Hurricanes Add Danny Biega at 67th Overall

by Bob Wage on Jun 26, 2010 9:01 PM EDT

LOS ANGELES, CA - JUNE 26: Danny Biega, drafted in the third round by the Carolina Hurricanes, poses for a portrait during the 2010 NHL Entry Draft at Staples Center on June 26, 2010 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

Los Angeles, CA. The Carolina Hurricanes wanted defensemen and they got defensemen on Saturday. After selecting blueliners Justin Faulk and Mark Alt in the second round, they went right back at it and opened their third round by choosing Danny Biega with the 67th overall pick.

The well-spoken, bi-lingual blueliner is now attending Harvard and plans to return next season. But after graduating, which could be in two years or three years, he has every intention of playing hockey in the NHL.

The Montreal native is known to be a fast skater and takes pride in "getting to the puck first".

Tony MacDonald was very pleased with the pick because Biega was one of the top conditioned players at the Draft Combine. "He's a very well-trained athlete," the Hurricanes Director of Scouting said.

The ISS had him ranked at number 50 in the draft and the CSS had him as the 31st best North American skater, so it looks like they selected him at a good spot here.

Go Crimson.com has some more info.

Check out the video of his media interview after the jump.

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I love in the video when the media from Montreal asks him a question in French and he replies back in kind. Sorry, LTD, but it really almost had a Ruu quality to it. N’est-ce pas?

Three brothers all at Harvard playing hockey. Man, those parents must be some kind of proud.

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by Carolyn Christians on Jun 26, 2010 10:29 PM EDT reply actions

I mean, he is from Quebec...

Advance apologies if the contents of this sports-based post offended you. I'm just aiming to educate the masses. My law professor says they're asses.

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by MichaelProcton on Jun 27, 2010 4:05 PM EDT up reply actions

Danny Biega with an assist.

Carolina Hurricanes! Your 2011 Stanley Cup Champions!

by canescup on Jun 26, 2010 11:13 PM EDT reply actions

This has a list of all the combine results for NCAA prospects who were in the top 10 of the whole 100 there. Biega’s name is on almost every upper body strength test (which we kinda knew) which are not until you scroll down a bit.

Mark Alt is on many of the leg strength tests, plus wingspan. Surprising, because I would expect the Football player to have the upper body strength. Maybe cause he’s only in high school (Alt) ?

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by Carolyn Christians on Jun 26, 2010 11:49 PM EDT reply actions

You need those legs in football to drive opponents backwards or maybe he is a kicker. :)

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by PackPride17 on Jun 27, 2010 12:20 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions

Actually Mark Alt was a Quarterback and kicked a field goal in the 5A state championship game this year.

How about this story:

         Alt suffered a cracked collarbone in his left (non-throwing) shoulder twice during a four-week span during the football season this past fall. The second time occurred in the third quarter of the Class 5A state football championship game Nov. 27.
       “There was so much adrenaline going through my body during the game, I really didn’t even think about it,” Alt, the team’s starting quarterback, told NHL.com.
         Alt completed 10 of 19 passes for 216 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and he kicked the game-clinching 27-yard field goal en route to leading Cretin-Derham Hall to a 16-5 victory against Eden Prairie and its first state title since 1999, when Minnesota Twins catcher Joe Mauer was the quarterback.

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by Carolyn Christians on Jun 27, 2010 12:30 AM EDT up reply actions

Wow, I didn’t see that one coming. He was a kicker, wouldn’t have guessed that. But quarterbacking is generally more about the lower body than most people think. You have to have a good foundation to throw from.

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by PackPride17 on Jun 27, 2010 12:48 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions

Quarterbacks tend to be the best athletes

Alt sounds like the prototypical high school quarterback/athlete. The fact that he is a kicker reinforces the fact that he is an athlete with large size is a very positive sign for the Hurricanes.

by abramsdoug on Jun 27, 2010 9:18 AM EDT up reply actions

I also like the Timmy-like quality of playing through the broken collarbone. The comments were that he has been dividing his time w/football, and now if he’s 100% hockey at a school like Minnesota, we should see his skill improve dramatically. Also thinking a quarterback has vision and hopefully he’s seen enough hockey to know what’s happening. That’s something that only comes with time; the Canadians and Finns simply have so much focus on hockey from a pre-school age, they really have an advantage.

