‘Adversity is at all times good’: Canucks’ Buium navigating rookie rising pains

VANCOUVER — Regardless of his pure swagger and noteworthy worldwide success with Crew USA, Zeev Buium assures us he has failed earlier than.

“It is humorous — no one is aware of this — however I used to be by no means, like, the highest man on each group I used to be on,” the Vancouver Canucks’ 20-year-old rookie informed Sportsnet after Monday’s observe. “It took me a very long time to essentially form of get my ft going and turn out to be who I’m changing into. You recognize, it wasn’t a simple path in any way. I feel faculty was form of the primary time I actually received that spark.”

In two seasons on the College of Denver, below coach David Carle, Buium sparked like all these NASA rockets on Cape Canaveral. 

The defenceman from San Diego recorded 98 factors in 83 video games for Denver and led the Pioneers to a nationwide championship as a freshman. He additionally gained a pair of world junior titles and, in 2024, was the Minnesota Wild’s first-round draft choose, 12^th general.

By the point he left college final spring, Buium was thought to be one of many high prospects in hockey and touted as a possible rookie-of-the-year within the Nationwide Hockey League.

After 14 factors in 31 video games (and a minus-five purpose differential at five-on-five), Buium was the centrepiece of the Canucks’ return within the Quinn Hughes commerce on Dec. 12.

Since then, Buium has six factors in 20 video games (and a minus-four differential), been on and off Vancouver’s high energy play, was healthy-scratched Jan. 12 in Montreal, and 13 days later suffered a facial fracture when hit by the puck throughout a house recreation towards the Pittsburgh Penguins.

None of that is to say that Buium, who stays one of many high prospects in hockey, has had a poor season. However his standing and pedigree haven’t exempted him from the identical first-year rising pains that afflict and generally ambush practically all NHL rookies.

As coaches say, growth isn’t linear.

“It is undoubtedly been a studying curve,” Buium mentioned after being the final participant off the ice on the College of British Columbia. “However I feel there’s been situations after I was in Minnesota and right here the place I really feel snug with my recreation and what I can do on the market. It form of suck getting harm (as a result of) I felt like I used to be beginning to choose up one thing, and I felt assured. I imply, it is undoubtedly been powerful, however I feel there’s positives in all the pieces.

“I’d be mendacity if I assumed it was going to be straightforward, proper? However I feel adversity is at all times good. Like I mentioned, I feel I have been in conditions like this the place it is powerful (and) issues possibly aren’t going your method. I simply assume the way in which you take a look at it’s you possibly can’t beat your self up about it on a regular basis. Simply hold working at it, hold getting higher. I attempt to, like, generally simply take a step again and assume, ‘You recognize, I’m right here (within the NHL).’ If I might have informed myself that after I first began taking part in hockey, I would not have believed it.”

The timing of the NHL’s Olympic break couldn’t have been higher for Buium, who had three weeks to heal and hung out at house in San Diego and through a go to along with his girlfriend to Phoenix, the place they attended the PGA Tour’s annual circus cease.

He’s practising with a full cage on his helmet, however is predicted to play Wednesday when the last-place Canucks open the ultimate seven weeks of their season with a recreation towards the Winnipeg Jets at Rogers Area. 

Marco Rossi, the second-line centre acquired from the Wild, can also be totally wholesome for the primary time since struggling a lower-body damage in Minnesota on Nov. 11. The third participant acquired within the blockbuster, 22-year-old winger Liam Ohgren, has been one of many nice surprises in a dismal Canucks season and earlier than the break was a part of Vancouver’s finest ahead line alongside Teddy Blueger and Conor Garland.

However neither Rossi nor Ohgren, though key items within the Canucks’ future, face the strain Buium does to develop right into a top-pairing, offensive defenceman able to changing Hughes, the 2024 Norris Trophy winner and newly topped Olympic gold medallist.

“He has the potential to be a fantastic participant on this league,” veteran defenceman Tyler Myers, a former Calder Trophy winner himself, mentioned of Buium. “I am actually excited to see what he does going ahead, particularly the subsequent few years, and see how he grows as a participant. However it’s vital for everyone — the followers, the media, Zeev himself — that simply because he was a part of that commerce, does not imply he must be in comparison with Quinn or another participant. He simply must be himself. Extremely expert, tons of potential. It should be enjoyable to look at him.”

Even with Buium’s uneven season, of the 5 defencemen drafted forward of him in 2024, solely second general choose Artyom Levshunov of the Chicago Blackhawks has extra NHL video games and factors up to now than the Canuck, who’s averaging 20:25 of ice time in Vancouver.

“I feel I mentioned it to you once we first met, however I simply need to be myself,” Buium mentioned. “I need to write my very own story. I am not going to appear to be Quinn Hughes, I’m not going to skate like him, not going to stickhandle like him. However I’ll do issues in my very own method that hopefully, you already know, form of matches one thing that he was in a position to do right here. That is my purpose — to be the participant I’m, convey what I do know I can convey to the sport, and hopefully make the followers proud of that.”

He’s desperate to play the Canucks’ remaining 25 video games.

“I am actually excited,” Buium mentioned. “I imply, I feel these video games are so vital to all of us. No matter whether or not you make the playoffs or do not make the playoffs … I feel for us as a group, particularly us youthful group of fellows, the actually vital factor is attempting to construct that confidence, attempting to construct that recreation. The way in which I take a look at it’s if I can play these subsequent 25 video games, making them my finest video games, (getting) higher and higher and really feel actually good by the tip of it, that is one thing which you could construct on in the summertime. You may construct on it going into subsequent 12 months.

“I feel that’s vital for the older guys, too. I really feel like there’s a variety of noise round our group on a regular basis, and particularly with what occurred with Quinn. I wasn’t right here, clearly, however I used to be in faculty, and I used to be listening to about (ex-Canuck) J.T. Miller and all these items. It is like these guys have been by way of quite a bit. For us (younger gamers), it is serving to convey a brand new mild to the group, proper? Deliver a brand new vitality. Sort of neglect about all of the bull—- that occurred, truthfully, and simply get previous that.”

• With a winter storm within the U.S. Northeast inflicting journey chaos for athletes getting back from the Olympics in Italy, Canucks coach Adam Foote mentioned Monday that goalie Kevin Lankinen, a bronze medallist as a backup on Crew Finland, doubtless gained’t be able to play Wednesday. The Canucks 4 different Olympians, Czechs Filip Hronek and David Kampf, Swede Elias Pettersson and Blueger of Crew Latvia, had their second observe again with the Canucks. Winger Brock Boeser, concussed by Pittsburgh Penguin Bryan Rust’s headshot on Jan. 25, practised in a non-contact jersey.