Zeev Buium is a proven winner – and that will excite teams at the 2024 NHL Draft

Steven Ellis
Steven Ellis
Zeev Buium is a proven winner – and that will excite teams at the 2024 NHL Draft
Credit: Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports

LAS VEGAS, Nevada – You couldn’t wipe Zeev Buium’s smile off his face if you tried.

There he was, two hours removed from getting off a flight from back home, and minutes after getting off the ice with a bunch of kids at the Vegas Golden Knights’ practice facility. It was a busy, jam-packed Wednesday afternoon, but he was just happy to be there.

It’s easy to understand why. The on-ice action is done. The workouts are complete. And in just one more day, Buium will become the second sibling in his family to get drafted to the NHL, following in the footsteps of his brother, Shai, back when Detroit took him in 2021. The difference? It wasn’t an in-person draft. They watched the draft as a family in Michigan in the second fully virtual experience.

Vegas is going to be only SLIGHTLY different, with the glitz and glamour that only a city and a location like Sphere can provide. On Friday, Buium could be one of the first players to have their likeness and highlights shown all over the building in one of the most unique drafts in league history.

“I didn’t know about that,” Buium said with a smile. “I think it’ll be pretty cool to see my face up there. It’ll be a special moment.”

Buium will have 80 family members in attendance on Friday as he looks to begin the next step in his professional hockey career. Projected to go in the top 10, Buium is one of the top blueliners in a draft class dominated by defensive prowess. There’s no shortage of teams that could use a high-end, puck-moving defenseman with the confidence he possesses, and the results are evident.

It was a special year for Buium, who finished off 2022-23 by being a big part of USA’s gold medal at the U-18 World Championship. He immediately made an impact with coach David Carle, who then made sure to bring the youngster to the World Junior Championship. Buium was one of USA’s top players, helping them win gold in Sweden with three goals and five points in seven games. He returned home for the NCAA’s playoff push, which saw him hit the elusive 50-point mark in just 42 games in one of the most productive seasons by a freshman defenseman in NCAA history. Buium won a multitude of awards, including NCHC Rookie of the Year, NCHC First All-Star Team honors and Best Offensive Defenseman. He was even a Hobey Baker Award nominee as the top male college hockey player.

But nothing matched his play in the lead-up to the national championship, earning a spot on the all-tournament team. It was the perfect way to close out a remarkable season, with Buium nabbing an assist in Denver’s 2-0 victory over Boston College in the final.

“I was blown away when I saw him at the Frozen Four,” top prospect Macklin Celebrini said at the 2024 NHL Draft Combine in Buffalo. “I felt like he was the best player on the ice… but don’t let don’t let him know I said that.”

Watching Buium is like watching Josh Morrissey. Buium is so good at controlling the puck and might be one of the best passers of any defenseman in this class. He’s a top-end transition defender with incredible hockey sense, allowing him to put up the incredible numbers we saw all season long. His numbers are even more impressive when you consider what he had to do to make it happen. He was given some significant assignments on Denver’s top pairing, playing against the best college players on a nightly basis. Whether it was Cutter Gauthier, Will Smith, Celebrini, you name it – Buium stood tall.

“Teams sent every weapon they had at Buium, and he deflected them away with ease,” a scout said. “It was like watching Quinn Hughes all over again.”

Buium can keep offensive plays a bit too simple for the liking of some scouts, and while the results were excellent in college, the NHL is a whole other animal. He needs to keep getting a bit more manipulative if he’s going to fool opponents in the NHL, especially since he isn’t big at six-foot. His lack of pure muscle compared to the likes of Anton Silayev, Sam Dickinson, and Artyom Levshunov is why more people aren’t talking about Buium becoming a stone-cold lock to go in the top five. Another year in college, where he doesn’t have to prove himself to 32 NHL teams and he can just focus on getting back to the basics and working on his flaws, will help with that.

From a pure skill perspective? Buium is as good as it gets. And with multiple notable championships to his credit already, Buium wants the team that selects him to know he’s a proven winner at such a young age.

“I’ve been on three different winning teams, I’ve seen three different winning cultures and I think that’s a big message that I can show teams that I know what it takes to win,” he said.

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