Update on Buium from EP! Basically confirming the good reports that
@Rzombo4 prez have been feeding us.
Shai Buium, D, Denver - NCAA (Detroit Red Wings, 36th overall, 2021 NHL Draft)
We were a divided group when it came to projecting Buium. Some saw him as a high second-rounder, emphasizing his tools. The rest saw the defensive and decision-making concerns as potentially crippling, giving him late-round status. His No. 61-overall ranking in the 2021 Draft Guide reflects the middle ground. In hindsight, he might’ve been ranked 20-to-30 spots too low.
Of the three players in this article, Buium’s skill level with the puck is the highest. While his skating’s far from Zellweger’s level, the impact’s the same --
he’s highly deceptive in every situation. He doesn’t just deceive though; he manipulates. It’s visible on the breakout, where he identifies the best play and uses his deceptiveness to move defenders out of his desired lane. In the offensive end, he manipulates defenders to open passing lanes to the net or dekes around them to improve the location of his shot.
Despite the enhanced pace of the NCAA, the game has only slowed for Buium. Last year, two common mistakes were manipulating the defender but waiting too long before making the next play and cutting back into pressure instead of advancing the puck. Those hardly register as issues anymore; he’s simultaneously more patient and aggressive.
Defence remains a weakness in Buium’s game. It may never be a strength, at least not in the traditional areas. He’s mostly a reactive, over-committing defender. But his gap continues to tighten, as does his scanning habits and off-puck defence. It’s clear that he cares about defence. He’s still turnover-prone after retrieving the puck, but his scanning habits have improved – it’ll come down to play selection and continued skating growth.
Buium still projects as a middle-pairing, puck-moving defenceman with power play and point-getting upside, but the improvements have increased his odds of making the NHL. He’ll need another year or two with Denver as he continued developing his skating, defence, and ironing out some of the turnovers.
The latest edition of the Scout's Notebook has Elite Prospects Dir. of North American scouting looking at the progress of three second-round pick defensive prospects from the 2021 NHL Draft -- Shai Buium, Olen Zellweger, and Jack Peart.
eprinkside.com