From The Archive: Top 100 21 & Under: 11. Zeev Buium

Welcome to this edition of "From The Archive". In this recurring series, we open The Hockey News' vault and display some of the top Vancouver Canucks related articles from the past. Today's article comes from Volume 79, Issue 4, where Sammi Silber wrote about defenceman Zeev Buium just months before he was traded to the Canucks.

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Top 100 21 And Under: 11. Zeev Buium, Volume 79, Issue 4, October 31, 2025

ZEEV BUIUM WASN’T EASED into the pro game.

The Minnesota Wild prospect was thrust directly into Stanley Cup playoff action following his two-year run at the University of Denver, playing in four post-season games against the Vegas Golden Knights.

The 19-year-old picked up an assist and four penalty minutes while averaging 13:35 in ice time, but more importantly, he gained a better understanding of the standard of play the NHL requires. “I just kind of saw what it takes,” Buium said. “You play an 82-game season, that already takes everything out of you, and you’ve got to find a way mentally and physically to get through each round. That kind of set me up to understand what my summer was going to look like and how hard it is to play in the NHL.”

He also had the chance to learn from some of the best, with Marc-Andre Fleury leading the way as a mentor in his first days with the team. Of course, as tradition would have it, Fleury had a prank up his sleeve for the youngster. “My first day, I was sitting in for the video, just in the front row where everyone else told me to sit,” Buium said. “Then he came in and told me that’s his spot…He was great. Obviously, someone I watched a ton growing up, and he’s a legend.”

Buium also had a longtime friend to compare notes with, as U.S. National Team Development Program teammate Ryan Leonard also found himself thrown into post-season action just weeks after his own NCAA career came to an end. “We both know that it’s hard, and it was a big adjustment,” Buium said. “You’re playing different roles. It was just different, so we talked a little bit. But when we get back together, it’s kind of just about the memories and what’s going on in each other’s lives.”

Overall, Buium described his NHL taste as the hardest hockey experience of his young life. “It was challenging,” he said. “I mean, nothing I thought I couldn’t do but definitely challenging and a big adjustment.”

The six-foot, 183-pounder thrived at the NCAA level, putting up 50 points in 42 games as a freshman and following that up with 48 in 41 as a sophomore. But now, he’s a smaller fish in a bigger pond, and there are growing pains that come with that.

That’s why this off-season, Buium spent a lot of his time in Minnesota, taking in the area and training. A lot of that work happened in the gym as he tried to better prepare for what he’ll face full time at the highest level. “My biggest focus,” Buium said, “was putting on more muscle and weight and understanding it’s a tough league. Your body is going to go through a lot physically, and you need to put yourself in the best shape possible to be successful.”

That set me up to understand what my summer was going to look like and how hard it is to play in the NHL– Zeev Buium on getting into NHL playoff action

Buium, who was drafted 12th overall in 2024, is a speedy, skilled and crafty defenseman who always seems one step ahead of the play. He makes a great first pass, takes good care of the puck and finds the open space with ease, and he doesn’t shy away from being creative, either.

He tries to model his game after several players, but he said he’s learned a lot from watching Quinn Hughes in particular. “It’s amazing to watch him,” Buium said. “I mean, I think watching hockey, I take something from everyone’s game and try to put it into mine.”

At the end of the day, though, Buium wants just to be himself.

“I’m my own player,” he said. 

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