Prospect Interview Featuring - Tyler Biggs

McKeen's correspondent Kevin Wey interviews USNTDP Under-18 winger Tyler Biggs, who finished third in team goal scoring in 2010-11 and used his 6-foot-2, 210-pound frame to provide a significant physical presence on the forecheck, in front of the net, and when the gloves came off.

McKeen's: How would you say the team has done both in USHL competition and NCAA competition this season?

Biggs: I think at first it was definitely a big jump. I think, for the most part, we've really come a long way, getting used to the experience of the veteran guys in this league and how much bigger and stronger they were. But, we've worked hard over these two years and, as you can see, from our track record, these last few games, we've been on a winning streak here. We had a tough loss last night, but it just shows how far we've come. It's just proof that with the work we put into it at this program, it pays off. It makes a big difference.

McKeen's: In February, you guys fared fairly well at the Five Nations Cup, winning all four of your games and scoring quite a few goals. As a team, you're not known for scoring a lot of goals. So, what were the keys to that level of success offensively at that tournament?

Biggs: I think playing internationally (pauses)… for us, when we play our game, which is a hard-working game and a grinding game, grinding them out down low, we stuck to our guns that whole week and we played physical and it's a style they're not used to playing. We had a full effect on them. When you get that many goals, it's definitely a confidence booster for us. But, at the same time, we have to go into Germany pushing that behind us and getting ready to go.

McKeen's: Back in January, Central Scouting released their mid-term rankings and you were ranked the fifth prospect overall amongst North American skaters. What was your reaction to that?

Biggs: Honestly, I didn't even know about it until the day off. So, I didn't know they were doing that or anything like that. Obviously, it's definitely an honor to be recognized there. But, at the same time, I think for me, the whole year, it's something that I haven't really tried to worry about and something that's left at the back of my mind. Obviously, I do think about it, but as long as I take it a game at a time, I think the rest is just going to take care of itself.

McKeen's: So, what would you say are the strengths of your game and, for those who have not seen you play, the style that you play?

Biggs: For those that haven't seen me play, I'm your prototypical power forward. I'm a guy that really likes to do it all. I'm going to skate, hit, and fight, and score goals. So, for the most part, I play to my strengths, which are playing physical, taking the puck to the net, driving to the net with or without the puck, staying around the net, and trying to get those dirty goals, as well as shoot the puck when I get a chance to.

McKeen's: Development is in the name of the team you play for, so what would you say are the areas of your game that have developed the most over these two years and then, also, the areas you feel you need to continue to focus on improving?

Biggs: Right. I think, before this program, as a player, I didn't really know what my role was. Over the first year, it was a lot of developing physically and just getting used to playing these games. I think this year, mainly, it's been a big year for me to kind of learn my role on a team and developing into the player I am now, which is a power forward, like I said. It's something I take pride in now and something I've worked on the past two years.

McKeen's: Heading forward, for you college hockey will be at Miami University. If I might ask, what other programs were recruiting you hard or that you were considering and then what made you decide on becoming a Redhawk in the end?

Biggs: Well, for me, during the process, I kind of narrowed it down to five schools before. It just made the whole thing a lot easier. It ended up just being Michigan, Notre, Dame, Miami, Wisconsin, and North Dakota. Those are big-time hockey schools and the kind of school you can get a good education at. So, I narrowed it down to that. When it came down to picking Miami, I went on every visit and I guess a lot of guys can tell that when you go on a visit and you do pick the college you want, it feels right when you go in there. I had a great relationship with the coaches right off the bat and I got to meet the guys and it just felt like a great situation and something I wanted to be a part of.

McKeen's: Now, it hasn't been entirely uncommon for, particularly players who were drafted as high as you're likely to be drafted, to get pressured to go the major junior route, and your rights are held by Oshawa. Do you foresee any of that pressure and would you consider playing major juniors?

Biggs: I think I'm going to play this year out and see how the draft goes. If something comes across in the future that, maybe, as a family and I decide that that's a better option for me, then it's something I'm going to definitely have to seriously consider. But, until then, I have committed to Miami and I've given them my word to go there.

McKeen's: Your dad has been through this before. He played in the OHL. He played pro, playing a dozen NHL games or so and having a very notable career in the AHL and the IHL. So, what has he said to you about all the options before you, because he's pretty familiar with a lot of them?

