the offensive zone before giving a drop pass to star winger Matthew Tkachuk to create a two-on-one opportunity for the Panthers against the Hurricanes’ defense. Tkachuk then slid cross-ice pass to Balinskis, who fired a backdoor snap shot past Hurricanes goaltender Antti Raanta to give Florida a 2-1 lead with 1:07 left in the first period.

“It’s a dream come true for me, my family, for everyone,” Balinskis said. “It’s an amazing feeling.”

The Panthers never trailed after that.

Balinskis received a rousing ovation from his teammates on the bench and from the home crowd.

“He makes a lot of really good plays on the ice that the players appreciate,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said. “He’s a player’s player. When you get a guy like that that puts one in, everybody’s cheering for you.”

Balinskis admits he felt “a little bit overwhelmed” during his NHL debut but things have settled down for him since. He’s averaging about 14 minutes of ice time per game and has skated in 11 of Florida’s first 13 games, serving as a healthy scratch in Florida’s overtime wins against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday and Washington Capitals on Wednesday as the team opted to get a look at Mike Reilly in game action.

The Panthers will soon have a decision to make with Balinskis, though. Top defensemen Brandon Montour and Aaron Ekblad are nearing return from offseason shoulder surgeries that will create a roster crunch — both in terms of actual space on the roster and the salary cap. As a first-year player, Balinskis is waiver exempt, so the Panthers can shuttle him to their American Hockey League affiliate without having to worry about losing him to another team.

Until then, all Balinskis can do is keep producing, keep living his dream.

“It’s my only choice,” Balinskis said. “I have to make it. I just play my game. Be comfortable. Enjoy it.”