| Zeev Buium | Denver University | NCAA | L | D | 6’0″ | 183 | Denver | 2023 | Laguna Niguel, CA | 2005 | 2023-2024: A- |
NCAA: Colorado College at Denver, November 3, 2023: The December 2005 Zeev Buium is a slightly undersized highly poised confident smooth skating left shot defensemen with the foot work to be very effective playing either the left or right sides. Offensively he scans the ice before retrieving the puck or receiving a pass and the puck does not slow him down. He played the game with his eyes up looking to make the easy outlet pass and when there were no open teammates Buium moved his feet to create passing lanes or to gain the next zone. Defensively he used his foot work and puck anticipation to maintain defensive side positioning throughout contact and wall battles. There is no doubt that he needs to continue gaining strength to be defensively impactful in the NHL but at this point he has the edges, quickness and body control to defend at the college or professional level. On the night he finished third among Denver defensemen with 20:41 in total ice time including being second among defensemen with 4:51 on the power play and third with 3:48 while shorthanded. He finished +3 with 1 assist, 0 shots, 1 hit, had 1 shot blocked, 5 giveaways, 5 takeaways and for the season he is winning 52% of his 50/50 puck battles.
NCAA: Augustana at Denver, October27, 2023: Standing at 6’0′ and weighing in at 183lbs Buium is slightly undersized left shot defenseman with a bounce in his step and the skating ability to look like he can gain speed while gliding doing subtle heel pushes. His speed would allow him to win races for loose pucks but he showed nice puck anticipation which allowed him to not only win the race but to create time and space for himself on the way. He was on for a goal against on a play where he stepped up on a turnover on the defensive side of the redline and ran into his own man. Normally we like his aggressiveness but in this situation we feel he needed to be more patient to let his forward win the loose puck and then be an outlet behind him. After the turnover Buium showed good acceleration as he forced the Augustana forward to stay outside the dot-lane and then throw a puck towards the net but there’s no doubt a little more patience would have eliminated any scoring opportunity. Defensively he used his feet to set his gaps early and then laterally surf his opponent through the neutral zone. He was consistently a stick’s length away from the intended passing target and used his stick blade to jam the opposing forward as he was receiving the pass. For the game he finished with a game high 26:50 in total ice time including 0:50 on the power play and a team high 3:54 while shorthanded. He finished +1 with 0 points, 0 shots, 0 hits, 7 giveaways, 9 takeaways and for the season he is winning 51% of his 50/50 puck battles.
NCAA: Denver at Providence, October 20, 2023: The late 2005 Zeev Buium played his normal highly poised game. Offensively his passes were deceptive hard and accurate. Whether it be on a hinge or attacking through the dot-lane Buium worked to be an outlet for his partner or teammates in the neutral zone. He showed a soft first touch on both his forehand or backhand and he did not need to stickhandle before making the next play. He had a beautiful power play assist after receiving a bouncing indirect pass on his strong side point, then quickly faking a pass to his bumper and then firing a perfect pass to the right dot-lane for a one-timer goal. Defensively he was minus one on Providence’s third goal of the game after getting beat in a 1 on 1 along the right mid-wall allowing his man to spin off contact to attack the net and score. The minus occurred 1:15 into a shift where Denver had spent the previous 60 seconds in the offensive zone cycling and there was no doubt that Buium was gassed. We don’t think he had a chance to change before the goal but the shift is an example of how Buium will need to continue adding strength and power to his frame so he can consistently defend at the NHL level. For the game he finished second among Denver defensemen with 23:34 in total ice time including 6:40 on the power play and 2:17 while shorthanded. He finished -1 with one power play primary assist, 0 shots, 2 hits, received 1 hit, 4 giveaways, a team high 9 takeaways and for the season he is winning 51% of his 50/50 puck battles.
