Wild Prospect Leads Denver Back to Frozen Four

Minnesota Wild prospect and University of Denver defenseman Zeev Buium is putting on one heck of a show at this year's Frozen Four tournament. The Pioneers have successfully defended their national title through the first two rounds and now move on to the semi-finals and a meeting against Western Michigan University.

Buium has been the driving force behind the run Denver is on. The Pioneers have beaten two excellent programs in Providence College and Boston College, and in both contests, Buium has been their best player. Against Providence, he scored a goal and added two assists. He followed that up with two points against BC. He should've had another three-point contest, but an official review overturned an on-ice goal call. The postseason production continues his second straight season of averaging over a point per game with Denver.

What continues to stand out is his elite skating ability. He's excellent on his edges, has NHL burst, and can skate laps around the competition. It doesn't matter if he has the puck on his stick or he's in pursuit of an opposing player, Buium is likely the best skater on the ice every time he steps on it. That ability makes him the team's ice-time leader and the major reason his head coach, David Carle, is confident playing him 25-30 shifts per game.

It's that same ability that has the Wild counting the days until they can get Buium in their NHL lineup. Not only does he project to be a number one defender in the NHL one day, but he can be a difference maker immediately. With the Wild fighting for their postseason life, adding an impact player like Buium could be key to securing their postseason berth.

The Wild are simultaneously laughing at the other 11 franchises that let their future number one defender fall to them in the 2023 draft. Until he gets there, Buium has the chance to lead Denver to back-to-back national titles.