The forward recorded 25 points in 25 games as a senior with Penn State.
By Jourdon LaBarber / Sabres.com
The Buffalo Sabres have agreed to terms with forward Brandon Biro on a two-year, entry-level contract.
Biro recorded 25 points (10+15) in 25 games while serving as team captain during his senior season with Penn State in 2019-20. He led the Nittany Lions to a 20-10-4 record, including a 12-8-4 conference record that topped the Big Ten.
He attended Sabres development camp in June 2018.
“Brandon will bring a combination of skill, hockey sense and character to our organization,” Sabres general manager Jason Botterill said. “We’re confident that his four years at Penn State with Coach Gadowsky have prepared him well for the next phase of his development.”
Biro, 22, finished his NCAA career ranked in Penn State’s top 10 in goals (T-8th), assists (3rd), and points (4th). He won the Big Ten championship as a freshman in 2016-17 and was a Big Ten All-Star Honorable Mention after recording career highs in goals, assists, and points as a junior in 2018-19.
In the aftermath of seeing his collegiate career come to an abrupt end, Biro has kept things in perspective.
As the world increased efforts to suppress the spread of COVID-19, both the Big Ten Tournament and the NCAA Tournament were canceled last Thursday. Just like that, Biro’s time at Penn State was over.
“Some things are bigger than hockey,” Biro said by phone Wednesday. “So, it was unfortunate but understandable.”
Biro grew with the Penn State program. He arrived as an 18-year-old freshman from Alberta for the 2016-17 season, adjusting to life away from his family for the first time. The Nittany Lions made their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament that same year, their fifth in Division I.
Biro points out the positives from his time in State College. He met his best friends at Penn State, a group that includes current Rochester Americans forward Brett Murray. He’s graduating with a degree in business management.
Plus, when one door closed, another opened. Biro said the process to sign a professional contract went faster than expected. His advisor quickly began speaking to teams, including one that made a strong impression two summers ago.
That team was the Sabres, who invited Biro to be a participant at their annual development camp in June 2018. He was an undrafted invite at a camp that included three top-10 picks, including the No. 1 selection in that year’s draft, Rasmus Dahlin. Yet he remembers feeling like he belonged.
“You were just treated like a professional even though I was an undrafted free agent who didn’t really have any ties to the organization,” Biro said. “Just the way they treated everyone was awesome. It was something I wanted to be a part of.”
Biro, a left winger, describes himself as a 200-foot player who uses his speed to create space and his hockey sense to play creatively on offense. Sabres general manager Jason Botterill said he expects Biro to bring “skill, hockey sense, and character” to the organization.
“I feel like there’s a good opportunity for myself to come in and prove myself as a player and get an opportunity to play,” Biro said. “I think it was just a good fit both on the ice and off the ice.