Biega, 31, has appeared in two games with Detroit since he was acquired via trade on Oct. 6, registering five shots on goal, one hit and two blocked shots in 15:52 average time on ice. He has appeared in 181 NHL games with the Vancouver Canucks and Red Wings since debuting in 2014-15, totaling 36 points (4-32-36) and 94 penalty minutes. A 5-foot-10, 199-pound blueliner from Montreal, Quebec, Biega posted his best statistical season with Vancouver in 2018-19, registering a career-high 16 points (2-14-16) to rank fourth among Canucks defensemen in points, despite skating in only 41 games. Biega has also logged 351 games in the American Hockey League with the Portland Pirates, Rochester Americans and Utica Comets over his 10 professional seasons, registering 115 points (20-95-115), a plus-16 rating and 245 penalty minutes.
Prior to his professional career, Biega spent four seasons at Harvard University, serving as captain in 2009-10. He recorded 70 points (15-55-70) in 131 collegiate games from 2006-10. He was twice named to the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference's Third All-Star Team and was an ECAC All-Rookie Team member as a freshman in 2006-07. Biega is originally a fifth-round draft pick (147th overall) of the Buffalo Sabres in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft.
Ericsson has logged 662 NHL games since making his NHL debut during the 2007-08 season, totaling 125 points (27-98-125) and 531 penalty minutes and adding 21 points (5-16-21) and 53 penalty minutes in 76 postseason games. The 35-year-old defenseman has not yet played this season and was limited to 52 games played in 2018-19 due to injury. Originally drafted in the ninth round with the 291st and last pick of the 2002 NHL Entry Draft, Ericsson is one of just four players in league history to skate in 400-or-more NHL games after being selected with the final pick of an Entry Draft (along with Patric Hornqvist, Kim Johnsson and Gerry Meehan).
The 14th-year pro has previously logged time with the Griffins, skating in 176 AHL games from 2006-09 and totaling 78 points (17-61-78), a plus-21 rating and 233 penalty minutes, while being selected to the 2008 AHL All-Star Game. A native of Karlskrona, Sweden, Ericsson has represented his country several times on the international stage, skating at the 2010 (bronze medal) and 2012 IIHF World Championships and capturing a silver medal at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. Prior to coming to North America, Ericsson played professionally in Sweden from 2003-06, logging 128 contests between the Swedish Hockey League for Sodertalje SK and the second-tier Allsvenskan with Huddinge IK and Almtuna IS.
Alex Biega, Defenseman
Born Apr 4 1988 -- Montreal, PQ
Height 5.10 -- Weight 199 -- Shoots R
Selected by Buffalo Sabres round 5 #147 overall 2006 NHL Entry Draft
