It didn’t take long for Zeev Buium’s roommates this year at the University of Denver to learn a few critical things about living with him.
One: The smooth-skating defenseman isn’t a good cook, relying on DoorDash and UberEats.
Two: If the Minnesota Wild were playing, Buium was watching.
Buium caught around 90 percent of the Wild’s games, glued to his computer, phone or television. He loved how the team encouraged its defenseman to join the rush, be part of the offense. He was awed by the impact Brock Faber was making. And he daydreamed about how he’d fit into the lineup and the system.
“I love watching them play,” Buium says. “It makes me smile.”
Soon, Buium will almost certainly get a chance to live out those daydreams, joining the Wild and making his much-anticipated NHL debut. The Hobey Baker finalist and the Minnesota brass both feel he is ready to take the next step.
Whether he does so after winning a second straight national championship will be determined in the next three days. The Pioneers face Western Michigan in the Frozen Four today in St. Louis ahead of Saturday’s national championship game.
As for how good Buium will be at the NHL level, the bar is set pretty high.
“He reminds me a lot of Cale Makar in the respect that he can change a game in one play, purely based on his skill and his IQ,” says former NHL scout Dave Starman, now a college hockey analyst and broadcaster. “He doesn’t necessarily need help in making the play. That’s what sets him apart.”
Starman sees Buium’s NHL ceiling as a top-pairing defenseman for the next 10 to 12 years — a first-power-play guy and future Norris Trophy candidate. But what’ll be most interesting is how the Wild incorporate him into their lineup. They are fighting for their playoff lives, with every shift significant, so there’s a question of when and how they should use the touted prospect down the stretch and in the playoffs.
Wild fans saw Brock Faber jump right from the Frozen Four into the Wild lineup two years ago, making a game-saving play in the playoffs against the Dallas Stars. Faber has been a cornerstone since.
It’s unfair to expect Buium to do the same. They’re different players. But there is a belief from Buium and the Wild that this could be the start of something special.
“I think you’re seeing more college guys stepping into the NHL and making an impact right away,” Buium says. “It’s not easy to do. I hope I can make that same impact. I believe that in myself that I can. You never know.”
Zeev Buium is expected to make the jump from NCAA to the NHL. (Tyler Schank / Clarkson Creative via Denver University)
Buium’s offensive instincts and skating ability are well-known.
You’ve seen the highlights, including his slick saucer-pass assist on the overtime winner for Team USA at the most recent World Juniors. Then there was his terrific individual effort on this goal in Saturday’s NCAA regional victory over Providence:
Zeev Buium went 12th overall lol.
Anyways, 2-0 Denver. pic.twitter.com/a21bAW0bTH
— Scott Wheeler (@scottcwheeler) March 28, 2025
But the question as Buium moves to the next level is how the 6-foot, 185-pound sophomore will defend in his own end. You don’t earn top minutes for championship teams by lacking in that area, as Denver coach David Carle will point out.
And Buium has worked on — and improved — the details of his defending a lot this past year.
“Defensively my game is taking a step,” Buium says. “That’s what I’m most proud of. I know I have that offensive skill in me. To win a championship, you have to play that side of the rink and you have to do it really well — especially if you’re a guy who is playing a lot. I take pride in it. I want that part of my game to be something that’s natural and starts to come easy.
“And as (Carle) says, ‘The better you play defense, the quicker you defend, the more you’ll have the puck on your stick.’”
Wild director of player development Brad Bombardir says the development focus with Buium since the team selected him 12th in 2024 has been his game away from the puck. His gaps. How he plays without the puck in his own zone. How he can become more predictable for his defense partner.
“People talk about his offensive abilities and what he can do with the puck,” Bombardir says. “But the willingness he shows to defend and compete I thought were on great display this year (at World Juniors).”
Bombardir says Buium will have to get stronger, like any young defenseman coming into the NHL.
But other aspects of his defense stand out.
“He surfs with the best of them,” Starman says. “He’s able to angle, read and surf really, really well. So when he turns around defending a guy one-on-one, he does a lot of defending going forward. He’s really good at isolating a player and using his speed to close. He’s got an excellent stick in terms of where he positions it. … His ability to size up a rush and trust his feet to be where he wants to be — knowing the rest of the ice is covered — is a really good attribute. I don’t worry about him defending at the next level because of how fast he is and how well he reads.”
