Steal the first round? A wild trade and snag NCAA champion Zeev Buium at 12

By /


LAS VEGAS — That’s how much the Minnesota Wild loved University of Denver freshman defenseman Zeev Buium falling into their lap in the first round of Friday night’s draft.

In recent weeks, since it was revealed that University of Michigan standout Rutger McGroarty did not want to sign with the Winnipeg Jets, who drafted him 14th overall two years ago , the Wild dangled the 13th pick in front of their division rival’s face as potential trade bait to nab him.

But that trade would have to depend on which names were on the board for each team when it got to 13.

As first-rounders dropped out of the top 10, activity intensified at the Jets table, despite the fact that they did not own a first-round pick. Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff began whispering in the ear of executives to his left and right, flipping through his draft binder. His right hand man took out his laptop and placed a privacy filter on top. Cheveldayoff walked twice to the other side of the table, knelt down and huddled with three recruiters.

He picked up his phone twice, once in front of No. 11 and once before No. 12, to call another table.

Both calls ended quickly.

There was probably only one player left on the board who could have stopped Minnesota from pulling the trigger on the Jets, and that was Buium, a dynamic 18-year-old defenseman in an organization that lacks offensive-minded, puck-moving defensemen who can quarterback the power play.

In fact, earlier this week, Wild president of hockey operations and general manager Bill Guerin said on KFAN that the Wild would take Buium if he was there for them in some way.

The Wild did not take the risk of being overtaken by another team. Director of amateur scouting Judd Brackett decided to use the Wild’s 2025 third-round pick to move up one spot to 12th overall in a trade with the Philadelphia Flyers so they could select Buium, the best prospect born in the United States according to the NHL Central Scouting Bureau.

“I think the Wild got a good deal at No. 12,” Pioneers coach David Carle said. “I think in five years you’ll see that prove itself even more in all the drafts that everyone loves to do. »

The AthleticDraft experts Corey Pronman and Scott Wheeler agreed. Pronman gave this pick an A+ grade and Wheeler called it “one of the best picks of the night.”

Buium, who plans to attend a development camp in Minnesota next month, called the Wild selecting him “the best feeling in the world.”

“Seeing them trade, I felt like that could be me,” he said. “I couldn’t be more honored that they made that decision to have me.”

Pronman called Buium “one of the best draft-eligible defensemen I’ve ever seen” at the college level and a player with “game-changing potential” who “looks like a potential No. 1 NHL all-star defenseman who’s going to put up big numbers.”

“At 13, we knew the draft would be dictated by a lot of what we were interested in,” Brackett said. “You sit there anxiously, watching the players we care about come off the board, trying to anticipate whether it’s time to move back or stay on the bench. We stood there, a little out of breath. But when he was there and there was a chance, even if it was just one spot, to secure the player we really wanted, we had to do it. It wasn’t really a decision to make. »

Buium recorded the first 50-point season by a Denver freshman in 40 years, leading the team with 39 assists and adding 11 goals as the second-youngest player in college hockey in 2023-24. His 50 points rank second on the Pioneers and mark just the sixth time a defenseman has reached the 50-point threshold in the program’s 75-year history and the third time by a freshman guard.

Buium called Carle the best coach he ever had and what a year the two had together.

With Carle as coach, Buium scored the winning goal in the championship game to bring the United States a gold medal at the World Junior Championship.

At Xcel Energy Center, an arena in which he has never lost, Buium won two championships this spring: first, the National Collegiate Hockey Conference Frozen Four, in which he scored an overtime winner against St. Cloud State; then the NCAA Frozen Four, in which he was the best player on the ice in both games, including against No. 1 overall pick Macklin Celebrini and Boston University.

“To win two championships in this building is pretty cool,” said Buium, a San Diego native who spent two years playing in Faribault at Shattuck-St. Mary’s and spent an entire summer on Lake Minnetonka.

In the NCAA championship, it was Buium’s beautiful assist on the goal of Rieger Lorenz, now a compatriot of the Wild, which extended the Pioneers’ lead to 2-0.

