Zeev Buium Is More Than An Offensive Defenseman – Minnesota Wild

We all have an image in our head of what an “offensive defenseman” is. They’re skilled players with the skill to create on the offensive end of the ice, but usually at a price on the defensive end. Think of Calder Trophy winner Lane Hutson, who dazzled with 66 points as a rookie for the Montreal Canadiens but finished as one of the 20 worst defensemen in even-strength defense, per Evolving-Hockey.

Despite the Minnesota Wild’s historic preference for strong defensive defensemen like Jonas Brodin and Jared Spurgeon, fans still know this archetype well. Matt Dumba started his career as a feared goal-scorer from the blueline, but came with defensive limitations. More recently, Calen Addison showed that he could run a power play, but his two-way game turned off the Wild (and two other teams) so much that he’s now out of the league. 

Those two set the expectations for what an offensive defenseman is in the State of Hockey. At best, there’s a trade-off that will make fans want to rip their hair out. At worst, they become a bust.

Zeev Buium is undoubtedly an offensive defenseman. He scored 50 points as a freshman at the University of Denver, then followed that season with a 48-point sophomore campaign. In both seasons, he led all NCAA defensemen in points, a field that included Hutson last season. The Wild brought Buium aboard for the playoffs as a power-play specialist to inject some scoring.

But putting Buium in the “offensive defenseman” box isn’t exactly accurate, and it doesn’t fully prepare us for the Zeev Buium Experience. Wild fans should be ready to be surprised at a version of Buium that’s much more poised on both ends of the ice than his high point totals would suggest.

That might be hard to believe, considering Buium lost his spot in the lineup during the playoffs. It’s true that the rookie made mistakes. He tried forcing a pass in Game 1 that became a turnover, leading to an empty-net goal. His double-minor penalty on Mark Stone arguably turned the tide Vegas’ way in a pivotal Game 4. At least for that playoff series, the 19-year-old lost John Hynes’ trust. 

Buium also fell to the 12th spot in the 2024 Draft, despite NHL Central Scouting ranking him the fourth-best North American skater. Buium went behind five other defensemen — all but one of whom (Zayne Parekh, ninth overall) were 6-foot-2 or taller.

Why would Buium fall to 12th overall? Is it because GMs didn’t think he could keep up defensively in a league that’s becoming obsessed with larger forwards?

It’s tempting to read deeply into those decisions. However, 2024 was an unusually talented class of defensemen at the top. Artyom Levshunov, Carter Yakemchuk, and Sam Dickinson combined high skill and large frames, a coveted combination in the prospect world. It’s why, for example, Minnesota paid a premium to buy low on David Jiříček last season. Anton Silayev — a 6-foot-7, smooth-skating defenseman — is practically a unicorn.

Buium’s not that hulking defenseman, but his peers made him look smaller than he is. We’re not talking about 5-foot-9 defensemen like Hutson or Spurgeon. Buium is 6-foot-0… Did I miss a meeting or something? Is that small now? We’re talking about a bigger frame than Cale Makar and Quinn Hughes.

His frame didn’t stop him from being an effective defender at the NCAA or international levels. David Carle is the hottest name in coaching right now and trusted Buium in every situation imaginable. He had the third-most minutes of anyone last year. That included nearly 52 minutes in an 80-minute Frozen Four game. And you thought Brock Faber ate a bunch of minutes.

He got that workload with those teams because he deserved it, and it had more to do with what he could do in the offensive zone. As great as Buium’s offensive toolkit is, his defense is also a strong part of his game.

“A down-low force, he overpowered opponents in battles [and] poked away pucks after matching footwork,” wrote Elite Prospects’ Mitchell Brown after his Gold Medal Game performance against Team Finland.

His colleague David St-Louis was just as impressed with his two-way play after a February game against Arizona State. “[His] defensive game is just as projectable [as his offense]: well-positioned, stick checks, scanning, engaging players physically. He spots and closes gaps.”

That all reads much more like Brodin and Spurgeon than it does Dumba. It’s also worth underscoring Buium’s willingness to get physical, because it plays against type for an offensive defenseman.

Is Buium going to bring the offense? By all accounts, yes.

As poised as he is, he will also have rookie mistakes next season. Even a player like Faber, as smart and defensively responsible as any young defender, makes his share of blunders. But Buium is more than what we expect from an “offensive defenseman,” and you should underestimate his two-way game at your own peril.

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