Biggs: You'd think that he'd be a little bit biased toward one or the other, but he's been great with the whole thing. It's something that, as a family, it kind of just came as a shock to us. We didn't really think we'd have all these opportunities so quick. For me, him, and my mom, and my sister, it's been one big whirlwind. He's just kind of let me have my decisions. He's put his two cents in, but, for the most part, he's always left it up to me and whatever I enjoy doing or whatever I want to do, he's going to support me 100 percent.

McKeen's: When did you first start playing and how did you get that start?

Biggs: I started playing, probably around five or six. I started skating when I was about four. Obviously, I wanted to be my dad. That definitely had a big impact on it. So, I started skating when I was four and was crying every time I went out there. He kept putting me out there and eventually I grew to love the sport and it's kind of stuck with me ever since, obviously.

McKeen's: For what different organizations did you skate for at the different youth levels?

Biggs: I played for my dad for probably about 10 or 11 years, playing just double-A and triple-A hockey in Cincinnati. Then, my year before I came to The Program, I decided to make the move to Toronto, just for more exposure and hopefully get bigger opportunities at the next level. So, I was playing in the GTHL, triple-A hockey, that was basically my biggest year for exposure to try to get to the next level, and it definitely paid off.

McKeen's: With that, and that goes perfectly into my next question, a lot of kids from your area would have looked at playing in the Tier 1 Elite League, or maybe it was still called the Midwest Elite Hockey League at that point. What made you decide to go up to Toronto, instead of perhaps playing for the Cleveland Barons or a team in Michigan or Chicago?

Biggs: Well, for me, both of my parents are Canadian, so I have a lot of family up there. My mom made the move up there with me. I was 14 and 15, so I was a little young to go on my own. So, she made the move up with me and she had her relatives and her sisters and her brothers there. It made the whole process a lot easier for the both of us, being away from your family home but at the same time having your other relatives there with you to help and support you. So, that definitely had a big impact on it and I appreciate everything she did for me.

McKeen's: Your father is still pretty active in Cincinnati hockey. He coaches the NA3HL Queen City Steam, so he has the playing aspect and the coaching aspect. What's some of the best advice he's given to you over the years and in what ways has he helped you?

Biggs: He's definitely been my biggest influence as a player. As my coach, he's obviously given me tons of advice. Going through it, I think there's not really one that sticks out more than the others. He's kind of developed me into the kind of person I am more than anything on the ice. My competitive nature, I think that's what I definitely get most from him. It's definitely helped me, that's for sure.

McKeen's: Following AHL and IHL hockey back in the day, I don't remember your dad being 6-foot-2. He's about 5-foot-9 or so. So, where does your height come from, then?

Biggs: The big joke around my family is that I invented my own genes. I don't know how possible that is at this point. But, I do have uncles that are about five-eleven, six-foot.

McKeen's: So it's possible.

Biggs: Right. There's definitely some possibility there. But, I'm pretty fortunate to have the height I have now.

McKeen's: As we've talked about it, your dad was a high scorer in the AHL and the IHL, and even when he came out of retirement for part of a year to help the Cincinnati ECHL team in their playoff push. At what point do you remember first being able to really watch your dad and, looking back from where you're at now, how much more are you able to appreciate what your dad accomplished?

Biggs: I definitely appreciate everything he's accomplished. Being 5-foot-8 and playing where he did, it was a lot harder to play in the NHL back then. So what he accomplished and how much he did accomplish in the amount of points, with the new NHL rules, there's not a doubt in my mind that he would have been a great NHL player. But, as far as remembering, when he came out of retirement, that was a big year. I got to be the stick boy. So, I was on the bench and I did all of that. I just remember his last game, or one of his last few games, getting ready to go into the playoffs, and they're going into a shootout and he put it in five hole. That was one of my proudest moments ever, seeing my dad in one of his last games and seeing him push his team into the playoffs like that is something I'm going to take with me for the rest of my life.

McKeen's: What are your earliest memories of watching your dad?

Biggs: Obviously, I was pretty young. I think that being able to watch my dad when I was able to know what was going on, being able to watch the player he was and the leadership role he took on with his players was something special.

[The interview in mid-March concluded at this point and was continued over the phone in mid-May, after the World Under-18 Championships had been completed and leading up to the NHL Combine.]

McKeen's: Since the last time we talked, you guys won the World Under-18 Championships, which is the third year in a row for Team USA, and you guys did it in overtime against Sweden. That's something you've done before, although not at this big of stage. What were the feelings after the third period and then tell me about the celebration after Connor Murphy scores in overtime.

