LAS VEGAS (AP) — Zeev Buium was trying to help lead Denver to the NCAA's Frozen Four championship less than two weeks ago.
On Sunday night, he made his NHL debut for the Minnesota Wild.
As a 19-year-old. In a playoff game. At one of the NHL's loudest arenas.
Buium, the No. 12 overall pick in last year's NHL draft, more than acquitted himself with his new teammates after the Vegas Golden Knights claimed Game 1 of their Western Conference first-round series. He played 13:37 with a shot on goal in the 4-2 loss, playing on the third defensive pair with Zach Bogosian.
Game 2 is Tuesday night in Las Vegas.
“I was not ready when I came into professional hockey, that's for sure,” Wild forward Marcus Foligno said. "I took my time in the American (Hockey) League, and thank God for it. I do not know what he's going through and what he's thinking about, but he's a way better person than I was at that age. It's kind of crazy he's 19, but there's a reason why he was drafted so high and the buzz around him.
“He doesn't carry himself like that, though. He's got a lot of confidence and great kid. The skill set that he has is amazing, so I think he's going to be just fine. I think you're going to see the next couple of games him really blossom here.”
Buium, who also was in Las Vegas last June for the draft, said he didn't feel overwhelmed by the atmosphere.
“After my first shift, the nerves completely went away,” Buium said. “It was less nerves than I thought there was going to be.”
Coach John Hynes said showed his confidence in the youngster by putting him in at 6-on-5 in the final two minutes when the Wild were trying to force overtime.
“You're trying to make the best decisions as coaches and management to try to give your team the best chance to win,” Hynes said. “It was good to see him get in there and play well.”
His teammates were sold.
“When I was his age, I wasn't even running a power play in juniors,” defenseman Jake Middleton said. “So I can't really relate to what he's feeling right now, but he's going to be an exceptional player. You can see it already.”
___
AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
Mark Anderson, The Associated Press