NHL Evaluation Camp | What if the rare pearl was in California?

(Buffalo) Are you angry about traffic jams? Do you find that your local area is lagging behind in the column of bridges per million inhabitants? Put yourself for a moment in the shoes of Zeev Buium and his family.

Buium is from San Diego, not exactly the birthplace of hockey. “There was only one ice rink, we sometimes had barbecues after the games. It was a great way to learn to love hockey,” recalls Buium, one of the best defenders expected in the 2024 draft.

Except that, for any player who comes from a small hockey area, there comes a time when you have to go into exile to compete against the best. That’s what Juraj Slafkovsky did when he left Slovakia for Finland at age 14, and it’s the reason David Reinbacher mainly developed in Switzerland rather than his native Austria.

Buium had to go to the Los Angeles region, attracted in particular by James Gasseau, a Gaspé resident who had been living in California for around thirty years. Gasseau first recruited big brother Shai Buium, Detroit’s second-round pick in 2021. Then Zeev Buium.

“From San Diego to Los Angeles, it’s two hours without traffic,” exclaims Gasseau, on the other end of the line. At one point, they rented a house closer to Los Angeles. It was impressive, the support from the parents. »

“It was two and a half hours with the traffic,” explains Zeev Buium, met by The Press last week at the draft evaluation camp, and we did it three or four times a week. After a while, we moved to Laguna Niguel, which was halfway there. That way, they could drive an hour to work in San Diego, and an hour for our hockey in Los Angeles. It’s crazy that they made these sacrifices. »

Let’s just say that Buium logged miles, even if he wasn’t behind the wheel. “Today, I hate being in a car. I would rather walk 10,000 miles than drive! But it had to be done. »

Intriguing hope

Buium now presents himself as a hopeful who has invited himself into the discussion to go out on 5^e rank, when the Canadian’s turn comes to speak. However, he is there in the role of the neglected, let us point out.

But Buium had a meteoric entrance into the college ranks. In 42 games at the University of Denver, he had 11 goals and 39 assists. His 50 points earned him 1^er rank among NCAA defensemen, even though he was not yet 18 when the season began.

The end-of-season tournament allowed him to enhance his CV. In the final, he offered himself an anthology game to prepare for the insurance goal that led Denver to the championship. If he wanted to demonstrate that he can stand up when it counts, he wouldn’t have done it any other way.

“I made a few plays like that this season,” he notes. I’ve had a bit of luck, but I’m trying to attract players to make games. When you try games, you may make mistakes, but it will also work sometimes! »

Buium is therefore good at offensive stuff, and at 6 ft and 183 lbs, his size is not a nuisance, unlike some offensive defensemen. His assets mean he might hear his name somewhere in the top 10. On the other hand, the renowned Bob McKenzie, who bases his rankings on surveys of leaders, places him at 13^e rank.

Alignment of the stars

We are told that the Canadian is, however, one of the teams that like Buium. But loving him absolutely, and loving him fifth in front of other high-level prospects, are two very different ideas.

But we can hear you protesting from here: “The Canadian is overflowing with left-handed defenders. Don’t throw any more away, the yard is full! »

True, with Mike Matheson, Kaiden Guhle, Arber Xhekaj, Jordan Harris, Jayden Struble and youngsters Lane Hutson and Adam Engström, the options are numerous. But the questions also:

– Matheson’s contract expires in two years. Will the Canadian be the team that grants him his next contract? If the answer is negative, you should consider exchanging it before the contract expires.

– Guhle, who was already playing with a tinted visor, saw his season end when he suffered a concussion on April 4. Will he be able to avoid injuries, especially to the head?

– Will Xhekaj establish himself as a defender of top 4 ? If so, he will also have to stay healthy, since he has just had surgery on both shoulders during the last two seasons.

– Hutson is a fabulous offensive defender, but with his small size, will he one day be able to play 22 minutes per game on a good team?

– Can Harris and Struble become second pairing guards?

The answer to all these questions will not necessarily be no. But the exercise shows that there is a universe in which drafting a left-handed defender would make sense, even if Kent Hughes has already expressed his preference for an attacker.

His decision will also be made based on what happens in ranks 2 to 4, after the expected selection of Macklin Celebrini at the first level. If only one defender is claimed among the choices of Chicago, Anaheim and Columbus, will the Canadian be better served with the fourth attacker of the 2024 vintage, or with the second defender? Last year, after four forwards were claimed in ranks 1-4, Hughes judged that the best defender was worth more than the fifth forward.