Ottawa Senators left wing Rudolfs Balcers (38) plays the puck against New York Islanders center Casey Cizikas (53) during the first period at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, March 5, 2019.Brad Penner/USA TODAY Sports via Reuters
The Ottawa Senators have signed forward Rudolfs Balcers to a one-year, two-way contract.
The deal is worth US$735,000 in the NHL and $70,000 in the American Hockey League.
The 23-year-old from Latvia was limited to 15 NHL games in 2019-20 after sustaining an medial collateral ligament injury in a pre-season contest at Vancouver on Sept. 25. He had a goal and two assists with the NHL Senators, and 36 points (16 goals, 20 assists) over 33 games with the AHL’s Belleville Senators.
Balcers has recorded 17 points (six goals, 11 assists) and 10 penalty minutes over 51 career NHL games, all with Ottawa. He has 115 points (56 goals, 59 assists) and 30 penalty minutes over 143 AHL games with the San Jose Barracuda and Belleville.
Selected by San Jose with the team’s second fifth-round pick (142nd overall) of the 2015 NHL draft, Balcers was acquired by Ottawa via trade with the Sharks on Sept. 13, 2018.