Zeev Buium Makes NHL Debut

Etched into the left forearm of Zeev Buium is a tattoo of the dates in Hebrew that he won gold at the World Under-18s and the World Juniors as well as an NCAA Division I men’s hockey championship for the University of Denver Pioneers. However, the 19-year-old Israeli American may need to tack on another date — April 20, 2025 — to commemorate his recent NHL debut for the Minnesota Wild in Game 1 of their first-round Stanley Cup playoff series against the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Center in Las Vegas.

Shortly after his sensational sophomore season ended with a double-overtime loss to Western Michigan in the Frozen Four semifinals, Buium (pronounced BOO-yum), a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award as college hockey’s top player and widely considered to be the country’s premier offensive defenseman, opted to forgo his final two years of school to sign a three-year, $2.925 million entry-level contract with the Wild, the team that selected him in the first round of the NHL Draft last June. Though his new team passed on inserting him into the lineup for a must-win regular season finale, Buium was tabbed to supplant Jon Merrill on the third defensive pairing with Zach Bogosian for the Wild’s playoff opener. In doing so, he became the first-ever NHL player born to Israeli parents and one of more than a dozen Jewish players to suit up in a game this season.

“Just really thankful for the opportunity,” Buium told reporters following the Wild’s practice leading up to Game 1 of the Western Conference first-round playoff series when his ascension to the postseason roster became official. “These guys have been building toward this the entire season, so I just want to go out there and do whatever I can to help. As we were going through the week, we were discussing (debuting). I think, for me, it was just continuing to feel more comfortable, feel more confident.”

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With his parents, Sorin and Miriam, who emigrated in 1999 from Ashdod, a city in southern Israel, to San Diego, in attendance along with his oldest brother, Ben, girlfriend, and some other friends, Buium appeared comfortable and confident skating in his first NHL game, a playoff contest no less, even if he didn’t light up the box score the way he was accustomed to doing at Denver over the past couple winters when he tallied a whopping 98 points, the most for an under-20 defenseman playing college hockey in the past 45 years.

These guys have been building toward this the entire season, so I just want to go out there and do whatever I can to help.

In just over 13 minutes of ice time, Buium flashed signs of his dynamic skating ability, seamlessly moving the puck into Vegas’ zone on multiple occasions while not getting rattled by a jarring hit that nearly knocked him into the Golden Knights’ bench. Minnesota head coach John Hynes even had enough faith in the teen’s playmaking skills to insert him into the power play unit in a six-on-five situation in the final 90 seconds, his team down a goal. There, Buium had his only blemish on an otherwise solid debut outing, misfiring on a pass to teammate Matt Boldy that Vegas’ William Karlsson nearly converted for a game-sealing empty net goal.

When he was asked after Game 1 what he will remember the most from his first NHL game, an eventual 4-2 loss, Buium responded, “Everything. I mean, the crowd was pretty amazing, playing in a game like that. Those are the crowds you dream of playing in. Those are the games you get up for the most. I think just being out there and seeing the atmosphere was pretty amazing.”

Even though Minnesota was eliminated in six games, Buium, who bounced back from a quiet Game 2 to register his first-ever NHL point by assisting on the Wild’s first goal in their Game 3 romp (5-2), is expected to be a cornerstone of the team’s blue line as soon as next year.

“There’s a reason why he’s here,” Hynes told the media in rationalizing his decision to plug Buium in right away. “He’s got some really good attributes. He’s a smart player, he’s competitive, he’s got some good elements to his game. He’s played in high-stakes environments. He’s been on winning teams. . . . It could be great. He might not be as good as he thinks he is, or we want him to. But you want to put your team in the best position to win, and to give ourselves an opportunity to win a series. It’s going to be hard-fought and we’re going to need everybody. But we think this timing is the right thing for our team.”

There’s a reason why he’s here.

Zeev, whose other brother, Shai, with whom he teamed up for an NCAA title last April in Denver and is now skating for Grand Rapids Griffins of the American Hockey League, has embraced not only being among a record number of current Jewish NHL players — prior to last year’s NHL Draft, he said, “If I could be another Jewish hockey player in the NHL and pave the way for younger kids that are Jewish and show them it’s possible, then I’d be very happy and it’d be great for me and my family” — but also his trailblazing role in enlightening Israelis, including his many friends and relatives, about the thrills of hockey.

“When we first went there [Israel], I don’t think they knew what ice hockey was,” Zeev shared when speaking to the AJT last year. “Over the years, it seems that it’s developing and getting a bigger name for itself. I hope my brother and I and the Jewish hockey players of the world are inspiring a little bit, seeing that we can play hockey and it’s definitely doable. Hopefully, over the next couple years it develops even more and becomes a real thing. I’m really excited to see what happens with that.”

What transpires over the coming days — whether or not Buium and his upstart Wild team can upset one of the league’s heavyweights and advance deeper into the Stanley Cup Playoffs — will go a long way towards that coming to fruition.