American Zeev Buium lead the NCAA in defenseman scoring with 50 points in 42 games as a freshman.
The NHL draft quickly approaches on June 28th and to make things interesting, sportsbooks have posted betting odds for certain prospects and where they will land.
We spoke with the Hockey News’s NCAA insider Mathieu Sheridan on highly anticipated prospects out of College Hockey like Denver’s Zeev Buium.
The smooth-skating defenseman is slated to go within the first ten picks and with certain sportsbooks you can decide when you think he will get selected. Sheridan looks to give us his insights as he’s worked his way through several scouting agencies including Neutral Zone.
All betting lines are from Bet365 and are subject to change. Hockey is a difficult sport to predict so please gamble responsibly.
Bet: Zeev Buium Under 7.5 Draft Position (-150)
Sheridan believes that Buium may be the one of the most talented players in the draft class due to his skating and passing ability.
“Whether that is evading pressure in the defensive zone and hitting a teammate up ice with a stretch pass or activating into the rush itself, Buium's ability to read and react to the play is top-notch,” Sheridan said.
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The 18-year-old California native was dominant in NCAA play with most points of any defenseman in the country at 50 as well as the third-most assists of any player with 39 in a 42-game season while being a freshman.
His stellar play earned him a spot on the U.S. National team, where he dazzled for three goals and two assists in seven games despite playing not a lot of minutes.
“In speaking to David Carle this season, he had mentioned Buium played less from a minutes perspective, specifically the power play, but he was still able to create and make an impact,” Sheridan said “To adapt to that while making an impact at both ends of the ice, it was impressive.”
Buium has impressed most insiders with EliteProspect’s Consolidated rankings of over 15 insiders having him ranked 4th while others mostly placing him top six except for TSN’s Bob McKenzie, who has him as low as 13th.
His prospect rankings are well above the projected draft position at 7.5 and should be of interest to teams like the Ducks and Blue Jackets, who pick third and fourth in the draft respectively and are coming off a year where they both finished bottom three in goals against average.
They could really use Buium’s defensive skill-set as well as his scoring ability. Sheridan believes he should go within the top seven picks and could be a real difference maker as a prospect.
“I don't think anyone expected him to have the freshman season he had at Denver and I think that shows the potential he has,” Sheridan said “I think Buium is someone who will go before seven and certainly has the potential to be one of the best players in this entire class.”