Uvis Balinskis
| Uvis Balinskis | |||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Balinskis with the Panthers in 2025 | |||
| Born |
1 August 1996 Ventspils, Latvia | ||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) | ||
| Weight | 196 lb (89 kg; 14 st 0 lb) | ||
| Position | Defence | ||
| Shoots | Left | ||
| NHL team Former teams |
Florida Panthers Dinamo Riga HK Liepāja HC Litvínov HC Bílí Tygři Liberec | ||
| National team | Latvia | ||
| NHL draft | Undrafted | ||
| Playing career | 2015–present | ||
Uvis Jānis Balinskis (born 1 August 1996) is a Latvian professional ice hockey player who is a defenceman for the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League (NHL). He made his NHL debut with Florida in 2023, and won the Stanley Cup with the Panthers in 2025. Prior to the NHL Balinskis played several years in different European leagues, with his first senior professional games coming in 2015. Internationally Balinskis has represented the Latvian national team at several World Championships, and won a bronze medal in 2023.
Playing career
On 18 April 2023, Balinskis signed a one-year, entry-level contract with the Florida Panthers.[1]
International play
Balinskis in 2023 | ||
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Representing Latvia | ||
| Ice hockey | ||
| World Championships | ||
| 2023 Finland/Latvia | ||
He participated at the 2017 IIHF World Championship,[2] 2018 IIHF World Championship and 2019 IIHF World Championship.
He represented Latvia at the 2023 IIHF World Championship where he recorded two assists and won a bronze medal, Latvia's first ever IIHF World Championship medal.[3]
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2011–12 | Tukums | LAT U16 | 26 | 4 | 10 | 14 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | Tukums | LAT U18 | 19 | 8 | 11 | 19 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2013–14 | Augsburger Panther | GER.2 U18 | 27 | 11 | 19 | 30 | 32 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 2013–14 | Augsburger Panther | GER.2 U20 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | Augsburger Panther | DNL Q | 20 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 42 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | Augsburger Panther | DNL2 | 20 | 5 | 14 | 19 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015–16 | HK Riga | MHL | 36 | 7 | 11 | 18 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015–16 | Dinamo Riga | KHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2016–17 | HK Riga | MHL | 30 | 3 | 9 | 12 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2016–17 | Dinamo Riga | KHL | 21 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2017–18 | Dinamo Riga | KHL | 28 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2017–18 | HK Liepāja | LAT | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018–19 | Dinamo Riga | KHL | 37 | 1 | 10 | 11 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2019–20 | Dinamo Riga | KHL | 48 | 5 | 8 | 13 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | HC Verva Litvínov | ELH | 48 | 5 | 12 | 17 | 18 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2021–22 | HC Verva Litvínov | ELH | 42 | 9 | 14 | 23 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2022–23 | HC Bílí Tygři Liberec | ELH | 50 | 11 | 24 | 35 | 22 | 10 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 4 | ||
| 2023–24 | Florida Panthers | NHL | 26 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2023–24 | Charlotte Checkers | AHL | 37 | 3 | 18 | 21 | 31 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2024–25 | Florida Panthers | NHL | 76 | 4 | 14 | 18 | 27 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||
| KHL totals | 135 | 10 | 24 | 34 | 46 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| NHL totals | 102 | 5 | 16 | 21 | 35 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||||
International
| Year | Team | Event | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Latvia | WJC D1A | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| 2017 | Latvia | WC | 7 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | |
| 2018 | Latvia | WC | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2019 | Latvia | WC | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | |
| 2021 | Latvia | WC | 7 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | |
| 2021 | Latvia | OGQ | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2022 | Latvia | OG | 4 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2023 | Latvia | WC | 10 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | |
| Senior totals | 43 | 1 | 13 | 14 | 16 | |||
Awards and honours
| Award | Year | Ref |
|---|---|---|
| NHL | ||
| Stanley Cup champion | 2025 | [4] |
References
- ^ "Florida Panthers Agree to Terms with Defenseman Uvis Balinskis". NHL.com. 18 April 2023. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
- ^ 2017 World Championship roster
- ^ "Latvia wins historic bronze in OT". IIHF. 28 May 2023. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
- ^ Satriano, David (18 June 2025). "How Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers were built". NHL.com. Retrieved 20 June 2025.
External links
- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Eurohockey.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database
- Uvis Balinskis at Olympedia
- Uvis Janis Balinskis at Olympics.com
- Uvis Jānis Balinskis at the Latvijas Olimpiskā komiteja (in Latvian) (English translation)