Florida Panthers defenseman Uvis Balinskis was part of Latvia’s 5-2 win over France, which will send the small Baltic nation to the 2026 Olympic Hockey Tournament in Italy. Balinskis registered three shots on goal and finished with a minus-one ratin as Latvia won Group E, finishing the final round of qualifying with a perfect 3-0 record. Former Panthers prospect Rodrigo Abols scored a the eventual game-winning goal.
Two other countries punched their tickets to the 2026 Games. Slovakia took Group D with a 3-1 victory over Kazakhstan and Denmark won Group F by posting a 4-1 win over Norway. France, the best of the three second place teams could wind up in Italy if Russia is declared ineligible.
Catching up on some of the weekend’s NHL news:
The Carolina Hurricanes signed restricted free agent forward Seth Jarvis to an eight-year, $63.2 million contract, $29.24 million of which comes in signing bonuses. Some deferred money that will be paid after the contract ends helps bring the average annual value down to $7.5 million. Jarvis, 22, ranked second among Hurricanes skaters in goals (33) and points (67) in 2023-24, establishing career highs in goals, assists (34), points, power-play goals (13), shorthanded goals (2) and game-winning goals (9).
The Boston Bruins have signed diminutive forward and two-time Stanley Cup-winner Tyler Johnson to a Professional Tryout Agreement. Johnson, 34, appeared in 67 games with the Chicago Blackhawks during the 2023-24 season, producing 17 goals and 14 assists for 31 points.
The Utah Clubbers signed veteran defenseman Robert Bortuzzo to a one-year, two-way contract that will pay $775K at the NHL level and $450K at the AHL level. Bortuzzo appeared in 23 games for the New York Islanders and four games for the St. Louis Blues last season.