Vilmanis has completed his first professional season and has been solid all year for the Charlotte Checkers. Finishing with nine goals and 27 points in 61 games is a respectable performance for the speedy Latvian. The main issue with Vilmanis this season has been his consistency, as he will have stretches where he is a point-per-game player and others where he is pointless for weeks on end. However, in every game, the talent is on display. His ability to make something out of nothing with such little space is flat-out elite, and Vilmanis has an NHL-caliber shot already. Additionally, Vilmanis has adapted his game to a more pro-style, which means he is more projectable as he could play on a fourth line in a year or so. The good with Vilmanis far outweighs the bad, and while the stat sheet may not show that he is a top prospect, it would not be shocking to see him rocket up boards with a breakout campaign next year.

Vilmanis, like many other Checkers players, is experiencing his first season of pro hockey and adjusting as such. While he was a lethal scorer in the OHL last year, his playmaking was more impressive than that of the AHL competition. He has a wrist shot with a clean look that can beat many goaltenders. One area for improvement Vilmanis has is his play in his zone, which he has struggled with versus professional competition. While he has the offensive weapons to build an effective NHL career over the years, his overall play must improve for an NHL coach to consider him worthy of a shot. After this season, another year or two would serve Vilmanis well and hopefully iron out many of the deficiencies within his game.

Vilmanis had an amazing second half of his season in the OHL after being traded to the North Bay Battalion. Scoring 28 goals and 39 points in 30 regular-season games is encouraging for the speedy Latvian. Then in the playoffs, Vilmanis was the most productive player on his North Bay team by a fair margin, scoring an impressive 27 points in 16 games. Vilmanis’ game thrives on north-south hockey, utilizing his speed to his advantage and then getting a good shot off. Of Vilmanis’ offensive weapons, the shot has to be his most lethal, being able to beat goaltenders who have clean looks. While his offensive game projects well to the NHL, his defensive game and engagement on the backcheck leave much to be desired. If something holds Vilmanis back from making the NHL, it is likely his play away from the offensive zone. Vilmanis will likely get a look at the Panthers’ training camp, but he will probably be headed to the AHL, where he will refine his 200-foot game further. Look for Vilmanis to have a strong season in the AHL before potentially cracking the Panthers’ lineup in 2025-26.

Vilmanis, 19, has raised his stock since Florida took him in the fifth round a year ago by representing his native Latvia at several international tournaments. He stood out on an oft-outmatched team because of his slick puck handling and dangerous wrist shot, coming up with clutch goals and helping buoy his teammates against superior competition. Vilmanis spent last year adjusting to North American play in the OHL after coming up through the Swedish system, a move that brought him one step closer to wearing the Cat on his chest. He was a secondary scorer (45 points in 62 games) on a strong Sarnia team in 2022-23, showing some improvements in the weaker areas of his game, especially inconsistent engagement and slow processing speed. Panthers fans hope their depth pick from 2022 takes another step forward in 2023-24 and continues to generate value for their relatively depleted pipeline.

Vilmanis has difficulty processing his options at full speed and slows down more out of necessity. That said, he performed well at the J20 level in Sweden in 2021-22, scoring 32 points in only 40 games, including 18 goals. A promising sign: most of his points were of the primary variety, meaning he was directly impacting play instead of benefitting by proxy via secondary assists. He then took his talents to the OHL, scoring 45 points in 62 games. Vilmanis is the player who thrives with the extra space to work on a power play. He will likely re-up with Sarnia for the 2023-24 campaign, giving Panthers brass a clearer idea of what they have in him.