Biggs: I think everyone was a little bit nervous. I think if they told you they weren't, they'd be lying. It was a very close game. It almost felt like things were slipping away, but we kept our composure and we kept battling through it and Boucher puts that one in with 1:30 or so left to go and all of the sudden we're all tied up and going to overtime. I feel like after he scored that goal, we had all the momentum and all the confidence in the world, and that's exactly what we needed. As soon as Murphy put that puck in the net, it was like a dream come true. I can't really describe how we all felt after two years of going through it all with these guys and to finish like that. It was pretty surreal.

McKeen's: Now, to reach the gold medal game, you guys had to face Canada, which was another game that went into overtime. Canada made a concerted last-ditch effort in the third, too, so what were the feelings after the third period in that game?

Biggs: Well, we'd been in that situation before. The year before in the semi-finals of the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge against Sweden, we were up 4-0 and they came back, and they made it 5-4, actually, and just took the lead from us. We scored a last-minute goal and then won in overtime. So, we were in that situation before, which definitely helped. Like I said, as with the Sweden game, we kept our composure and we knew what we had to do and we went out there and we did it. It was a great game, and unfortunately, sometimes, if you let up, teams are going to take advantage of it and Canada certainly did.

McKeen's: In overtime, things went well for you guys and you played a pretty big role in that. So, recall that overtime goal for me and how it felt afterward.

Biggs: Yeah, Ryan Murphy from Canada took a shot that was actually going in and Gibson made a great save and I just picked it up off the wall and went down. We had a two-on-one for a bit until their backchecker came down, so I knew the pass wasn't there, so I just threw it at the net and, lucky enough, it went in.

McKeen's: How did you feel you played at the Under-18's?

Biggs: I think everybody played their role. I think everyone did a good job. I think some guys maybe thought they could have played better, produced a little bit more, and there were some guys who were pretty happy where they were at. I think all of our efforts were there and that's why we won.

McKeen's: Two players who came away, statistically, looking pretty good were J.T. Miller and Reid Boucher. What would you say of their fine showings in terms of production?

Biggs: Obviously their numbers speak for themselves. But, those guys, there were times when we needed a big goal and those guys were the guys that got it. You're going to need that. It's like that in a big tournament in order to win and we had them luckily. We had two of them.

McKeen's: Now, your final ranking with Central Scouting put you at 22nd amongst North American skaters, so that earned you an invite to The Combine, and that's coming up pretty quick. So, what have you been doing to prepare for it so far and what do you expect?

Biggs: Well, you hear a lot from guys coming down and you get an idea, as far as a workout standpoint, what to expect for exercises. We know it's going to be tough, and a lot of us feel pretty confident with the training we've had the National Program that we're going to be okay. Right now, we're doing our lifts and getting a little extra bike sprints and doing that sort of thing to get ourselves ready. But, I have all the confidence in the world in our guys that we're going to perform well.

McKeen's: It sounds like since there's a number of guys with The Program going to The Combine that you're able to train together some. Tell me about that and do you feel it's an advantage.

Biggs: Oh, there's only so much you can do that's going to give you an advantage with working out with someone. Regardless, it's going to be up to the individual with how hard they want to work. If they're going to put the effort in, they're going to have the advantage.

McKeen's: Moving to late June with the draft, what are your expectations of the draft?

Biggs: Honestly, you're asking the wrong guy, because I have no idea what to expect. I just have my figures crossed and I hope for the best. I've been pretty fortunate to get this far already and now I'm just going to try and sit back and enjoy it.

McKeen's: Looking back on your time with the U.S. National Team Development Program, of all your teammates, who has impressed you the most and why?

Biggs: I'd think a guy that can really be a game changer and have a team on his back is John Gibson. You're going to need at least one of your best players and your best penalty killers to be your goalie, and he's consistently always there. You never have to worry about him back there. He always keeps his composure, and those are the kind of guys that you're going to want with you on your team when you're trying to win a championship.

McKeen's: To round things out, who were some of your favorite players growing up and why and then what players today would you say you're similar to or that you'd like to equate to?

Biggs: Growing up I loved to watch Jarome Iginla. He's a power forward, but he's not your average power forward. He's a guy that can put up numbers with the best of them. He's going to be a Hall of Famer, and he's just a fun player to watch. He's a leader, a goal scorer, and a power forward. For me, to be able to see a power forward also be able to score, I looked up to that. But, recently, I think I really imagine myself playing as a Milan Lucic on Boston. I think that we both can play a power forward game and fight and be tough to play against and, at the same time, we can score. So, I definitely think Milan Lucic would be a good player for me right now.