Rudolfs Balcers enters this year’s rankings four spots lower than our previous list - despite a season which saw him demolish the competition for the Belleville Senators. This shouldn’t be seen as a devaluation of Balcers as a prospect but, rather, the impact of a further strengthened prospect pool in Ottawa.
Balcers, as we know, came to the Senators organization as part of San Jose’s hefty payment for Erik Karlsson. Coming in, the left winger was fresh off an AHL season where he eclipsed the 20 goal mark. His 0.52 primary points per game in that season with the San Jose Barracuda ranked him seventh for DY+3 players in the AHL, behind the likes of Dylan Strome and Jack Roslovic but ahead of Anthony Cirelli, Colin White and Filip Chlapik.