Sarnia Sting forward Sandis Vilmanis appears to be headed back to the World Juniors after helping his native Latvia clinch a quarter-final berth at the 2022 tournament in August.
The 18-year-old Vilmanis joined the Sting after being the 14th overall pick of the 2022 CHL Import Draft. He’s recorded 24 points (11-13–24) through 29 games this season. Vilmanis was Florida’s fifth round (157th overall) pick in the 2022 NHL Draft.
Latvia will compete in Group B of this year’s tournament, squaring off against Finland, Slovakia, Switzerland and the United States in round-robin play.