Brett Larson, the head coach at St. Cloud State, has coached against Buium the past couple of years, so he knows how much the defenseman can control a game. But when Larson coached Buium at World Juniors in 2024 and 2025, what struck him was how Buium defended better than he realized.
“He’s got a really good stick defensively,” Larson says. “He understands how to defend, how to angle, how to get guys to go where they don’t want to go. I’ve seen him defend some of the best players in the world very well. So I really don’t see that as a negative. Like any pro, he’s going to have to keep getting better at it and learn and be coached and improve. But he’s so competitive fighting for every puck, getting the puck battles, being strong on the stick, trying to kill plays. I think he’s probably a little underrated on that side of his game. There’s more of a complete player than people realize.”
When Buium was drafted, Carle called him the most impactful player in college hockey. Carle said that wasn’t meant to take away from top pick Macklin Celebrini, but having coached against the Boston University and Boston College standouts, he would put what Buium does on a daily basis against anyone.
“He’s got an uncanny ability to do what the game requires,” Carle says. “The adaptability where he can give the game whatever it calls for. Whether he needs to be hard at defending or if he needs to add more juice like he did in the Finland game (at World Juniors), he can do it all. That’s why I think his intelligence level of what the game requires out of him is like nothing I’ve ever seen.”
Tom Ward has spent more than two decades at the Minnesota prep powerhouse Shattuck St. Mary’s, Buium’s alma mater. He’s seen all the greats that have come through.
He also spent time in the NHL as an assistant with the Buffalo Sabres for three years.
Ward raves about the makeup of the Wild top prospect. But he knows the challenges ahead.
“He’s a super, uber talented, calm player,” Ward says. “Like, ‘Holy crap, man.’ He’s got ice water in his veins and he can play. If he could get another few inches, have another growth spurt, it would be great for him and his future. Because the way he plays, he’s going to have guys running at him all day long. And it’ll be determined whether his body will be able to handle it or not.”
Ward says, for example, that similarly sized Quinn Hughes (5-10, 180) has the elusiveness not to get “crushed” at the NHL level. Quinn’s brother, Luke, has a bit more size (6-2, 198) and is able to play a different game.
“Luke is a little more controlled and sees it, draws guys in and uses deception,” Ward says. “Zeev is more energetic and plays kind of a quicker game. But what a hell of a player. What a decorated player. Once he’s left here, he’s won just about everything he can at every level he’s been at, and he’s been a big part of those teams. You get guys that know how to win because, at the end of the day, it’s about winning.”
One NHL scout recalls watching Buium — even as an 18-year-old — and reporting back to his team, “He’s Quinn Hughes.”
“The stuff he’s doing on the blue line — Makar does that, Lane Hutson does that and Quinn Hughes does that,” says the NHL scout, granted anonymity so he can speak freely. “That stuff is unbelievable right now. Everybody blocks shots, right? But those guys that can get in high ice and boom, it’s on goal.
“I think Buium is going to run the power play next year. I do.”
Starman brings up Buium’s hockey IQ, saying his reads and the edges of his skating are elite — and the two work together when he’s moving up the ice.
“It’s almost like he’s got a microchip in his head, with radar,” Starman says. “It’s an elite skill, and there are not a lot of guys who have it. Brian Leetch had it too. When he first came into the NHL, we saw Leetch do a lot of this. (Buium) is going to fill in a little bit (in his body), but he’s really going to protect the puck. He’s really good at reading where that soft ice is going to become, as opposed to where it is in the moment. That, to me, is what sets him apart. And coming up the ice, he knows where there’s going to be space to play in.”
Teammates bring up how much of a student of the game Buium is. That he’ll watch 15-minute clips of top players, both in college and the NHL. That includes forwards he’s played with, like Ryan Leonard or Gabe Perreault. It includes other top prospect defensemen like former Michigan State star (and current Blackhawk) Artyom Levshunov.
Buium also watches Faber, a potential future partner with the Wild.
“Watching him the last year and a half, it’s incredible seeing how he stepped into the NHL right away,” Buium says. “He’s got everything. So explosive. So good defensively. So good offensively. Such a good brain. It’s so fun to watch him play because of how many tools he has. He plays both sides of the game like it’s easy. He shuts down guys easily, then goes and plays offense like any other offensive defenseman. I’ve had a blast watching him and trying to learn from him.”
