SENSNEWS

One of the biggest risers in the draft rankings over the past few months has been Zeev Buium. Buium is a left-shot, left defenseman who just finished his first season in the NCAA with the University of Denver.

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Zeev Buium 2024 NHL Draft

Buium and Denver had an extremely impressive season that saw them win the National Championship against a stacked Boston College roster. Buium finished the season with outstanding stats including 11 goals and 39 assists for 50 points in 42 games.

Buium was also a key piece of the blue line for the United States World Junior team. Buium helped the States bring home the gold, pitching in five points over the seven games.

To say Buium had a great season in terms of production and success would be an understatement. He already took home both championships that he competed in this season, but he also brought back a lot of individual hardware as well. Below is a list of all of Buium’s on-ice accomplishments from this season.

• NCAA (Championship) All-Tournament Team
• NCAA (Championship) Winner
• NCAA (NCHC) All-Rookie Team
• NCAA (NCHC) All-Tournament Team
• NCAA (NCHC) Best Offensive Defenseman
• NCAA (NCHC) Champion
• NCAA (NCHC) First All-Star Team
• NCAA (NCHC) Rookie of the Year
• NCAA (West) First All-American Team
• NCAA Top Collegiate Player (Hobey Baker Award) Nominee
• U20 WJC Best Plus/Minus (+11)
• U20 WJC Gold Medal
• U20 WJC Most Goals by a Defenseman (3)

Yup. That is all just from this season. Zeev Buium was absolutely outstanding as a two-way defender. He was part of a very exclusive crew to be considered for the Hobey Baker Award that was ultimately won by projected first overall pick Macklin Celebrini.

His 50 points were good enough to have him finish at the top of defensive scoring in the NCAA. At number 10 in points league-wide, he was able to exceed the production of top prospects like Lane Hutson, Bradley Nadeau, Frank Nazar, Jimmy Snuggerud, and more.

At 6’0″ and 183 lbs, Zeev Buium is on the smaller side for a defenseman, but that shouldn’t scare off scouts. The latest mock drafts have Buium projected to go right around 10th overall in the draft. But given his excellent finish to the season, I wouldn’t be surprised if he goes closer to the 5-7 range.

Zeev Buium Draft Ranking

EP #10

TSN McKenzie #13

TSN Button #4

NHL Central Scouting NA #4

FLO Hockey #11

Sportsnet Cosentino #20

Sportsnet Bukala #11

The scouts are divided on Zeev Buium. Some outlets, such as Craig Button with TSN, believe that he is a top-five prospect. But others have him projected to go in the second half of the first round. Personally, I think Buium will be drafted much higher than many project him to be.

Zeev Buium Player Profile Breakdown

Zeev Buium is going to be an excellent two-way defender whose primary strength will be his offense. While his defense isn’t necessarily a weakness, it won’t be his strong suit either. Given his size, he won’t be the most physical player at his position either.

Where Buium really excels as a player is with his skating ability. Buium is incredibly smooth and shifty with his feet, and he has great top-end speed as well. This skating helps him at both ends of the ice as he looks to transition up ice and break up plays off the rush.

Speaking of transition, Zeev Buium is a human breakout on the blue line. The skating as discussed before is so effective that Buium can transition from defense to offense with ease. Whether he is making a good first pass or carrying the puck himself, offense comes easier when he is on the ice.

Zeev Buium also has a very high hockey IQ. He has been discussed as potentially the smartest defender in the draft class by McKeen’s hockey. Regardless of what situation is thrown at him on the ice, it feels like Buium is constantly making the right decision.

This also helps him to be a very efficient prospect. Buium has the offensive skill to make plays that wow you, but he also knows when it’s time to do a little less. This blend of skill and smarts makes Buium incredibly dependable in all situations of a game.

When skating in the offensive zone, or through the neutral zone, Buium is able to use his skating and vision to weave through traffic. His hands are silky as well, and they allow him to stick handle at his top speed effectively, opening up the ice.

With Buium constantly able to pick his spots of attack on the ice, he is able to create all sorts of passing lanes for his teammates. Buium is superb at reading opposing defensive units while manipulating them to open up scoring opportunities for himself and his teammates.

Zeev Buium is also effective at finding the back of the net himself. His 11 goals in the NCAA season were quite impressive, and his three more at the World Juniors showed that he is more than capable of beating goaltenders himself.

While Buium’s shot power and accuracy are good, they aren’t standalone skills that make your eyes pop. Instead, it is Buium’s ability to get into prime scoring opportunities that make him such a shooting threat from the blue line.

His skating and smarts allow for him to get to prime areas of the ice. Once there, Buium is excellent at getting his shot off in tight situations for a scoring chance. Whereas someone like Brady Tkachuk is a volume shooter that can score, Buium is much more particular with his shot selection.

Buium has also been touted as a prospect who is incredibly determined and competitive. He does not take any shifts off, and he does not struggle with motivation at either end of the ice. Whether defending or pushing for a goal, Buium’s effort will remain consistent.

Again, his physicality is not his strong suit, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Buium still isn’t afraid to go into the corners and use his body to shield off opponents. What you won’t find with him, however, is somebody that lays huge hits or punishes opponents in front of the net.

One player that Zeev Buium really reminds me of is Adam Fox of the New York Rangers. Both players are incredibly efficient at finding soft spots on the ice, and their smarts help them to create the best play available consistently.

While I am not saying that Buium is going to become a perennial Norris candidate, he is going to play a similar style of game as Fox. If Buium was able to fully reach his potential and continue to develop, he very well could be one of the league’s best defensemen over the next decade.

Zeev Buium NHL Projection

There is no question in my mind that Zeev Buium is on track to be an effective top-pair defenseman. While many have him projected to be a top-four guy, I see him as a legitimate top-pair defender that can carry the play at both ends.

It is within Buium’s abilities to become an incredibly efficient 55-65 point player on the back end. His smarts and skating should help him transition to the NHL smoothly, and his compete should mean he is able to develop as needed to be a real game changer.

Zeev Buium NHL Ready Timeline

While Buium could potentially step into the NHL next season, it would probably be in his best interest to play one more season in college. Another run at a National Championship with Denver should do Buium well for his career moving forward.

But at the start of the 2025/2026 season, Zeev Buium should be ready to step into the NHL. Whichever team selects Buium, they will be getting an incredibly smart and skilled player that has proved himself to be a winner at all levels.