DENVER – Zeev Buium of the University of Denver hockey team has been named to USA Hockey's National Junior Team roster for the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship.
The freshman defenseman is one of 25 players on the U.S. team for the under-20 tournament in Gothenburg, Sweden, from Dec. 26, 2023 to Jan. 5, 2024. Buium among eight blueliners to make the squad after taking part in a three-day training camp in Plymouth, Michigan, before the roster was finalized on Saturday.
Buium, who attended USA Hockey World Junior Summer Showcase in July and August, is the second-youngest player in Division-I college hockey this season as he celebrated his 18th birthday on Dec. 7. The 18-year-old ranks tied for fourth overall in the NCAA and tied for first among freshman skaters with 25 points on five goals and 20 assists. He ranks first among all defensemen in the country in scoring.
The San Diego, California, native is on a 12-game point streak (four goals, 17 assists) dating back to Nov. 3, which is the nation's longest by a freshman defenseman in the last 21 years (national online records do not go back any further). Buium surpassed the previous mark of 11-straight contests by Boston University's Lane Hutson from last season (Feb. 10-March 11, 2023) after registering three assists on Dec. 9 at Western Michigan—his sixth multi-point outing of the season. Hutson is also on the Americans' roster for the World Juniors.
Buium became just the second freshman in conference history to be named the NCHC Player of the Month after earning the title for November and was later selected as the National Co-Player of the Month. He tied for the national lead in scoring in the second month of the hockey season by totaling 14 points on three goals and 11 assists.
The freshman also earned NCHC Defenseman of the Week honors last Monday, Nov. 27 after combining for five points in the weekend set against Yale on Nov. 24-25, including recording a career-best four assists in the series finale. It was the most helpers in a game by a DU rookie defenseman since 2002 and just the third instance by a freshman D-man in the NCAA since 2016.
Prior to joining Denver, Buium spent the previous two seasons with the U.S. National Team Development Program in Plymouth and helped the United States win gold at the 2023 IIHF U18 World Championships last spring. He also helped the Americans win gold at the at the 2021 Under-17 Four Nations Tournament in Finland and 2022 Under-18 Five Nations Tournament in Michigan and earned a pair of silver medals at the 2021 Four Nations Tournament in Slovakia and 2023 Four Nations Tournament in Finland.
Denver head coach
David Carle is serving in the same role for the United States team at the 2023 World Juniors after being named to the position on April 4. He is leading the USA squad in international competition for the first time his career and is the second DU coach to be the U.S. bench boss at the World Juniors, joining Marshall Johnston in 1977.
The Anchorage, Alaska, native will be joined on the bench by former DU assistants Steve Miller (University of Minnesota) and David Lassonde (USA Hockey) and St. Cloud State head coach Brett Larson and Augustana head coach Garrett Raboin. Denver Director of Hockey Operations
Travis Culhane is also on Carle's staff as the video coach and DU Equipment Manager
Nick Meldrum is serving in the same role at his second World Juniors.
The United States has won a medal in six of the last eight IIHF World Junior Championships, the best medal stretch in U.S. history. The six medals include two golds (2021, 2017), one silver (2019) and three bronze (2023, 2018, 2016). The United States has won 15 of its last 19 games over the last three World Junior Championships, with a gold (2021) and bronze (2023) medal to its credit during that time.
USA 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship Schedule
Dec. 21 – Pre-Tournament Game vs. Sweden – 10 a.m. MT (Broadcast TBA)
Dec. 23 – Pre-Tournament Game vs. Canada – 10 a.m. MT (Tape Delay on NHL Network on Dec. 24, 10 a.m. MT)
Dec. 26 – Preliminary Round vs. Norway – 9 a.m. MT (NHL Network)
Dec. 28 – Preliminary Round vs. Switzerland – 9 a.m. MT (NHL Network)
Dec. 29 – Preliminary Round vs. Czechia – 9 a.m. MT (NHL Network)
Dec. 31 – Preliminary Round vs. Slovakia – 4 a.m. MT (NHL Network)
Jan. 2 – Quarterfinals – 4 or 6:30 or 9 or 11:30 a.m. MT (NHL Network)
Jan. 4 – Semifinals – 7 a.m. or 11:30 a.m. MT (NHL Network)
Jan. 5 – Medal Games – 7 a.m. (Bronze) or 11:30 a.m. (Gold) MT (NHL Network)
