Wild’s Buium has all the makings of a star NHL defenseman

Zeev Buium has been one of college hockey’s best players in 2024-25, helping the University of Denver reach the NCAA Men’s Frozen Four. While they were eliminated Thursday night by Western Michigan, losing 3-2 in double overtime, it capped off another impressive season for Buium.

Taken No. 12 overall by the Minnesota Wild in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft, Buium has recorded 50 and 48 points through his first two seasons of college hockey, becoming one of the country’s most productive defenders and someone who could join the Wild soon and be an offensive force in the NHL.

On Friday’s episode of Daily Faceoff LIVE, Tyler Yaremchuk and former NHL defenseman Colby Cohen discuss the Wild prospect and what he can bring at the highest level.

Tyler Yaremchuk: Am I reading this right: Zeev Buium played over 50 minutes in the Denver-Western Michigan game?

Colby Cohen: There was one full overtime, , then a little bit of a second overtime. Granted, Zeev Buium was playing 12 or 13 minutes of every period, and in the last 10 minutes of the game, he played eight.

Look, Zeev can just do things at will. He didn’t quite have the dynamic offensive output that he probably wanted to have, but defensively, when he wants to be, he can eliminate guys, he can skate. Zeev Buium is going to be a star in the National Hockey League.

Here’s what I love about him: he’s not like Quinn Hughes, he’s got his own version. He’s probably somewhere between a Charlie McAvoy-type, and a Lane Hutson-type. He fits a different type of mold for an offensive defenseman, because he’s a thicker guy and he likes confrontation. He likes to go head-to-head in a physical way.

You can watch the full segment and the rest of the episode here…