How Panthers’ Balinskis learned to ‘stay mentally ready’ despite uncertain playing time
Uvis Balinskis is used to this by now, even if he would prefer not to be. He has been through it each step of the way during his time with the Florida Panthers.
He knows what it’s like to be in and out of the lineup, having to fight on a daily basis to get ice time.
A quarter of the way into his third season, he has found himself in that in-again, out-again situation. Balinskis started the season on the bench as Florida’s seventh defenseman before Dmitry Kulikov sustained a shoulder injury that required surgery and has him sidelined for five months. He then played nine consecutive games before being benched in favor of newcomer Donovan Sebrango. He then rejoined the lineup on Nov. 17 and is poised to play in his fourth consecutive game when the Panthers play at the Nashville Predators on Monday night.
Balinskis admits it’s a tough situation, especially after being on the ice for 76 of 82 regular-season games last year due to various injuries impacting the rest of Florida’s blue line and getting into five postseason games during the Panthers’ run to a second consecutive Stanley Cup.
But the 29-year-old Latvian also knows there’s no benefit to wallowing over it. He has learned to control what he can whenever he gets to the rink.
Stay in a good headspace. Practice. Watch video with assistant coach Sylvain Lefebvre. Put himself in the best position possible so coaches know he’s ready when they need him.
“It was a little bit maybe mentally harder to do it earlier,” Balinskis told the Miami Herald last week. “I played almost the whole season last year, and now you’re not in the lineup or you’re kind of in and out. It happens. Just have to stay mentally ready for that.”
He had to be mentally ready on Saturday when Florida hosted the Edmonton Oilers in a rematch of the past two Stanley Cup Finals. Defenseman Aaron Ekblad was a late scratch due to illness, so Balinskis found himself promoted to the top defense pairing with Gustav Forsling instead of his customary role on Florida’s third defense pair when he is in the lineup.
While Florida lost 6-3, with Edmonton scoring a pair of empty-netters in the final three minutes to pad the lead, the Panthers scored both of their even-strength goals when Balinskis and Forsling were on the ice. Balinskis even had the primary assist on Mackie Samoskevich’s second-period goal, sending a pass from the point to Samoskevich for a one-timer from the left circle.
“I thought Uvis was right on,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said. “I mean, you get moved up the food chain there in the National Hockey League and you’re playing against a completely different kind of player. He was trying to win the game. He wasn’t passive and he wasn’t tentative. I liked his game.”
Balinskis said he found out he was moving to the top pair when he got to the arena pregame. He kept his approach similar to how he handles every game: Play a simple game, be fast and hard on pucks and stay consistent.
“As long as you’re not nervous, you’re going to be fine,” Balinskis said after the game. “Just play the game. That’s it. I mean, when you’ve got Forsling on your side, you’re going to be fine.”
Balinskis’ path has been far from a straight line. He signed with the Panthers out of the Czech Extraliga, the highest-level ice hockey league in the Czech Republic, before the 2023-24 season. He played 26 games his first season and then saw the uptick in playing time in 2024-25 but has continued to be a player on the bubble of cracking the lineup when the Panthers are at full strength.
That has required Balinskis to never stay content with his game.
Maurice thinks Balinskis will be better for that in the long run and that he has already shown signs of growth because of it.
“He’s over that curve of what to expect in a game in terms of just the systems of hockey. He knows what his routes are and what to expect,” Maurice said. “He wasn’t a young man when he came in, but as an inexperienced player, you suffered greater ups and downs in the game, and the effect of that is also augmented in your mind. You make a mistake, and you carry it longer than you should. You do something good, and next thing you know you’re hanging around behind the net with the puck. He’s leveled out the emotions of his game. I think he’s always a strong finisher in his games — his second and third periods are stronger than his first — and he’s leveled that out as well.”
.JPG)