The odds are good that, within a few days, there will be a new defenseman in uniform for the Minnesota Wild, and a new customer for the various food delivery options in and around St. Paul.

Picked in the first round by the Wild last summer at the NHL draft, University of Denver defenseman Zeev Buium is a good bet to sign his first pro contract soon, following Denver’s double overtime loss to Western Michigan in the Frozen Four semifinals on Thursday in St. Louis.

Looking for their third national title in four years, the Pioneers rallied from two goals down in the third period to force an extra session, and then another one, before falling short. With Denver down to five defensemen, of the 80-plus minutes of game time, Buium was on the ice for more than 51 of them, which is believed to be unprecedented.

“Zeev is a hell of a hockey player, really bright future in front of him, obviously,” Denver coach David Carle said following the loss. “The most important part about Zeev is the competitor he is, the person he is, always believes in himself that he can make a play, impact the game, and certainly although he didn’t impact it as much as he would have liked to tonight, I thought he had some moments where he got open and had some looks and was doing his thing.”

Buium (pronounced “BOO-yum”) can play a shutdown role and handle the physical play thrown his way, and his offensive skills were on full display recently at the Manchester, N.H., regional, where he was named the most outstanding player after the Pioneers beat Providence and top-ranked Boston College to book their return to the Frozen Four.

In March he was named the top player in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference, and was one of three finalists for the Hobey Baker Award, which was won by Michigan State forward Isaac Howard on Friday. In a tiny bit of a consolation prize, Buium was named West First Team All-America on defense.

If there’s one shortcoming for Buium, 19, it’s in the kitchen.

“I’ve been trying to get him to cook a little bit more and teach him some things, but I don’t know,” said Pioneers senior forward Carter King, one of Buium’s off-campus roommates. “I think DoorDash and Uber Eats gets the best of him.”

Buium, speaking to a throng of reporters in St. Paul prior to the NCHC Frozen Faceoff last month, admitted that he’s better with a stick and skates than he is with a stovetop.

“I went through like a week or two and I was cooking a little, but I definitely didn’t pick it up a bit,” he said. “I’m just not a very good cook. My steak tasted like rubber the first time I cooked one, so I didn’t really want to touch the stove after that.”

Well-traveled family

Zeev’s mother Miriam was a professional basketball player in Israel before immigrating to the United States with her husband Sorin. They built a successful HVAC company in San Diego, with Sorin running the business and Miriam raising three boys, Ben, Shai and Zeev.

California kids who have an interest in hockey can’t walk down the street to the neighborhood outdoor rink with their skates slung over a wooden stick. For Shai and Zeev, hockey life on the Left Coast was a seemingly endless series of freeway trips to Orange County or Los Angeles, with weekend flights to tournaments in far-away places such as Boston or Canada.

The boys got a taste of Minnesota life when both played prep hockey at Shattuck-St. Mary’s in Faribault, then Shai went the USHL route while Zeev played for USA Hockey’s National Team Development program in Michigan.

They reunited in Denver, playing together last season on a team that came to St. Paul for wins over Boston University and Boston College in the 2024 Frozen Four and the Pioneers’ record tenth NCAA crown.

Zeev was back in Minnesota in July for Wild development camp, and when the team got to Xcel Energy Center last month, he admitted that for now, being in Minnesota’s capital city is more about good memories of last season and the task at hand than it is about his future workplace.

“I’m just trying to be in the present, live in the moment. I think for me it’s exciting,” he said. “I’m two feet into Denver right now, and that’s how it is for me. I want to win again. … I think for us, it’s more of a memory of being here. We won the natty last year, so let’s keep that going, and that’s the only message I care about.”

Bolstering blue line

The Wild’s defensive corps has hardly been spared from the team’s seasonlong battle with injuries. Jake Middleton is the most recent defenseman to miss time after getting a scary head-first shove into the end boards during a road loss to the New York Islanders last week.

Wild coach John Hynes also is living in the present, and not yet worrying about juggling his defensive pairs once Buium is an option. He said having too many healthy defensemen is a good problem to face.

“It’s something that could loom in the future, in a positive way, if Zeev comes and he’s a really good player and we’d be excited to have him,” Hynes said recently.

Two years ago, Brock Faber stepped seamlessly from the Gophers to the Wild, playing more of a defensive defenseman role. Buium’s game is different, but likely in a good way.

“He’s definitely the most confident player I’ve ever seen with the puck. It’s just crazy to see his transition,” Pioneers senior forward Jack Devine said. “He’s never uncomfortable, and this year he really wants to drive the play, night in and night out, and be one of the best players on the ice for us. I think it’s been special to see his growth as a player and as a person.

“He came in at only 17 years old, and that’s not an easy thing to do. But he has grown in a lot of ways and obviously become a big-time player for us all year.”

Attracting attention

With Shai now playing pro hockey for the Detroit Red Wings’ AHL team in Grand Rapids. Mich., Zeev has emerged from any family shadow, and often was the focus of Denver’s opponents this season.

“On the ice people get after him, and sometimes his emotions will boil over in a negative way that is distracting for him and pulls him out of what he’s really good at. So those are the moments that he has shown an ability to handle well this year at times,” Carle said. “I think as the games rise in importance, he has a better awareness and sense to control what he can control and to make people pay through his play. Someone takes a dumb penalty on him, it’s, ‘Let’s go out and score on him and make him look stupid for taking that penalty.’ ”

Buium can play the set-up role on the power play, with 35 assists in 40 games, and has pitched in 13 goals, averaging more than a point per game from the back end.

“Obviously, he’s an incredible player to play behind, and this year he has definitely taken on more of a leadership role,” Denver goalie Matt Davis said. “You watch him party in the O-zone.”

Before helping Denver to a runner-up finish in the NCHC tournament, Buium admitted that the unwanted attention from opponents has been the biggest challenge this season.

“Maybe you’re taking a shot or two after a whistle, or someone’s kind of poking the back of your leg, or whatever it is, to kind of trigger you,” he said. “I think for me, it’s learning that getting frustrated isn’t good for the team, but also not good for myself.”

Much like learning your way around the kitchen, being successful on the hockey rink for Buium is about learning how much heat is the right amount, and how much is too much.

“There’s a point where I boil, and it’s over — it’s too much,” he said. “But there’s a point where when I’m playing on the edge with a lot of passion and a lot of emotion; I think that’s when I’m at my best.”

With the potential of joining the Wild just in time for the NHL playoffs, Buium could soon have a new place to live in the moment. Cooking lessons can wait until summer.