Potential Ottawa Senator First-Round Draft Targets: Zeev Buium

If the Ottawa Senators wish to land an outstanding young defence prospect at 7th overall in Friday's NHL Draft, they'll probably have more than one excellent option, all pretty similar in terms of their possible impact.

But if all things are equal, and the Senators are stuck, left-shot University of Denver defenceman Zeev Buium has one especially intriguing virtue that may be his trump card:

Winning tends to follow this kid around.

Apr 13, 2024; Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA; Denver Pioneers defenseman Zeev Buium (28) and goaltender Matt Davis (35) celebrate their teams win against the Boston College Eagles after the championship game of the 2024 Frozen Four college ice hockey tournament at Xcel Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports

Buium won gold at the World U18s in April of last year, another gold at the 2024 World Junior Championship this past February, and then, for good measure, won an NCAA championship with the University of Denver in April of this year.

That's a lot of winning in one year.

Buium is 6 feet, 180 pounds, and had 50 points in 42 games. His elusiveness with the puck on both the rush and retrieval reminds me of Jake Sanderson, and his clever outlet passes while under heavy pressure and traffic are impressive.

Off the ice, as we saw at the media availability on Wednesday, Buium is socially skilled beyond his years. He answers all questions with ease and calmness. He comes off as extremely confident but in a pleasant way, answering all questions with a huge smile on his face.

Buium on winning the three championships:

Honestly, the last 14 months have been incredible – the stuff you dream about. So I just feel so fortunate and grateful to be in the position I am and to be able to play on the teams I've played on.

On being a relative unknown at the start of the season and becoming a top 5-10 prospect in the NHL Draft:

For me, it was going into Denver, showing the coaching staff and the players that this is the player I am and that I want to win a championship. So that was the biggest goal for me, and I kind of let everything take care of itself. I've always had belief and confidence in myself.

On the uncertainty of where players will be selected in this year's NHL Draft:

Yeah, I think it's different. I think it's really cool that it's kind of a toss-up, and anything can happen. I think it's really exciting. Everyone's gonna be on their toes to hear their name get called.

I think it's very team-oriented, whatever the team needs, and that's kind of how it is in every draft, right? But I think this one's probably a little bit more like that. So yeah, I'm super excited, and I can't wait.

On the first professional athlete he ever met as a kid growing up in California:

I think it was Drew Doughty. Yeah, I was at the Junior Kings at the Ontario Sports Center. We practiced on Saturday mornings, and the Kings would work out and skate right before us. So, sometimes, we'd sit around and try to get sticks from them, and he actually gave me a stick. That was one of the first players I ever met, so that was one of the coolest moments. You know, I still have the stick to this day.

On representing his country:

There's there's no better feeling. Anytime you get to represent your country, it's a complete honour. I felt so fortunate every game day that you get to see that jersey and put it on. I still get goosebumps thinking about putting that jersey on. Even at practice, the jersey has a USA logo on it. Everything's USA. So to be around that for two years, I was glad that I don't feel like I took it for granted.