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New York Times
13-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Zeev Buium's NHL crash course could pay off in bid to make the Wild out of training camp
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Zeev Buium never could have imagined he was leaving school to go to school, but the teenager got a 17-day crash course on how to be an NHL defenseman before he took off for the World Championship during a dizzying stretch that took him from Denver to Manchester, N.H., to St. Louis, to the Twin Cities, to Las Vegas, and now Denmark and Sweden in a whirlwind. Advertisement Besides racking up the air miles and waking up in numerous hotel rooms trying to figure out what city and country he's in, Buium knows how valuable this experience will be heading into the biggest offseason of his young life. Imagine being 19 years old with no NHL games under your belt and being swiftly thrust into action during the Stanley Cup playoffs against the Vegas Golden Knights. When Kirill Kaprizov was 19, he pointed out, he was playing in the KHL and not even yet in Moscow, where he became a star. 'In Ufa,' Kaprizov said. 'When I was 19, I played in Norway,' Mats Zuccarello added. Part of the excitement of next season is the prospect of potentially having a Wild team that rosters Buium, Liam Ohgren, Jesper Wallstedt, David Jiricek and Danila Yurov, who is close to signing his entry-level contract. Now, like the others, Buium knows he must earn a roster spot out of camp. Just because he played four playoff games doesn't mean he's automatically on next year's team. But it gives him a head start. Now Buium knows more of what to expect, from the increased pace of play to the little time and space on the ice in the NHL compared to college, and especially how much stronger he must get. One thing that was striking about Buium when you saw him out of his gear in the locker room was just how much muscle he'll need to pack on during these early years of his professional career. 'It definitely gave me a perspective of how my summer is going to look — and know how you take your training to the next level,' Buium said during his exit interview with Wild reporters. 'Everything I've done to this point will be about doing it even harder. I'm excited. I want to have a big summer and come into camp and be ready to go.'' After representing the United States at worlds, Buium — a two-time World Junior gold medalist — will take some much-needed time off to relax and recharge his mind and body. But the Southern California native plans to spend a large chunk of his summer working out with the Wild strength and skating coaches. It's clear this was a point of emphasis during his exit meeting with coach John Hynes. Advertisement 'The biggest thing is getting ready for an 82-game season,' Buium said. 'That's why I want to be up here. I'm trying to build my body up to make sure I'm ready for that. It's conditioning and just strength. I'm still at the stage of my life where I can really develop physically and improve my strength all around. And, obviously, working on my skills on the ice.' Captain Jared Spurgeon was blown away by Buium's skills. 'He's a special player,' Spurgeon said. 'You could see it right from the start. Obviously, he's been through a lot already in his career, with World Juniors and a national championship. … You could see in the first couple games that talent he has. I'm very excited to see what he does. He just brings that element that not everyone has. Obviously, coming into playoffs, it's tough in general, especially to be thrown in there right away in one of the toughest places to play and a very deep team, but he did great, and I think for us heading into next year, that'll be an awesome experience for him.' DRINK UP🥛 — Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) April 25, 2025 Buium debuted in Game 1 and recorded his first career point in Game 3 by assisting one of Kaprizov's two power-play goals. But he had several eye-openers throughout his four games, from seeing how quickly shooting and passing lanes can disappear in the NHL, like his Game 1 six-on-five turnover, to the costly double minor he took in the third period in Game 4. In a game where the Wild could have turned a 2-1 series lead to 3-1, they gave up the tying goal in the third period during the second half of Buium's double minor and ultimately lost in overtime. Buium blamed himself for the loss. Hynes and assistant coach Jack Capuano, who changes the defensemen, didn't use Buium in overtime of the same game and ultimately didn't play him in Games 5 and 6. Advertisement Buium met with the coaches between games, understood their decision and used the time off as a benefit. 'We watched a little bit of video,' he said. 'For the most part, they kind of let me go out there and play, and I really appreciate them for doing that. I was just trying to do whatever I could to help the team. I wasn't playing a crazy amount of minutes or anything like that. I was just going out there and trying to help defensively and bringing pucks out. … It sucks coming out of the lineup and not being out there with the guys. But I understood, and at the end of the day, you've got to do what's best for the team.' Buium was a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award, a First Team All-American, the NCHC player of the year and the NCHC offensive defenseman of the year. But it's not easy to come off the college rink, step into an NHL locker room and be thrown into an NHL lineup in the playoffs. An arrival like he had takes a lot of confidence, not just with your game but also to walk into a room full of professionals and feel like you belong. Just imagine how nerve-wracking that would be, especially when you know your inclusion in the lineup means a veteran like Jon Merrill has to come out. Buium is thankful for the taste and getting an up-close view of how 'time and space on the power play will close up quicker and open up faster at the same time.' Wild players did their best to make him feel welcome, and they were all impressed with what he brought and what he could bring in the future. 