Vancouver Canucks defenceman Alex Biega took a rather unusual career path but has finally reached his goal. He signed a one-way NHL contract.
The 5-foot-10 blueliner was selected out of the American high school league USHS by the Buffalo Sabres in the fifth round of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft. Following his draft season, Biega committed to Harvard University and spent four seasons with the Harvard Crimson. So, by the time he joined the Portland Pirates, the Sabres’ American Hockey League affiliate, Biega was already 22 years old.
A University of British Columbia study from 2014 shows that NHL defencemen are best between the ages of 28 and 29, and, therefore, peak at 29 years old.