Minnesota Wild top prospect Zeev Buium’s college career has come to an end with the University of Denver star defenseman signing a three-year, $2.925 million entry-level contract with the Minnesota Wild on Sunday.

Buium, 19, who was a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award as college hockey’s top player, is coming off a dominant season. A dynamic skater and offensive player, he followed up a 50-point freshman campaign with 48 points as a sophomore and feels he improved his all-around defensive game. He is also a proven winner, having won back-to-back World Juniors gold medals and a national championship with Denver last season.

Buium’s 98 points as an under-20 defenseman playing college hockey are the most in 45 years, topping the likes of Lane Hutson and Luke Hughes. This season, he won the NCHC Player of the Year award, was named Offensive Defenseman of the Year and was a first-team All-American. He led NCAA defensemen in scoring and ranked second among all NCAA players in assists.

“Zeev is a hell of a hockey player,” Pioneers coach David Carle said. “Didn’t come in as a projected first-round pick but really got an opportunity, showed his stuff, showed who he can really be and flourished at our program. I’m so happy for him, proud of him, with everything he was able to accomplish.”

Buium, the 12th pick in the 2024 NHL draft, knows it will be a challenge to transition to the NHL but is ready to embrace it.

“I think you’re seeing more college guys stepping into the NHL and making an impact right away,” Buium said. “It’s not easy to do. I hope I can make that same impact. I believe that in myself that I can. You never know.”

Buium’s contract starts immediately at a prorated salary for the rest of the regular season, meaning just like when the Wild signed Brock Faber after the 2023 Frozen Four, the team is burning the first year of his contract.

The 2024 first-round pick will earn $975,000 per season ($877,500 salaries plus $97,500 annual signing bonuses) when he’s in the NHL and has a chance to earn max “A” bonuses for defensemen in 2025-26 and 2026-27. He can earn $250,000 for each bonus up to a maximum of $1 million if he achieves four of the following each season: 10 goals, 25 assists, 40 points, top-four in total or average ice time among defensemen (minimum 42 games), top-three in plus-minus among defensemen (minimum 42 games), 0.49 points per game (minimum 42 games), top-two in blocked shots among defensemen, making the all-rookie team, being an all-star selection, or being the all-star game MVP.

The Wild also added in a $25,000 “B” bonus this season if he wins the Conn Smythe Trophy, a mechanism that would allow him to max out his “A” bonuses next year. He also receives a $25,000 games played bonus this season at five regular season and playoff games.

Because of Friday night’s Hobey Baker presentation, rather than having Buium leave St. Louis on Saturday morning, connecting in Minneapolis or Denver and arriving in Vancouver in the afternoon for Saturday night’s game, Buium flew to Minnesota on Saturday. This also gave Buium a chance to rest for a few days after playing more than 51 minutes in Denver’s NCAA semifinal loss to Western Michigan.

The California native will meet the team for Monday’s practice in advance of perhaps making his NHL debut in the regular-season finale on Tuesday against the Anaheim Ducks. Buium will wear No. 8.

Why sign now?

When Buium was drafted by the Wild in June, he said it was a no-brainer decision to go back for his sophomore season at Denver. He and Minnesota felt like it would be good for his development. And Buium was determined to lead the Pioneers to a back-to-back national title. That aspiration ended Thursday night when Western Michigan beat the Pioneers in double overtime in the semifinal.

But with how Buium performed — David Carle said he handled all the attention and spotlight in a mature way — he felt comfortable moving on to his dream. Having already won a national title in college helped make the decision a little easier.

How will he fit now?

That’s the million dollar question.

While Buium comes in highly touted, the Wild haven’t clinched a playoff spot yet, although they’re very close after Saturday night’s come-from-behind victory in Vancouver.

In the playoffs, we’ll see if Buium starts in the lineup right away. Coach John Hynes has liked — and trusted — his third pair of Jon Merrill and Zach Bogosian, so he’d have to decide whether to put the rookie into high-leverage moments right away. Faber warned recently that the transition off the ice can be challenging.

It’ll be interesting to see what happens because the Wild are banged up on the blue line. Jake Middleton has missed four games in a row with an upper-body injury but has been skating. Captain Jared Spurgeon missed Saturday’s game because Hynes said he “was not feeling great” after taking a puck to the throat area Friday in Calgary. And Declan Chisholm didn’t play much of the second period Saturday night after his head hit the glass following a check from Vancouver’s Marcus Pettersson. He returned in the third period, but the Wild will have to gauge how he’s feeling in the coming days.

NHL scouts believe Buium can jump right in and run a power play, and that has to be enticing for a Minnesota team that could use a boost in that area. Buium can play big minutes — he played 51:41 in Thursday’s semifinal and averaged 27:03 a game this season, third most in college hockey. But as he also showed in the semifinal, Buium can be risky with the puck. He turned the puck over multiple times, including for shorthanded breakaways. The Wild will have to consider that when deciding whether to use the teenager in high-leverage games.

So this may not be like Faber two years ago where Buium is immediately thrown into a playoff series. Nevertheless, he will have a chance to practice Monday, perhaps play the final regular-season game and practice with the team in advance of and during the postseason — assuming the Wild make it.

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