Alex Biega (ice hockey)
| Alex Biega | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| Born |
April 4, 1988 Montreal, QC, CAN | ||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) | ||
| Weight | 200 lb (91 kg; 14 st 4 lb) | ||
| Position | Defence | ||
| Shoots | Right | ||
| NHL team (P) Cur. team |
Vancouver Canucks Utica Comets (AHL) | ||
| NHL draft |
147th overall, 2006 Buffalo Sabres | ||
| Playing career | 2010–present | ||
Alex Biega (born April 4, 1988) is a professional ice hockey defenceman. He is currently playing with the Utica Comets of the American Hockey League (AHL) whilst under contract to the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League (NHL). Biega was selected by the Buffalo Sabres in the 5th round (147th overall) of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft. His brother is Danny Biega of the Carolina Hurricanes.
Playing career
Amateur
Biega was drafted by Rimouski Océanic in the first round of the 2004 QMJHL Entry Draft,[1] but choose instead to play high school hockey at Salisbury School in Salisbury, Connecticut.[2] Biega then attended Harvard University where he played four seasons of NCAA Division I ice hockey with the Harvard Crimson men's ice hockey team. Biega was a standout player for the Crimson's, where in his Freshman season he was named to the ECAC Hockey All-Rookie team, and in his Junior year he was awarded the John Tudor Memorial Cup as the Crimson's most valuable player.[3] In his Senior Year Biega was named the team's Captain.[3]
Professional
Biega was selected by the Buffalo Sabres in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, but was not able to sign a professional contract until after he completed his NCAA play.[4] Upon graduation, on May 27, 2010, Biega was signed by the Sabres to a two-year contract.[5]
On October 9, 2010 Biega made his professional debut playing in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Portland Pirates, and on November 20, 2010, scored his first professional goal to help his team to a 2-1 win over the visiting Worcester Sharks.[6] He went on to play in 61 regular season games with the Pirates during the 2010–11 AHL season and also played 12 playoff games during his rookie campaign.[3]
Biega began the 2011–12 season with the Rochester Americans, the new AHL affiliate of the Buffalo Sabres.[7]
On July 5, 2013, Biega agreed to a one-year contract as a free agent with the Vancouver Canucks.[8] He was assigned to AHL affiliate, the Utica Comets for their inaugural season in 2013–14, appearing in a career high 73 games for 22 points from the blueline. On July 1, 2014, Biega re-signed with the Canucks, on a one year contract worth $600,000. He was called up to Vancouver after posting 10 points in 25 games with Utica.[9]
Biega made his NHL debut with Vancouver on February 16, 2015 scoring his first NHL goal; the game winner in a 3-2 win over the Minnesota Wild.
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2004–05 | Salisbury School | USHS | 27 | 9 | 22 | 31 | 45 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2005–06 | Salisbury School | USHS | 28 | 10 | 17 | 27 | 51 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2006–07 | Harvard University | ECAC | 33 | 6 | 12 | 18 | 36 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2007–08 | Harvard University | ECAC | 34 | 3 | 19 | 22 | 28 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2008–09 | Harvard University | ECAC | 31 | 4 | 16 | 20 | 50 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2009–10 | Harvard University | ECAC | 33 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 30 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2010–11 | Portland Pirates | AHL | 61 | 3 | 15 | 18 | 52 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | ||
| 2011–12 | Rochester Americans | AHL | 65 | 5 | 18 | 23 | 47 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 | ||
| 2012–13 | Rochester Americans | AHL | 72 | 5 | 20 | 25 | 59 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 2013–14 | Utica Comets | AHL | 73 | 3 | 19 | 22 | 53 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| AHL totals | 271 | 16 | 72 | 88 | 211 | 17 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 14 | ||||
International
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Canada Quebec | WHC17 | 9th | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | |
| Junior totals | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||||
Awards and honours
| Award | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| All-ECAC Hockey Rookie Team | 2006–07 | [10] |
| All-ECAC Hockey Third Team | 2007–08 | |
| ECAC Hockey All-Tournament Team | 2008 | [11] |
| All-ECAC Hockey Third Team | 2008–09 | |
| All-Ivy League First All-Star Team | 2008–09 | [3] |
| ECAC Hockey All-Academic Team | 2008–09 | [12] |
References
- ^ Officiel de la LHJMQ - 2004 QMJHL Entry Draft
- ^ McKeens Hockey - USHS: Alex Biega Q & A
- ^ a b c d The American Hockey League - Alex Biega's AHL Profile
- ^ Sabres organizational depth analysis, Fall 2009 - Hockey's Future
- ^ Boston.com - Biega signs with Sabres
- ^ The American Hockey League - Saturday's AHL Boxscores - Portland 2, Worcester 1 (SO)
- ^ "Friday Camp Notes". Buffalo Sabres. 2011-10-18. Retrieved 2011-10-18.
- ^ "Canucks sign Weber, Biega and Blain". Vancouver Canucks. 2013-07-05. Retrieved 2013-07-05.
- ^ Jamieson, Jim (2014-12-15). "D-man Biega just happy to be here with the Canucks". The Province. Retrieved 2014-12-22.
- ^ ECAC Hockey Mobile : ECAC Hockey League Announces Annual Award Winners
- ^ "All-Tournament Honors" (PDF). ECAC Hockey. Retrieved 2014-05-12.
- ^ Hockey Awards & Achievements - NCAA (ECAC) All-Academic Team