Wild trade up 1 spot to take Zeev Buium at No. 12

The Minnesota Wild moved up one spot to select defenseman Zeev Buium 12th overall in the 2024 NHL Draft on Friday.

In return, the Philadelphia Flyers receive the 13th overall pick and a 2025 third-rounder from Minnesota.

Zeev Buium

Buium played an integral role in helping Denver win the national title in April. The freshman blue-liner led all defensemen in the nation in assists and points while topping all Pioneers skaters in helpers and ranking second on the club in the latter category.

The San Diego-born rearguard was named to the All-Tournament team at the Frozen Four and also took home NCHC Rookie of the Year and Offensive Defenseman of the Year honors. He accomplished all of that as the second-youngest player in Division I men's hockey this season.

He reeled off a 12-game point streak that ended in December, breaking Lane Hutson's mark for the longest such run by a freshman rearguard in the last 21 years.

Buium helped the United States capture gold at the World Junior Championship this year, producing nearly a point per game and nearly half a goal per contest. He also notched a goal and five assists in seven games for the U.S. side that took home gold at the Under-18 World Championship in 2023.

What they're saying

"(Buium) was ... one of the best draft-eligible defensemen I've ever seen at (the college) level," The Athletic's Corey Pronman wrote in late May. "He is an extremely intelligent puck-mover who can run a power play like a top NHL player. He makes high-end plays routinely and can break shifts open with his puck-handling and passes."

Pronman added that Buium's defensive skills were "good enough at the amateur level, but he isn't very physically imposing." However, he noted that Buium "breaks up enough plays to go with his great offense to be a major positive at even strength," that he has "game-breaking potential," and that he "looks like a potential star No. 1 defenseman in the NHL who will put up big numbers."