The 2024 NHL Draft is one month away, and Zeev Buium isn't receiving enough buzz as possibly the best defenseman in the draft. Could he be someone the Ducks target at third-overall?
The 2024 NHL Draft is one month away, and Zeev Buium isn't receiving enough buzz as possibly the best defenseman in the draft. Could he be someone the Ducks target at third-overall?
The 2024 NHL Draft lottery was held on May 7. The San Jose Sharks won the right to select first overall. The Anaheim Ducks will select third.
The undisputed top prospect the Sharks will almost certainly select is the standout Freshman center from Boston University, Macklin Celebrini. After Celebrini, there is an extremely murky tier of 5-10 players who could each make a case as the second-best prospect in the 2024 NHL Draft. Each of those players has one or two significant question marks, however.
Anaheim Ducks Will Select Third Overall in the 2024 Draft
There's a draft-eligible player consistently ranked in the 5-12 range who might deserve a bit more spotlight and could be the top defenseman in the draft, Southern California native Zeev Buium.
Zeev Buium
Zeev Buium might be the only defenseman in the 2024 NHL Draft with true "number-one defenseman" potential. He's an offensive juggernaut from the blueline while possessing a fundamental understanding of the defensive side of the puck.
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Though he lived in San Diego and Orange County, Buium played for the Los Angeles Jr. Kings for most of his youth hockey days.
"It was a 2 1/2-hour drive to get there," Buium told Mick Hatton of therinklive.com. "My mom: I don't know how she did it, but she was great. She would pick us up from our school and then we'd stay there until 11:30, midnight and drive back and do the same thing over and over again."
Buium was a member of the USNTDP and began his freshman season at the University of Denver in the fall of 2023.
In April 2023, Buium won a gold medal with USA at the U18 World Championships, where he was fifth among defensemen in scoring with a goal and five assists in seven games.
Anaheim Ducks 2024 Draft Target: Artyom Levshunov
Eight months later, he represented his country again. This time, at the World Junior Championships as the youngest member of Team USA. His team won gold again and he finished the tournament eighth among defensemen in scoring (first in goals scored) with three goals and two assists in seven games.
In April, Buium and the University of Denver won the NCAA National Championship, defeating the University of Massachusetts, Cornell, Macklin Celebrini's number-two-ranked Boston University, and Anaheim Duck Cutter Gauthier's number-one-ranked Boston College.
In his freshman season, Buium led NCAA defensemen in scoring with 50 points in 42 games.
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In his draft-eligible season, Buium was dominant and won the three most significant tournaments he could have.
The Potential Upside
According to Denver University, Buium stands at 6-foot-2 and 180-pounds. His production and skill set make him a player NHL GMs and scouting staffs are likely hoping is available when they're on the clock at the draft.
Buium is effortlessly shifty and powerful on his edges. He retrieves pucks and slices through forechecks with astonishing ease.
With or without possession, he is active on the rush. In the offensive zone, he is endlessly creative along the blueline, down the wall, and challenging the net deep in the offensive zone.
Anaheim Ducks 2024 Draft Target: Sam Dickinson
Buium doesn't often get walked or lose his assignment in coverage. He has a strong grasp of the foundations on which a steady defensive game is built. He keeps opponents to the outside, forcing bad-angle chances. He's also proficient around his net, boxing out and finding loose pucks off broken plays or rebounds.
The Potential Downside
There aren't many holes to poke in Buium's game, and those holes seem like they'd be easy to fill.
When breaking out or attempting to start a rush, Buium can be a bit ambitious with his decision-making, often forcing a more difficult pass than necessary. Early in his career, he will likely have to simplify his game slightly at higher levels.
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On the defensive end, he gives strong-side attackers a bit too much gap when defending the rush. He never gives up the middle of the ice, but players often get shots off from the wing that would typically be challenged sooner and potentially blocked.
The Potential Fit (with the Ducks)
The Anaheim Ducks have one of the best prospect pools in the NHL (if not, the best) with several young players already assuming significant roles at the highest level.
Many of those young players are left-shot defensemen like Zeev Buium. Pavel Mintyukov (20), Olen Zellweger (20), and Jackson LaCombe (23) are seemingly big pieces of the Ducks' present and future. Tyson Hinds (21), Konnor Smith (19), and Rodwin Dionicio (20) will also be battling for roster spots in the future.
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A natural fit for Buium on the left side of the Ducks blueline doesn't seem to exist, especially considering his play-style may be seen as a redundancy with Mintyukov or Zellweger.
However, Buium's two-way dominance and pure dynamism over the entire 200-foot ice surface in a league mostly made up of players older than him may render him the defenseman with the greatest potential in the 2024 draft. Would the Ducks be willing to pass on a player like that simply because he's left-handed?
The Buffalo Sabres traded forward Casey Mittelstadt for left-shot defenseman Bowen Byram despite already deploying former first-overall picks Owen Power and Rasmus Dahlin on their roster. They are now afforded depth, potency, and versatility throughout their defensive unit.
The Ducks could hope for something similar with their blueline if they should choose to select Zeev Buium at June's 2024 NHL Entry Draft in Las Vegas.