The Minnesota Wild aren’t known for making waves when it comes to the NHL Entry Draft, but this year was different. When the Philadelphia Flyers were up for their pick at number 12, there was a long pause before it was announced that the Flyers traded their pick to Minnesota for their 13th pick and a third-round pick in 2025.
The Wild used that number 12 pick to go after University of Denver Pioneers defenseman Zeev Buium. If everyone had known Buium would still be available, putting him with the Wild would have been an easy pick. Our Minnesota Wild draft pieces and other draft pieces at The Hockey Writers had Buium going in the top ten, not below. In this piece, we’ll look at what Buium brings to the lineup, where he may fit, and what the Wild needs to do this offseason.
Wild Snatch Buium
The Wild knew what they wanted, and they went for it by snatching up Buium after trading their pick with the Flyers to get him. General manager Bill Guerin has always had a spot for college kids, as he showed by picking Charlie Stramel last year. While that pick hasn’t exactly turned out the way they hoped, Buium has shown he’s a true all-around player.
He’s a skilled defenseman who can block shots and score goals. Watching him play at the National Collegiate Hockey Conference Frozen Faceoff back in March made it clear he was a different type of player. I didn’t know his name right away because I was not as familiar with the Pioneers, but by the end of the tournament, he was at the top of the list for best players in the entire tournament.
The Pioneer’s head coach, David Carle, had nothing but praise during the NCHC tournament, and he continued when talking about Buium. “I think the Wild got an absolute steal at 12. I think five years from now, you’ll see that proves out even more in all the re-drafts that everybody likes to do.” Carle told Michael Russo of The Athletic.
He’s a speedy player with strong puck handling and an even better shot. He played in 42 games this past season for the Pioneers and tallied 11 goals and 39 assists for 50 points as an 18-year-old freshman. In the NCAA Championship game, he assisted in the second goal of the game, which they won 2-0. His 39 assists had him third in the NCAA, and his 50 points had him in tenth.
Buium Will Fit Well
After the Wild selected Buium, multiple outlets suggested pairing Buium and Brock Faber, and I have to say I’m a fan. They’re both similar players and work well with anyone they’re paired with. They have similar speed levels and can play both defense and offense.
Faber has been a rockstar since joining the Wild, and if Buium develops similarly to Faber, they’ll have their defensemen of the future. Jared Spurgeon and Jonas Brodin aren’t old, but they are in their 30s, while Faber is in his early 20s, and Buium is 18. The Wild have a great mix of stay-at-home defensemen and some with an offensive flair.
They’re starting to trend towards the latter, and that’s a great thing, as they can always use more scoring. However, Buium also prioritizes his defense and blocks as many shots as he can, and the Wild noticed everything about his game, “Buium is a smooth skating, puck mover with championship pedigree,” Judd Brackett, the Wild’s Director of Amateur Scouting said about Buium’s ability for the Wild’s website.
Wild Still Have Areas to Address
The Wild may have gotten a great pick at number 12 with Buium, but their work isn’t finished. They still have to finish the draft with rounds 2-7 all day today, Saturday, June 29. Then free agency is just around the corner and they have some contracts to either let go or work out the details to re-sign. While his contract isn’t up yet, they must figure out if they’re hanging on to Filip Gustavsson and keeping Jesper Wallstedt in the minors for another season or sending Gustavsson to another team.
Related: Minnesota Wild Can Learn From Denver Pioneers 2024 NCAA Win
While it likely won’t be a huge free agency for the Wild, according to Michael Russo of The Athletic and a few other sources around the NHL, they’ll be looking to sign a top-six forward during free agency. It’s been talked about for a while, and it’ll be interesting to see who they can sign. If they can get someone as talented as Buium, it’ll be a great free agency for them. Hopefully, they can head into the summer months with some strong additions to the roster.