USA Hockey: U20 Blue vs U20 White, August 2, 2023: Buium is a below average sized left shot defender with with high end puck poise and real confidence in his feet. He retrieved pucks with pace while looking over both shoulders locating all three forecheckers and once he gained the net he did an excellent job of getting the opposing forecheckers trapped below the goal line and behind the play. His passes were flat hard and on time. He did not need to make multiple stick handles to settle poor passes or bouncing pucks before moving it on to the open man. While in defensive transition he worked hard to set his gap and we did not notice him standing flat footed waiting for the opposing rush to get to him. He showed good stick placement and forced the rush into the direction he wanted them to go. On the power play he lugged the puck up the ice and was fairly unpredictable at when he was going to use the slingshot or use his feet to attack the offensive blueline with speed and in full control. Buium scored during a first period power play where he quick sticked a snap shot from high in the slot. It was not a rocket, but it was well placed to the five hole. Defensively he used his skating to take away time and space anywhere on the ice from the offensive blueline back. In the defensive zone he moved quickly on bobbled pucks and we liked how he attacked players who were on their backhands. At this point he is still quite light and in a game with very little contact he was able to box out and end the cycle quickly, but he never really had to engage in a physical battle or attempt to clear a shooting lane. This style of showcase event really highlighted his ability to move the puck, make opponents miss in open ice and join the rush as second wave or even lead it when he did not have other passing options.
NCAA: Rochester Institute of Technology vs USNTDP U18, November 19, 2022: Buium showed fairly well and he gets power play time on the 1st unit. He made a good pass off the rush in the 1st period as he gained entry and found #18 Hendrickson in the slot for good chance. He picked up primary assist on the 2nd goal with good puck movement with #2 Smith and he was able to find #4 Perreault on the 4v3 man-advantage across the slot. He plays the puck distributor on the PP, makes good puck decisions from the back end, and can transport the puck as well up ice.
NCAA: St. Thomas vs USNTDP U18, October 14, 2022: Buium is a sure handed, puck possession defenseman committed to Denver University. Showed great poise at the backend as he played a very controlled and heads-up game. When carrying the puck Buium is efficient and makes high percentage passes. He doesn’t get frazzled when under pressure as he’s aware of his surroundings and uses his body well to protect the puck. Made a couple exceptional moves to create separation and kept puck possession in the offensive zone. After making a rush up ice Zeev has good recovery skills. Offensively he likes to create through passing or taking shots for tips and rebounds. The San Diego, California native has shown nice growth physically and mentally as his he has progressed nicely over the past 18 months.
USHL: Fall Classic Report, September 25, 2022: Buium is a quick, smooth, agile defender out of Shattuck St. Mary’s who thinks the game at a high level. He is one of the best pure skaters in the tournament; his stride is fluid and quick-twitch, he has balance and accleration in all directions and flexible through his hips. He was quick back to pucks on retrievals winning nealry every puck race, he could walk forecheckers behind the net and move the puck instantly. He has swift hands, walked the blue line with his head up on the power play and was able to slow the game down, pick apart the coverage and exploit the seams. He doesn’t rush the play or force his passes; he waits for the play to develop in front of him and then can make split second decisions with the puck at pace. The late ’05 isn’t eligible for this years NHL Draft but he’ll have plenty of eyes on him for next year as he’s got a lot of weapons. While he’s gotten noticeably stronger from last season, he still needs to continue in that effort and play a more physical, structured defensive game staying in his lanes, clogging the middle and playing the body. He was quite effective against small, speedy forwards because of his skating ability and quickness closing the gap and taking away time and space but he wasn’t as effective covering bigger, stronger power forwards driving the net on him.
USHL: Omaha Lancers vs USNTDP U18, September 24, 2022: Buium moves well and has good handle, as well as made good puck decisions. His puck skills and confidence with the puck allows him to distribute the puck well on the power-play. He possesses good stride thus he can also rush the puck and in the 2nd period showed his offensive thoughts as walked in trying to split the Dmen down the middle. On the defensive side, he was also willing to sacrifice as when the game was tied 2-2 late in the 3rd period, he blocked a slap shot in the slot.
Photo Credit: Dan Hickling/Hickling Images