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by Carolyn Christians on Jun 27, 2010 10:41 AM EDT up reply actions

Lots of teams just have their best athlete kick too.

My HS’ top player was a QB, LB, K and P.

Advance apologies if the contents of this sports-based post offended you. I'm just aiming to educate the masses. My law professor says they're asses.

Panthers '010: Save the Richardson family coffers! We'll take the winning if we stumble into it.

by MichaelProcton on Jun 27, 2010 4:06 PM EDT up reply actions

My HS team had a very good kicker. But HS football is all about playing multiple positions. I played S, WR, and backup QB. We actually had our OG as our punter for a couple of seasons.

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by PackPride17 on Jun 27, 2010 4:18 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions

Biega Article

Here is an article on Biega worth reading. He obviously has spent time in the weight room.

http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=532480

The review cites his strength as shown in the combine as well as the fact that he has quick feet and excellent speed. Somewhat the polar opposite of Wallin, I’d say.

by abramsdoug on Jun 27, 2010 11:04 AM EDT up reply actions

they also featured him as a video highlight on the front page of NHL.com as a “workout freak”. Rod-the-Bod Redux?

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by Carolyn Christians on Jun 27, 2010 11:14 AM EDT up reply actions

Speaking of Wallin; what was his contract amount last season? I’m just wondering how it compares to his new contract with the Sharks.

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by PackPride17 on Jun 27, 2010 11:57 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions

Capgeek (my new favorite site) says $1.725 M.

"What Carolina really has going for them is Brandon Sutter. When that kid first showed up, he looked like a skinny little thing that wouldn’t last two weeks. But he’s turned into a real star."

by caniacgirl on Jun 27, 2010 11:59 AM EDT up reply actions

Wow, so he got a $750K raise.

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by PackPride17 on Jun 27, 2010 12:29 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions

Life is strange.

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by Carolyn Christians on Jun 27, 2010 12:58 PM EDT up reply actions

One person’s trash is another man’s treasure.

I’m not trying to say Wallin was complete trash, but JR did try to move him multiple times.

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by PackPride17 on Jun 27, 2010 1:30 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions

He had the NTC. But am I right that we got Mark Alt (late 2nd round) for the San Jose pick we acquired in the Wallin trade.?

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by Carolyn Christians on Jun 27, 2010 1:51 PM EDT up reply actions

There’s a lot to be said for character and experience. And a team budget higher than the cap floor.

"What Carolina really has going for them is Brandon Sutter. When that kid first showed up, he looked like a skinny little thing that wouldn’t last two weeks. But he’s turned into a real star."

by caniacgirl on Jun 27, 2010 3:12 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions

Seems like they really valued his toughness and grit:

“We were proud of the way he battled through a tough injury during the playoffs and are looking forward to having him at full health.”

—Sharks GM Doug Wilson
And hey, it can’t hurt with all their early-round flameouts.

Advance apologies if the contents of this sports-based post offended you. I'm just aiming to educate the masses. My law professor says they're asses.

Panthers '010: Save the Richardson family coffers! We'll take the winning if we stumble into it.

by MichaelProcton on Jun 27, 2010 4:11 PM EDT up reply actions

I’d like to label the story photo with Biega coming out of the curtain “Peek-a-boo”.

"The increase in pain is way beyond what you would expect a person to play with," said coach Paul Maurice. "Unfortunately it’s even beyond what Tim Gleason can play with, because he can play with just about anything."

by Cyn4Canes on Jun 27, 2010 2:48 PM EDT reply actions

One of my college roommates went to school with him at Salisbury and says he reminds him of a defensive minded Ruutu with the way he skates. He said that he skates fast and hits hard. He said he plays the puck well most of the time but sometimes plays looser D to set up a big hit in the corners. He said he is not afraid to throw around the body and make some noise along the boards. Won’t pass up a hit and when he does line someone up he comes fast and hard. Garnered him the nick name “Danimal” amongst the students at Salisbury.

by Clemson Caniac on Jun 29, 2010 6:46 PM EDT reply actions