Whatever the surroundings, Buium likes to compete and expects plenty of himself – particularly in relation to his personal growth. The 22-year-old defenseman, chosen by the Crimson Wings with the No. 36 total choose within the 2021 NHL Entry Draft, had 25 factors (two objectives, 23 assists) in 67 regular-season video games with the Griffins in 2024-25.
“Final yr was a studying yr for me,” Buium mentioned. “School hockey and professional hockey are very completely different, so simply studying the professional sport and getting snug there. I obtained higher because the season went on. I’m simply actually excited for this yr, to do what I can do and attempt to make it to the NHL.”
For Buium, the most important adjustment to skilled hockey following his three seasons (2021-24) on the College of Denver was understanding the true energy of the correlation between off-ice work and on-ice efficiency.
“Caring for your physique and what you’re doing away from the rink,” Buium mentioned. “You play on Friday, Saturday in faculty then you may have an entire week off. You play 36 regular-season video games and each sport is a playoff sport [in college], but it surely’s not as taxing on the physique as professional hockey. Right here, you study, in all probability midway by the season, that you need to be dialed on a regular basis. There aren’t any off days.”
