DENVER – University of Denver hockey freshmen Zeev Buium and Miko Matikka have been named to the watch list for the Tim Taylor Rookie of the Year award, the Hockey Commissioners Association announced on Thursday.
 
The Pioneer duo are two of 32 players on the early-season list and among only five from the National Collegiate Hockey Conference. Denver is one of eight programs in the country with multiple players on the watch list (Boston College, Brown, Maine, Michigan Tech, Minnesota, Quinnipiac, Wisconsin).
 
Buium ranks eighth overall in the nation in scoring with 33 points on seven goals and 26 assists. He is tied for third among all NCAA freshmen in scoring while leading rookie defensemen in the category.
 
­He has produced at least a point in 19-of-24 games this season and went on a career-best 12-game point streak from Nov. 3-Jan. 9. Courtesy of College Hockey News, Buium's streak was the longest by a freshman defenseman in more than 21 years, besting the previous long of 11 games by Boston University's Lane Hutson last season from Dec. 11, 2022-Feb. 6, 2023 (online databases currently don't go back any further than 2002).
 
The San Diego, California, native has twice recorded four points in a contest his year, as he had four assists on Nov. 25 against Yale and a goal and three helpers on Jan. 20 at Omaha. His four helpers in November marked just the third instance since the start of the 2002-03 campaign where freshman defenseman had that many in a contest (Boston University's Lane Hutson, Feb. 3, 2023 vs. Maine; Minnesota's Brock Faber, 5, March 27, 2021 vs. Omaha).
 
Buium has twice been named the NCHC Defenseman of the Week (Nov. 27, Jan. 22) and was recognized as Rookie of the Week on Dec. 4. He was chosen as the NCHC Player of the Month for November and Rookie of the Month for December, and the freshman was also selected as the National Co-Player of the Month in November.
 
Matikka is tied for second on the Pioneers and is tied for fourth among all freshmen in the country with 14 goals. He has also added seven assists for 21 total points, while his 14 tallies on the campaign are tied for the most by a DU freshman since 2016-17 when Henrik Borgstrom had 22 tallies.
 
Each of Matikka's 14 goals occurred in a 14-game stretch from Nov. 4-Jan. 13. He recorded a career-long 11-game point streak from Nov. 3-Dec. 9 (11 goals, four assists) and had a six-game goal streak from Nov. 4-24, which was the longest goal streak by a Denver skater since Dylan Gambrell went on a seven-game run with a goal from Feb. 13-March 5, 2016.
 
The Helsinki, Finland, native has been named the NCHC Rookie of the Week four times this season, including picking up consecutive awards on Nov. 13 and 20 to become the first Denver player to repeat as a weekly conference winner since Magnus Chrona did it with Goaltender of the Week on Jan. 17 and 24, 2022. Matikka was named the NCHC Rookie of the Month for November after leading all conference freshmen with seven goals while his 10 points ranked second among rookies behind Zeev Buium (14).
 
The Tim Taylor Award is voted on by the nation's assistant coaches, with each school getting one vote. This year's national Rookie of the Year will be announced in April during the NCAA Frozen Four in St. Paul, Minnesota.
 
Denver has had one previous winner of the Tim Taylor Award, as Joey Laleggia earned the honor in 2012.

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