38 Rudolfs Balcers LW

The Senators reassigned Balcers to AHL Belleville on Friday.

The Senators only have one game remaining on their schedule, so there's no reason for them to keep depth skaters like Balcers around at this point. The 21-year-old forward will finish the season having notched five goals and 14 points in 36 appearances with the big club.

Balcers generated an assist in Wednesday's 7-4 loss to the Canucks.

Balcers has four points in nine games in March, giving him 10 points in 28 contests for the year. With only 16 hits, 21 blocked shots and 40 shots on goal, it's hard to recommend the Latvian winger for fantasy purposes, as none of his stats move the needle all that much.

Balcers (illness) is expected to return to the lineup for Saturday's game against Tampa Bay, NHL.com's Corey Long reports.

Balcers missed Thursday's game against the Oilers due to an illness, but he was never expected to be sidelined for long. The 21-year-old Latvian will return to a bottom-six role Saturday, skating with Brian Gibbons and Mikkel Boedker on the Senators' fourth line.

Balcers will miss Thursday's clash with Edmonton due to illness, Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun reports.

Balcers is starting to find his stride, as he has four points in his previous eight outings while averaging 11:49 of ice time. The winger will be replaced in the lineup by fellow youngster Drake Batherson versus the Oilers, though the two could find themselves competing for minutes down the stretch as the club probably wants to evaluate all its young talent.

Balcers is back with the Senators per the NHL's official media site.

The 21-year-old was sent to the AHL via a paper move Monday to preserve his eligibility for the AHL playoffs, but is back with the big club. The Latvian will likely be an integral part in the Ottawa rebuild going forward and has six points in 19 games this campaign.

Balcers was assigned to AHL Belleville on Monday, per the AHL's transactions list.

This is likely only a paper move. Several young players on other teams were similarly assigned to the AHL to ensure that they can be sent back down to the minors later this year. Balcers has four points in his last eight games, and the Senators aren't playing for anything, so it would be surprising if the 21-year-old wasn't recalled essentially immediately.

Balcers was called up from AHL Belleville on Saturday.

This is Balcers' second call-up of the 2018-19 campaign. Selected in the fifth round (142nd overall) of the 2015 draft -- the Sharks nabbed him before he was sent to Ottawa in the Erik Karlsson deal -- the winger will look to build upon the two points that he's accrued through his first eight games in the NHL. However, it appears that he'll have to push Nick Paul or another fourth-liner out of the lineup in order to see game action against the Red Wings on Saturday.

Balcers was reassigned to AHL Belleville on Wednesday.

Balcers served as a healthy scratch in Tuesday's matchup with Arizona and will now spend the All-Star break playing in the minors. The winger has just two points in his eight outings this season, in which he logged a mere 9:52 of ice time per game. With Colin White healthy, the Senators may opt to leave Balcers in the minors following the break.

Balcers scored his first career NHL goal in Sunday's 5-4 loss to the Hurricanes.

It took the 21-year-old only two games to light the lamp for the first time. Balcers is stuck on the fourth line and isn't seeing much ice time since his recall from AHL Belleville, but he's talented enough to work his way up the depth chart if he proves he can deliver a consistent effort.

Balcers was promoted from AHL Belleville on Friday.

Balcers has been impressive in the minors this season, racking up 14 goals and 12 helpers in 36 outings. The 21-year-old winger was brought in as part of the Erik Karlsson deal and could get his first look at NHL action either Saturday or Sunday versus Minnesota or Carolina, respectively. In a corresponding move, Jack Rodewald was shipped down to AHL Belleville.

Balcers was reassigned to the minors Sunday, TSN reports.

After coming over from San Jose as part of the Erik Karlsson trade, there was some speculation that Balcers could earn a spot on the 23-man roster for Opening Night. Instead, the winger will start the year in the minors, although he should be on the short list of potential call-ups throughout the 2018-19 campaign.

The Sharks traded Balcers to the Senators on Thursday, Dean Brown of the Senators Radio Network reports. San Jose has also sent Chris Tierney, Dylan DeMelo, Josh Norris, a 2019 second-round pick, a 2020 first-rounder and a pair of conditional picks in exchange for Erik Karlsson, Francis Perron and a first-round selection in 2019 or 2020.

Karlsson is obviously the headliner of this blockbuster trade, but Balcers is now a promising forward prospect for the Senators. The Latvian scored 40 goals and 77 points for WHL Kamloops in 2016-17, and he adjusted quite well in the AHL with San Jose last year, potting 23 goals and 25 assists in the regular season to complement a point-per-game average in the team's brief postseason run. He's known as a terrific skater with plenty of speed and soft hands. The Senators could use him after losing Mike Hoffman this offseason.

Balcers will represent his native Latvia during the 2018 IIHF World Championship, Patrick Williams of NHL.com reports.

Despite being called up to the Sharks this season, Balcers only suited up for the organization's minor-league affiliate in 2017-18, his first professional campaign in North America. After previously playing professionally in Norway, competing at the AHL level represents a significant leap in quality of play, and Balcers impressed. Over 67 games, Balcers recorded 23 goals and 25 assists, raising his profile as a prospect.

Balcers was summoned from AHL San Jose on Monday.

The 20-year-old has still yet to appear in a NHL game, but was AHL San Jose's representative at the AHL All Star Game, and leads the team with 33 points (14 goals, 19 assists) through 47 contests. With Joel Ward (shoulder) and Tomas Hertl (shoulder) headed to injured reserve as well, Balcers could finally see some action, but likely won't crack above a bottom six role.

Balcers was brought up from AHL San Jose for the first time Sunday.

The 20-year-old Latvian was a fifth-round pick in 2015, and signed an entry-level deal with the Sharks in July. He's been in the AHL all season, and has yet to play a game in the NHL. However, even if Balcers isn't considered one of San Jose's top prospects it will still be interesting to see what he does if he gets any playing time after putting up 31 points in 44 AHL games this season.