The admiration is mutual.
“He’s a stud,” Faber says of Buium. “Extremely gifted offensively. From what I’ve watched, he was never forcing offense. He let the game come to him.”
When it comes to making the type of impact Faber did, that’s a lot to expect — even for a player as talented as Buium. But Buium has an element the Wild are missing from the blue line: the extremely gifted, offensive instincts. The kind that, Starman says, “could run an NHL power play right now.” Could the Wild sometimes go with 11 forwards and seven defensemen and take advantage of Buium’s playmaking ability at the point?
“I think they’re searching for a guy like that,” Ward says. “(Buium) is smart enough and headstrong enough. He’s not going to get intimidated by those guys. There are guys that just fall in line and they submit to the older guys and force the puck to them. I don’t think he will. He’s got enough (guts), and he’s a smart player, he’s going to be able to play his own game.
“To me, it’s just the physicality. Is he going to be able to hang in there for 82 (games) plus another 30? That’s going to be a challenge.”
Wild players have taken notice of Buium, watching him in World Juniors and college.
And they’re ready to welcome him in.
“He’s electric,” defenseman Jon Merrill says. “His poise with the puck, his skating. I noticed his intensity offensively. You want to score, and you want to create more chances. Not a lot of D have that mindset.”
The question is where does Buium fit in Minnesota’s lineup?
With Jake Middleton-Faber and Jonas Brodin-Jared Spurgeon locked in as the team’s top two pairs, the one likely landing spot would be to replace Merrill on the third pair. But coach John Hynes likes how Merrill has been playing and trusts him, including on the penalty kill.
Starman says Buium is going to have to “bank some points with the staff on that trust level,” so if he gets into a regular-season game or two, he’ll have to show he’s offensively “not high risk and defensively he can keep it simple.”
“Zeev right now knows he is as good if not better than anyone who is defending him,” Starman says. “And at the NHL level, that’s not going to be the case. I think early on he’s probably going to take his lumps, much like a lot of these high-end kids do. … He’s going to get burned, and he’s going to make a dumb read, and he’s going to throw a puck away here and there. We all know it’s going to happen. But he’s smart enough and skilled enough to keep that to a bare minimum.”
The one aspect Carle mentions Buium needs to improve on is handling his emotions on the ice when players go after him — not letting it distract him. He’ll have a veteran group around him to help support him.
Zeev Buium gets ready for a game with his Denver teammates. (Tyler Schank / Clarkson Creative via Denver University)
“There will be guys in (the room) that will probably have to tone him down,” Ward says. “He’ll be the butt of some good pranks, I’m sure, because he’s a headstrong kid. But he’s going to help. He’s a good freaking player. Just watching him and how he can control a game, the skills are there. The hockey IQ is there, too. It’s off the charts.
“You need to find a guy that can play with him, like a Jake (Middleton) that can run out there. Because there are guys that are going to go after (Buium) because he can’t keep his mouth shut. Guys are going to want to rip his head off. So having the right pair (partner) and right group around him is important.”
Carle says Buium got experience this season handling a lot of attention — from the media and other teams — which should help him going into the NHL. If there’s some criticism or negativity from the outside, Buium knows how to put it in perspective.
“He’s a really honest person — takes everything head on,” Carle says. “He can evaluate himself better than most players I’ve seen. He just has an acceptance and willingness to learn and learn from those moments and get better. He’s got a bright future, whether that’s in hockey or anything else in life, because of that mindset and how he was raised — the type of person he is.”
Buium grew up in the San Diego area a Los Angeles Kings fan, with his idol Drew Doughty. He loves how the new generation of defensemen are like “hidden forwards.” That only continued with the likes of Quinn Hughes and Makar.
“It was like, ‘Holy shit, these guys are incredible,’” Buium says. “I think the game is getting way more skilled and faster. The D are learning how to become basically a forward that plays defense — only better than the forwards do. I love that. That’s what my game is. Seeing those guys succeed in the NHL makes me feel more of a drive and a sense of, ‘OK, I can do this.’”
(Top photos: Clarkson Creative via Denver University and Candice Ward / Getty Images)
