Wild first-round pick Zeev Buium helps U.S. to world junior title, thrives at NCAA powerhouse Denver

DENVER – After his picture-perfect pass was hauled to the net by Teddy Stiga to seal a gold medal with a golden goal, relief washed over Zeev Buium.

Not elation or even fatigue, which would have been understandable since the defenseman had just skated nearly 28 minutes — more than anyone else — at the end of a seven-game tournament.

No, Buium's first reaction to helping Team USA claim back-to-back World Junior Championships with a 4-3 overtime win over Finland on Jan. 5 was phew.

He didn't even join the pile of teammates that surrounded Stiga in the aftermath, instead tossing his equipment and lifting his hands to his head.

"I just wanted to win that game so bad," Buium recalled. "I wasn't even thinking about a celebration. I just didn't want to lose."

This is quintessential Buium.

He might be best known for the ease with which he can get out of the defensive zone and organize offense, instincts that immediately made Buium the Wild's top prospect after the team drafted him in the first round last year on the heels of Buium and the University of Denver nabbing a national title at Xcel Energy Center.

But Buium's competitiveness is also his M.O., and the 19-year-old sophomore hopes his World Juniors experience will foreshadow his college career.

Now back with the Pioneers, Buium is vying for another championship before deciding what's next for him and if that's turning pro with the Wild.

"You win one tournament, you want to just keep winning," Buium said Monday while sitting next to Denver's trophy case on campus. "You get a taste of it, and there's no better feeling."

Winning ways

Buium would know.

Just look at his track record: The youngest of three boys who grew up in San Diego commuting to the Los Angeles area to play hockey, Buium was a standout with the U.S. National Team Development Program after two years at Shattuck-St. Mary's in Faribault; that's where he solidified himself as a defenseman after starting at forward. He has gold medals from the under-17 Four Nations tournament, under-18 Five Nations and under-18 World Championship.

A year ago, he was the youngest player on Team USA's World Juniors roster, with Buium scoring in the third period of the final vs. host Sweden.

• Scoggins column: Sons of Israeli immigrants, Buium brothers took hockey's long road.

But his performance with Denver was unique.

Aside from recording the first 50-point season by a freshman defenseman in more than 20 years, Buium was the first freshman defenseman in Denver history to be named an All-American.

He racked up 16 points in the team's last 15 games, his final contribution an assistant on Denver's insurance goal in the NCAA championship game against Boston College that the Pioneers won 2-0 in St. Paul on April 13 for their 10th title.

Two months later, the Wild traded up one spot to draft Buium at No.12, and since then, he's made the pick look like a steal.

"Kind of crazy that he slipped to 12," said Buium's Denver teammate Rieger Lorenz, whom the Wild drafted in 2022. "I know the Wild is super happy it happened. So am I. It's been awesome to go on this journey with him. Super proud of him."

Defense then offense

Going into this weekend's series at Minnesota Duluth, Buium's 24 points are tied for first in the nation among defensemen, and his 19 assists are the most.

The Wild communicate weekly with Buium, and director of player development Brad Bombardir said Buium has improved at "everything" the team has asked of him.

While the Wild want Buium to play to his strengths — which is how smoothly he retrieves pucks and skates up ice to support the attack — the 6-foot, 186-pound Buium is realizing when to pursue those opportunities outside the zone and when to stay back. He's also brought patience to the position, which has helped him make the correct reads.

"He's got a really good cadence to his game," Bombardir explained.

Buium isn't flying under the opponent's radar, and he admitted that's been a challenge for him — but one he enjoys.

What he's embraced is the idea that if he's doing his job as a defenseman, then that will lead to offense.

"The harder I play in my own end and take pride in it," Buium said, "the more likely I'm not going to be playing defense as much."

And that's when Buium is electrifying.

Take that assist that clinched gold for Team USA.

That wasn't a sequence Buium and Stiga hashed out ahead of time; they didn't even talk. But they did see each other, with Buium's casual, one-handed breakout quickly turning into a dynamic flick of the wrist that split two Finnish players to catch Stiga in stride for a breakaway that he buried.

"He knows he needs to crank it up a little bit," said Team USA coach David Carle, who also coaches Buium at Denver. "So, that's what I think is really impressive about him is he has an ability to interpret what the game needs from him, and he can adapt and give it what it needs."

Here and now

That World Juniors title is special to Buium.

He actually wanted to win more this year than last; the United States had never earned back-to-back championships, and the victory put a bow on his age group's legacy — in Canada, no less, where the tournament is beloved.

"This one had a little bit more meaning," Buium said.

The run also motivated him to follow the same script with the Pioneers, who are 17-5 and ranked fifth nationally.

But in between hockey and school, including a 7 p.m. astronomy class for the communications major, Buium still has time to keep tabs on the Wild.

He's tuned in to "probably 90%" of the games, and if he can't watch, he'll catch the highlights. And he's envisioned himself with the Wild.

"The way they play, it seems like the group they have there is so tight and amazing," Buium said. "So, yeah, hopefully it'll be awesome."

Already, the Wild notice pro qualities in Buium that'll translate, and "we're ready for Zeev when Zeev is ready," Bombardir said.

How will Buium know what's right for him?

That's a decision he'll make with his family and the Wild after his college season is over.

As decorated as his past is and even with an intriguing future in the NHL on the horizon, Buium has no problem living in the moment.

"I like to be where my feet are," he said, "and right now that's Denver. There's nothing more that I want than a national championship, so I'm going to try to do that, and hopefully we can accomplish that goal.

"After the year, if I'm ready, I'm ready. If I'm not, I'm not. Just taking it one day at a time."