PROSPECTS: Sourdif ready to go pro; Vilmanis arrives to Florida

CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. - Justin Sourdif is ready to make the jump.
Getting a head start on preparing for his first season in the professional ranks, the 20-year-old forward was all smiles following the first on-ice session of Rookie Camp at the Panthers IceDen on Wednesday.
"I'm super excited to be back in South Florida," said Sourdif, who was selected by the Florida Panthers in the third round (87th overall) of the 2020 NHL Draft. "It's good to see the guys again and get in another Rookie Tournament coming up later this weekend. I think everybody's just really excited. … It's a different feeling for me. Going to Charlotte this year, it's going to be super exciting. It's a good group of guys."

That excitement was bolstered by a strong performance during the first day of camp.
"He scored a lot of goals today, which is a good thing," Charlotte Checkers head coach Geordie Kinnear said of Sourdif's productive early showing. "He has grit and determination on the ice. It doesn't matter if it's practice or a drill, you can see he's a determined hockey player that has a lot of fun out there."
Ending his junior career on a very high note, Sourdif cruised into this summer on the heels of helping the Edmonton Oil Kings capture a championship in the WHL. Acquired from the Vancouver Giants in a blockbuster trade on Jan. 17, he went on to produce 39 points (17 goals, 22 assists) in 28 regular-season games and 14 points (five goals, nine assists) in 19 postseason games after arriving to the Oil Kings.
Between both teams, he tallied a career-high 71 points (26 goals, 45 assists) in 52 games in 2021-22.
"It was an amazing run," Sourdif said.
After sitting out most of Development Camp back in July while nursing an injury, Sourdif said he's back to feeling 100 percent and is now ready to show the coaching staff at Rookie Camp what he's capable of.
"Health-wise, I'm all good," he said. "[The Rookie Tournament] should be a really good experience again with really fast and competitive hockey. I think it's a really good start before you get going in main camp. I think it'll help a lot of guys just kind of get their legs back underneath them."
Following another practice on Thursday morning, Sourdif, who inked a three-year, entry-level contract with the Panthers on Sept. 24, 2021, and his fellow prospects will board a flight to Raleigh to kick off a four-team tournament against the Carolina Hurricanes, Nashville Predators and Tampa Bay Lightning.
At last year's Rookie Tournament, he racked up a goal and two assists.
"It's going to be really competitive weekend," Sourdif said. "Everyone's super excited to get going here. I love all the guys so far. They're really good character guys. I think we have a really good team going in."

VILMANIS ARRIVES

A little over two months after being selected in the fifth round (157th overall) of the 2022 NHL Draft, Sandis Vilmanis finally hit the ice in a Panthers jersey for the first time on the opening day of Rookie Camp.
"It's really important for me," said Vilmanis, who unfortunately was unable to attend both the draft and Development Camp in July. "It's a great organization. I'm really happy to be here. It's just amazing."
As far as first impressions go, Kinnear liked what he saw from the giddy 18-year-old forward.
"I liked that he had a smile on his face all day today," said Kinnear, flashing a grin of his own. "He had fun out there. I've never seen the best version of anybody if they didn't have fun out there, and I could tell that he had a lot of fun out there. He has a good personality."
Vilmanis backed up that smile with some strong statistics in 2021-22.
In 40 games with Lulea HF's U20 team in Sweden, the 6-foot-1, 192-pound native of Riga, Latvia finished tied for the club lead with 18 goals and ranked third with 32 points. On the international stage, he also appeared in five games at the 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship, including helping Latvia secure a 5-2 win over Czechia to give the nation its first victory at the tournament in a decade.
"It was amazing," Vilmanis said of the win. "The feeling in that moment was over the roof."
Still in the early stages of his development, Vilmanis will get his feet wet in North America during the upcoming season after signing with Sarnia Sting of the OHL. Getting off to a hot start, he gave Sting fans a glimpse of his skills when he lit the lamp during a recent exhibition before packing his bags and heading to South Florida.
"We have a great team there," Vilmanis said. "I hope that we go as far as possible."

ROOKIE TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE

Game 1: Friday, September 16
Florida Panthers vs. Carolina Hurricanes (Invisalign Arena) | 10 a.m.
Saturday, September 17
Practice Day
Game 2: Sunday, September 18
Florida Panthers vs. Tampa Bay Lightning (PNC Arena) | 1 p.m.
Game 3: Monday, September 19
Florida Panthers vs. Nashville Predators (PNC Arena) | 10 a.m.
To view the roster for this weekend's tournament, click
HERE
.
The Panthers will kick off the 2022-23 season at FLA Live Arena against the Philadelphia Flyers on October 19, 2022. The first 10,000 fans through the doors will receive a commemorative magnet schedule courtesy of Bally Sports Florida. Click HERE to purchase your tickets today!