“He cares about winning as much as any player I’ve ever coached, and he’ll do whatever it takes to win,” said Carle, who will coach Buium again in Denver in his second year and at the 2025 world junior championship. “Look at what he did at the world juniors. He didn’t play a lot of power play time. But he led our team in plus-minus, did what we asked of him, helped our team win a gold medal, scored the game-winning goal, and was great throughout the tournament. And then he takes on a bigger role with us in Denver and helps us win a title.”

“He’s a winning person, and that helps him become a winner on the ice, and I couldn’t be happier for him.”

Buium also won an under-18 world championship in 2023, was named a first-team All-American and made the Frozen Four All-Tournament team. He was also recognized as NCHC Rookie of the Year, NCHC Offensive Defender of the Year, was a finalist for the Tim Taylor Award as National Rookie of the Year and was nominated for the Hobey Baker Award.

He tied for the team lead with his brother, Shai, and ranked fourth in the NCAA with a plus-33 rating — the best mark for a Pioneer since the statistic began being tracked in 2005-06. He tied for second at DU in power-play points scored with 14 and ranked third on the team with 41 blocked shots.

“A lot of people with his skill set would come in and just say, ‘Yeah, I’m comfortable just scoring points and doing that,’” Carle said. “But Zeev wanted to work on his defense. He wanted to work on his gaps, close plays, kill plays in the corner and become a better defender. And I think that’s his state of mind. That’s what makes it so special. Zeev is a competitive kid. He will work on his flaws, but it will continue to accentuate his strengths.

“That’s what we saw this year. We saw a player who wanted to work on that side of the game, and it only made his offensive game better because when you defend well, you don’t have to defend very long, and that’s something Zeev really picked up on.

Guerin had a busy day Friday, meeting with defenseman Brock Faber’s agents to begin initial contract negotiations for a potentially lucrative extension this offseason. He said he’s also been involved in trade talks. The Wild has shown interest in Columbus Blue Jackets winger Patrik Laine if half of his $8.7 million salary is retained for the next two years.

The draft resumes Saturday morning (10:30 a.m. CT) with rounds 2 through 7. The Wild currently have picks of 45, 110, 140, 142 and 174, but Guerin was clearly already happy after landing Buium on Friday.

Guerin doesn’t believe Buium is far from turning pro. They’ll see how his second year in Denver goes, but Guerin said his staff believes Buium “will play in the NHL for a long time and have a big impact on our team. He’s got a lot of qualities. His talent, his ability to move the puck, his hockey sense, his character. He’s got a winning pedigree.”

Buium comes from a close-knit family whose parents, Sorin and Miriam, immigrated from Israel to Southern California before Zeev was born. His mother played professional basketball in Israel. They had 80 family members and friends drafted, including a handful from Israel.

Funny enough, Carle said Buium committed to DU unofficially when he was 14 or 15 by accompanying his older brother Shai on his official visit.

“I mean, Zeev could have been 5-1 back then,” Carle said with a smile. “You could tell his eyes were big and he loved everything, had a smile on his face, just like he does today. I mean, he loves coming to the rink. There’s always a smile on his face. And when we offered it to Shai, Shai played it cool and said, ‘Give me a day or two, I want to think about it.’”

“Zeev looked at him and said, ‘What are you waiting for?’” The fact that we were then able to go through the official recruiting process with Zeev was really special, and you couldn’t imagine a better year for them and for the brothers to win a championship together.

Carle said family is everything to Buium.

“It teaches him a level of selflessness and that you’re part of something bigger than yourself,” Carle said.

Said Buium: “It was really special. Hold my mother in my arms. Hold my father in my arms. They made so many sacrifices for my brothers and me. Holding them in my arms was truly special. And then hugging my two brothers who have served as my mentor throughout this time is even more pleasant. It’s a moment I can’t really explain. It was great. »

(Photo: Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)





Source link

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Scroll to Top