SUNRISE, Fla. – Florida Panthers General Manager Bill Zito announced today that forward Rudolfs Balcers has agreed to terms on a one-year contract.
“Rudolfs is a hard-working playmaker who competes with pace and skill,” said Zito. “His energy and competitiveness will complement our lineup well.”
Balcers, 25, skated in 61 games with the San Jose Sharks in 2021-22, producing a career-high 11 goals, 12 assists and 23 points. He has played in 153 career NHL games with San Jose (2020-21 to 2021-22) and the Ottawa Senators (2018-19 to 2019-20), totaling 57 points (25-32-57).
The 5-foot-11, 182-pound native of Liepaja, Latvia has appeared in 143 career American Hockey League (AHL) games with the Belleville Senators (2018-19 to 2019-20) and San Jose Barracuda (2017-18), producing 115 points (56-59-115).
Prior to his professional career, Balcers played one season (2016-17) with the Kamloops Blazers of the Western Hockey League (WHL), leading the Blazers with 40 goals and ranking second on the club with 77 points (40-37-77).
On the international stage, Balcers led Latvia with nine points (1-8-9) over seven games at the 2019 IIHF World Championship, and he represented his home country at both the U20 (2017) and U18 (2015) World Junior Championships.
Balcers was originally selected by San Jose in the fifth round (142nd overall) of the 2015 NHL Draft.
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