Biega is one of five NHL draftees on the Crimson roster
(photo courtesy Patrick Shanahan).
LOS ANGELES—Harvard sophomore defenseman
Danny Biega was selected by the Carolina Hurricanes in the third
round of the 2010 National Hockey League Entry Draft Saturday at
Staples Center.
Biega was the seventh pick of the third round and the
draft's 67th overall selection. He was the second returning
college player selected in the draft and the first of four ECAC
Hockey players chosen. A Montreal native, Biega was the first
Quebec native selected in the draft. It is the second straight year
a Harvard player has held that distinction, as Louis Leblanc was
chosen 18th overall last season.
“He's an all-around guy who we think can eventually
contribute to the power play,” Tony MacDonald, the
Hurricanes' director of amateur scouting, said of Biega.
“He's a pretty smart player and is very strong
physically. He's well built and very solid, and he can handle
the big guys physically even though he's 5-11.”
Biega skated in 32 of Harvard's 33 games as a rookie last
season, registering five goals and nine points. He logged four
points on two goals and two assists in four playoff games, tying
for the ECAC Hockey playoff point- and goal-scoring leads among
freshmen and among defensemen. He posted a +4 rating in the
Crimson's two-game road sweep of Princeton in opening round
of the ECAC tournament.
Biega was the 80th NHL Draft pick in program history. He was the
first Harvard player ever selected by the Hurricanes. The
organization selected five Crimson players as the Hartford Whalers
before moving south in 1997. Three Harvard players have gone on to
play for Carolina: Craig Adams '99, Craig MacDonald '99
and Tripp Tracy '96. Tracy is now a television analyst for
the Hurricanes, while Jason Karmanos '96 is the team's
executive director of hockey operations. Five former Harvard
players skated for the Whalers.
Biega was the second player in his family to be drafted, joining
older brother Alex Biega '10, who was a fifth-round selection
of the Buffalo Sabres in 2006 and recently signed with the Sabres.
Danny, Alex and brother Michael all skated for the Crimson in
2009-10. Danny and Michael, a senior, remain on the team following
Alex's graduation.
The 2010-11 Harvard roster will include five drafted players:
Biega, senior Matt McCollem, junior Alex Killorn and sophomores
Leblanc and Alex Fallstrom. McCollem was chosen in the sixth round
of the 2006 draft by the St. Louis Blues. Killorn was a third-round
pick of the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2007. Last season, Leblanc was
selected in the first round by the Montreal Canadiens and Fallstrom
was picked in the fourth round by the Minnesota Wild.
Fallstrom's rights were later traded to the Boston
Bruins.
Crimson players have been selected in 14 of the last 15 and 27
of the last 29 NHL Drafts.
