Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

Here comes Zeev Buium: Super prospect signs with Minnesota Wild

Originally posted on Bring Me The News | By Joe Nelson | Last updated Apr 13, 2025 11:40 AM ET

Minnesota Wild super prospect Zeev Buium has signed a contract and is set to join the team ahead of their regular season finale Tuesday night in St. Paul against the Anaheim Ducks.

Buium was the 12th overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft. He just led the Denver Pioneers all the way to the Frozen Four in men's college hockey, and was one of three finalists for the Hobey Baker award.

Buium, 19, will wear No. 8 on his sweater and the expectation is that he will play meaningful minutes, both in the final game of the regular season and in the playoffs. Minnesota can clinch a playoff spot if Calgary loses to San Jose Sunday night.

How good is Buium? He's drawn comparisons to Wild defenseman Brock Faber in terms of being NHL ready. Faber joined the Wild late last season after the Gophers were knocked out of the NCAA tournament, and he's been one of the best defenders in the NHL since putting on a Wild uniform.

The difference is that Faber is a defensive-minded defenseman and Buium has a knack for scoring. In fact, he hd 48 points (13 goals and 35 assists) this season while averaging more than 27 minutes of ice time per game.

Buium played 51:41 during the Pioneers' loss to Western Michigan in the national semifinals. He scored 98 points in 83 games in two seasons with Denver, the most by a defenseman under 20 years old in the last 45 years.

Zeev Buium will leave Denver as the highest scoring U20 defenseman in the last 45 years of NCAA action. https://t.co/9i63B6FQ1t pic.twitter.com/u2ZhvFPp21
— Cam Robinson (@Hockey_Robinson) April 11, 2025

With the Wild just getting Kirill Kaprizov and Joel Eriksson Ek back from lengthy injury absences this past week, the addition of Buium could make them a legit threat in the stacked Western Conference in the postseason.

This article first appeared on Bring Me The News and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: