Standout Freshman Class to Join Harvard Men's Hockey in 2009-10

The Hockey News: Looking at the 2009-10 NCAA Classes
Sports Illustrated: Be True to Your School
The Hockey News: Fallstrom happy in Minny
Swedish prospect Fallstrom living his American dream 
NHL.com: Leblanc's selection a hit at Bell Centre 
NHL.com: Leblanc hailed for work ethic and skills
New England Hockey Journal: Cream of the crop
The Suburban: Kirkland's Leblanc ready for draft week
The Gazette: Quebecer up for grabs in NHL Draft
NHL.com: Valek packing his well-worn bags once again

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.-One has a familiar name, another has already garnered attention from Sports Illustrated, one is a two-time national champion, two are world champions, two others are National Hockey League draft picks, five have represented their countries in international competition and all eight members of the Crimson men's hockey Class of 2013 will seek their next athletic and academic successes at Harvard beginning in the fall.

Ted Donato '91, The Robert D. Ziff '88 Head Coach for Harvard Men's Ice Hockey, welcomes the group of six forwards and two defensemen to the Crimson in 2009-10:

Danny Biega - Defenseman, 6-0/200, Montreal, Que./Salisbury School (Conn.)
Captained Salisbury School to a New England prep title in 2009, his second year with the team ... Named Defenseman of the Year and a New England Prep All-Star ... Lettered two years in hockey and junior year in soccer and crew ... Earned academic honors throughout his time at Salisbury ... Along with brothers Alex and Michael, part of the second set of three brothers to play for the Crimson at the same time. The last set was Mark '00, Steve '01 and Dominic Moore '03 in 1999-2000 ... Alex and Michael also led Salisbury to a New England title, in 2006 ... Interests include kitesurfing, wakeboarding, surfing and snowboarding.

Marshall Everson - Forward, 6-2/204, Edina, Minn./Edina
Three-year hockey letterwinner at Edina High School, captaining the team as a senior and scoring 100 career goals ... Edina's most valuable player in 2008-09 and a three-time all-conference, two-time all-state tournament and two-time all-metro pick ... Helped team win three Classic Lake Conference titles and three section titles and finish second in the 2008 state tournament ... Also lettered two years in golf ... Received scholar and scholar-athlete awards from his high school ... Interests include golf and travel ... Featured, along with senior Edina teammates, in 2009 Sports Illustrated article on the Minnesota state hockey tournament.

Alex Fallstrom - Forward, 6-2/200, Stockholm, Sweden/Shattuck-St. Mary's School (Minn.)
Selected in the fourth round (116th pick overall) of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft by the Minnesota Wild ... Spent two years at Shattuck-St. Mary's School in Faribault, Minn., captaining the team as a senior ... Led SSM in scoring with 87 points on 40 goals and 47 assists in 2008-09 ... Helped the team capture the 2008 USA Hockey Tier I 18 and Under National Championship ... SSM teammate of Harvard classmate Luke Greiner in 2007-08 ... Also lettered one year each in golf and tennis at SSM, where he received the 2009 Kramer Cup for outstanding academic and athletic accomplishment and was an honor-roll student both years ... A member of Swedish youth national teams in 2005-06 and 2006-07 ... A three-year team captain for Djurgarden Hockey ... Interests include golf and tennis.

Luke Greiner - Forward, 5-10/187, Faribault, Minn./Shattuck-St. Mary's School
Skated for the Sioux Falls Stampede of the United States Hockey League in 2008-09 ... Played in 59 of Sioux Falls' 60 games, recorded 17 goals and 22 assists to help the Stampede make the playoffs ... Played for Shattuck-St. Mary's School from 2003-08 ... Helped SSM win the USA Hockey Tier I 18 and Under National Championship in 2007 and 2008 ... Registered 88 points in 54 games for SSM in 2007-08 ... A 2007-08 SSM teammate of Harvard classmate Alexander Fallstrom ... Also lettered in baseball, golf and tennis at SSM ... Interests include golf, tennis, fishing, the beach and watersports ... Father, Joe, played baseball for Cal State Fullerton in 1975 and '76.

Louis Leblanc - Forward, 6-0/180, Kirkland, Que./Kuper Academy
Selected in the first round (18th pick overall) of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft by the Montreal Canadiens ... First Quebec-born player drafted by the Canadiens in the first round since 1988 ... Named the United States Hockey League Rookie of the Year in 2008-09 after leading the Omaha Lancers with 28 goals and 59 points ... A USHL All-Star ... Helped Team Canada win the gold medal at the 2008 Ivan Hlinka Memorial tournament ... Member of Team Quebec at the 2008 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge and the 2007 Canada Winter Games ... Named the Quebec Midget AAA Hockey League Most Valuable Player in 2007-08, when he led the league with 54 goals and 91 points, playing for the Lac St. Louis Lions ... Graduated from Kuper Academy in 2008, earning recognition as a top student in physics and chemistry.

Conor Morrison - Forward, 5-8/160, London, Ont./Northwood School (N.Y.)
Represented Germany at the 2009 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship ... Played two seasons for the Salmon Arm SilverBacks of the British Columbia Hockey League ... Tied for the league lead in points per game and finished fourth in total points with 84 on 39 goals and 45 assists ... In 2008-09, helped team reach conference finals, set team records with four goals and six points in one game and was named conference's Most Sportsmanlike Player ... Graduated from Northwood School in Lake Placid, N.Y. ... Member of the Cum Laude Society and letterwinner in hockey, golf and soccer ... Interests include golf and tennis ... Father, Dave, played in the National Hockey League for the Los Angeles Kings and Vancouver Canucks and is the director of amateur scouting for the Toronto Maple Leafs ... Grandfather, Jim, was a three-time NHL All-Star, playing for the Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins, Detroit Red Wings and New York Rangers.

Brendan Rempel - Defenseman, 6-3/200, Willington, Conn./Ann Arbor Pioneer (Mich.)
Played for the U.S. National Under-18 Team while attending Pioneer High School for his senior year ... Helped the United States win the gold medal at the 2009 International Ice Hockey Federation World Under-18 Championship ... Also helped the U.S. team win Four Nations and Five Nations tournament titles ... Played all 63 games for Team USA, recording 11 points on three goals and eight assists, including one helper in a game at Harvard ... Team USA teammate of Harvard classmate David Valek ... Attended Avon Old Farms School in 2007-08 after spending his freshman and sophomore seasons at the Pomfret School ... Won a New England prep championship with Avon Old Farms, helping the team post a 27-1 record ... Lettered in hockey, soccer and baseball at Pomfret ... National Honor Society member at Avon Old Farms and Pioneer ... Interests include baseball, soccer, hiking and swimming.

David Valek - Forward, 6-2/205, Orem, Utah/Chelsea (Mich.)
Played two seasons for the U.S. National Team Development Program while graduating from Chelsea High School ... Helped the United States win the gold medal at the 2009 International Ice Hockey Federation World Under-18 Championship ... Also helped the U.S. National Under-18 Team win Four Nations and Five Nations tournament titles ... Played in 57 games for Team USA in 2008-09, registering eight points and 13 assists ... Team USA teammate of Harvard classmate Brendan Rempel ... Played in 49 games with nine goals and 10 assists for the U.S. National Under-17 Team in 2007-08 ... Born in Utah before moving to Europe, spending time in Croatia, Slovakia and the Czech Republic ... Father, Ivan, played professional basketball in the former Yugoslavia.