Zeev Buium is already an NHL-caliber defender with the potential for much more

Denver knew what they had in Zeev Buium from the moment he stepped foot on campus.

Head coach David Carle threw him right into the deep end, placing him on the Pioneers’ top pairing alongside Sean Behrens in the first game of the season. And there he stayed, until the final minute of the NCAA championship game, as he helped close out their 10th title.

Far from treading water, he thrived in this role. In total, Buium finished the season with 1,084 minutes of play, almost 20 more than the next skater, with two games in hand. Denver finished its season with a plus-31 goal differential.

But it’s not Buium’s defensive abilities that have captured the imagination of so many fans cheering for the teams that got the top picks in this year’s draft. It’s the 50 points in 42 games, a record for a first-time draft-eligible defenseman out of college, that really motivates them.

Truly, there is something for everyone in Buium’s game. He is so well-rounded. The only question is which parts of his game will carry him to the NHL level and to what extent. Let’s find out.