When the San Jose Sharks drafted Rudolfs Balcers in the fifth round, 142nd overall, in 2015, he’d just come off a championship title with the Stavanger Oilers of the Norwegian League. In just twelve games during that championship run, Balcers tallied 14 goals and 9 assists, making him a nearly two point per-game player.
From the start of his career, Balcers’ offense has been impressive. At 14 years old, he began with the Lorenskog Under-17 team in the Norwegian League and tallied 24 points in 21 games. He went on to lead the Under-18 team in scoring the next year, with 20 goals and 37 points in 26 games.