A trio of players formerly involved with the Buffalo Sabres organization have announced their retirement over the last day. Best of luck to Brendan Guhle, Alex Biega and Andrew Hammond going forward.
Brendan Guhle is the most surprising of the three, at just 25 years of age. He appeared in seven games this season for Eisbären Berlin, who said his decision to retire comes for personal reasons.
Guhle appeared in 65 NHL games after being drafted by the Sabres 51st overall in 2015. The left-handed defenseman skated in 23 games for the Sabres between 2016 and 2019. He also appeared in 106 games with the AHL’s Rochester Americans.
From there, Guhle spent several years in the Anaheim Ducks organization before heading overseas. He ends his career with 65 NHL games and 14 points.
Alex Biega has also hung up the skates, at age 34. The fifth-round 2006 draft pick of the Sabres (147th overall) never played in the NHL with Buffalo. He spent one season with the AHL’s Portland Pirates while they were the Sabres’ affiliate, then played two seasons in Rochester.
From there, he spent six years with the Vancouver Canucks organization, followed by stops in Detroit, Toronto (AHL and NHL) and Milwaukee. He appeared in 15 games with the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals last season and ends his career with 243 career NHL games and 42 points.
Andrew Hammond has also retired at the age of 34. Hammond’s NHL career saw him appear in 67 games between 2013 and 2022. He never played for the Sabres, but appeared in 33 games with the Amerks in the 2019-20 season. His brief stint in Rochester saw him accrue a 2.53 GAA and .908 save percentage.
Hammond also spent time with the Senators, Avalanche, Canadiens and Devils organizations. He appeared in two games this season with the KHL’s Chelyabinsk Traktor.