DENVER – University of Denver hockey freshman Zeev Buium has been named the NCHC Rookie of the Month for December, the National Collegiate Hockey Conference announced on Wednesday.
 
Buium picks up his second consecutive monthly award from the league and his first career top rookie honor. The defenseman was named the NCHC Player of the Month for November and was later recognized as the National Co-Player of the Month from the Hockey Commissioners Association.
 
The San Diego, California, recorded points in all four of Denver's games in December, totaling one goal and six assists. His 1.75 points per game was tied for the most in the NCHC in the month, and his seven points led all league freshmen and defensemen in scoring in that time period.
 
He recorded his fifth and sixth multi-point games of the season in the month, registering a goal and an assist on Dec. 2 versus No. 2 North Dakota and contributing three assists on Dec. 9 at No. 13 Western Michigan in the Pioneers' final game before the holiday break. His three assists in that last contest marked his second game with that many helpers and his third, three-point effort of the season.
 
Buium is on a career-long, 12-game point streak, which is the longest run by a freshman defenseman in college hockey in the last 21 years. His streak surpassed the previous record by Boston University's Lane Hutson, who had an 11-game run last season for the longest since 2002 (online databases presently do not go back further).
 
The Denver rookie has four goals and 17 assists in the dozen games of his streak that began on Nov. 3 at Colorado College. It is the longest overall point streak by a Pioneer since forward Bobby Brink had a 14-game stretch from Dec. 31, 2021-Feb. 19, 2022. Buium is also on a career-best five-game assist streak.
 
Buium is presently tied for fourth in the nation in both scoring with 25 points and in assists with 20. He has the most points and assists among all freshmen in the country and ranks second in helpers by a defenseman.
 
He is currently with Team USA at the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship in Gothenburg, Sweden. He has four points (two goals and two assists) in five games at the under-20 tournament, as the Americans get set to play Finland in the semifinals on Thursday.

Buium is the third Denver play to be named Rookie of the Month this year, joining Boston Buckberger in October and Miko Matikka in November.


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