Minnesota Wild Sign Top Prospect, Zeev Buium – Now, Will He Play?

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Zeev Buium - Minnesota Wild - NHL Draft
Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

The Minnesota Wild are getting ready for their 2024-25 regular season finale on Tuesday against the Anaheim Ducks. After their comeback overtime victory Saturday in Vancouver, the Wild will enter game 82 with a one-point lead over the St. Louis Blues in the No. 1 wild card spot in the west.

Their playoff spot still isn’t mathematically guaranteed, though. The Calgary Flames — who Minnesota failed to bury Friday night — sit 5 points back with two games in hand. Between now and Thursday, they’ll play three games vs the Sharks, Golden Knights and Kings.

  • WC1 – Wild (95 pts) — Ducks
  • WC2 – Blues (94) — Utah HC
  • ———————
  • Flames (90) — Sharks, Golden Knights, @ Kings

Calgary must win two of three and get a point in the third, in order to have a chance at running down the Wild. If they were to pull it off, Minnesota still controls its own destiny over both the Blues and Flames, if they win Tuesday in St. Paul vs the Ducks.

Zeev Buium signs with Minnesota Wild; Debut coming Tuesday

While the Minnesota Wild were battling for their playoff lives this weekend, their top prospect Zeev Buium — who’s also ranked as the No. 2 overall prospect in all of hockey by The Athletic — was resting and attending the Hobey Baker ceremonies.

This, after he and his Denver Pioneers were eliminated by Western Michigan in the Frozen Four (semi-finals) of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday. Buium — who will wear No. 8 for the Wild — didn’t get time to dwell on Denver’s failed repeat attempt, though. Sunday, the 19-year-old signed his entry-level contract with the Minnesota Wild, officially ending his collegiate career.

This season, as a Sophomore for the Pioneers, Zeev Buium scored 13 goals assisted on 35 more (48 points). In his two-year college career, Buium totaled 24 goals and 74 assists (98 points).

When will we see Buium play for the Wild?

As of this morning, local insiders like Michael Russo (The Athletic) are not willing to report that the 2024 No. 12 overall pick will make his NHL debut in the Wild’s season finale. Given what’s on the line for his new team, it sounds like Buium will have to earn whatever playing time he is going to get in a Minnesota sweater.

That includes Tuesday vs the Ducks, and into the playoffs (should the Wild make it). Nonetheless, the Wild are banged up on defense, with Jake Middleton still out and Jared Spurgeon shaken up, after taking a puck to the throat Friday.

The California native will meet the team for Monday’s practice in advance of perhaps making his NHL debut in the regular-season finale on Tuesday against the Anaheim Ducks. Buium will wear No. 8.

In the playoffs, we’ll see if Buium starts in the lineup right away. Coach John Hynes has liked — and trusted — his third pair of Jon Merrill and Zach Bogosian, so he’d have to decide whether to put the rookie into high-leverage moments right away.

Michael Russo, Joe Smith – The Athletic

From Laguna Niguel, CA, Buium wasn’t baptized in one-of-us melted ice hockey water, but he did transfer to and attend Shattuck St. Mary’s when he was 14 and 15 years old (2019-2021).

After leaving Shattuck St Mary’s, Zeev Buium hit the US Men’s juniors circuit, where he led the U17 and U18 Junior National teams for his junior and senior high school seasons, before signing with Denver, and now the Minnesota Wild.

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