'He handled it so well,' said Brock Faber, who stepped off the college rink in 2023 and played all six playoff games against Dallas. 'Doing what he did is so much harder than doing what I did. I got to play two regular-season games. I got to play on the penalty kill. I got to play about 20 or so minutes, 24 minutes or something, my first two games of my career in the regular season, when we're already clinched. Advertisement 'So it's just easy to feel confidence when you can grow from that versus playing your first NHL game in Vegas against Vegas, who's one of the hardest teams to play against in the league. They pride themselves on their big, physical speed, their skill, their skill up front. That's hard to do what he did. I thought he handled it really, really, really well. Came in for the right reasons. He cared. He wanted to help make an impact. He wanted to help this team win, and he has such a bright future, and he's going to be excited for next year. The older he gets, the stronger he gets, he's going to get more confident. It's scary how good he is at skating. How skilled he is, it's fun to watch.' Marcus Foligno couldn't believe how mature Buium was for a 19-year-old. 'And that's not to criticize him,' Foligno said. 'I had a lot of good talks with him. It's not easy going from the mecca of college in his career and college hockey, I think, to come here. I think he won U-18s and World Juniors and a college hockey (national title) all in like the same year or something like that. Then to come here and get healthy scratched and taken out of the lineup, it's not easy. But he was so supportive of guys he just met, and I think that just goes to show you what type of person we drafted. 'I think his skills are outrageous. I think you're going to see an unbelievable player next year, I really do. I think confidence is not a factor with this guy. He's going to have lots of confidence. I think you can see it. There's moments in the games in Vegas, and I think he was developing it, too, where you saw just some head shakes, some head fakes, all these kids are doing it now these days. It's crazy, but you can tell he's going to be a really good playmaker from the top, and he's going to have a good spot on the power play and things like that that can help us. And again, on top of that, he just fit right in. He was supportive with the guys, laughing, joking around, and it's good to have that kind of young attitude on our team. So, we're looking forward to having him next year.' Buium simply feels fortunate to get a jump on training camp. He spent quality time with his new teammates on four cross-country flights, at team dinners, at their end-of-season get-together. He got to be on the ice and soak in what it's like to play with studs like Faber, Matt Boldy and Kaprizov, of whom he was 'in awe,' and absorb wise words from Spurgeon, Foligno and Zuccarello. He even got pranked by Marc-Andre Fleury, a rite of passage for any Wild player. What he learned can only help next season, because he's gotten the tough part out of the way. Now he'll just have to concentrate on what comes naturally — playing hockey. 'Every night is a battle. It doesn't matter who you play. Everyone works hard. Everyone can skate. Everyone's heavy. Everyone's good at something,' Zuccarello said. 'So I think it will help him realizing going into the summer that, 'OK, this is a step up for what I am.' And college is college. I've never played it, … but it's the NHL. It's the best of the best. I think he did a good job. 'So, for him, I'm sure he's just like, 'OK, it's a good league, need to keep this up, work hard and be ready for camp.' Hopefully, we're going to get to enjoy him for many years.' (Top photo of Zeev Buium: Ethan Miller / Getty Images)
New York Times
13-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Mats Zuccarello talks the talk, then caps comeback win with biggest goal of Wild's season
VANCOUVER — After the Minnesota Wild 'no-showed' in Calgary on Friday night in a win-and-in scenario, the local reporters traveling with the team decided to give Mats Zuccarello the night off from talking to us. It was the Wild's seventh loss in the past 10 games, and Zuccarello, like the leader he is, had been getting requested after most of them. Advertisement Yet when we walked into the empty visitors dressing room inside the Saddledome, Zuccarello was standing by his stall, staring at the beat writers and making it crystal clear he wanted to be the spokesperson after such a disappointing loss. Fast forward 20 minutes after the latest mature words uttered by the Wild's wily ol' vet, and the 37-year-old, hobbled by pain as he limped to the bus, happened to bump into yours truly. I thanked him for talking when he didn't have to. 'No problem,' he said. 'We'll be in a better mood tomorrow night.' Well, talk about leadership. One big reason the Wild were indeed in a better mood Saturday night was that Zuccarello, in his 999th career game between the regular season and playoffs, capped a third-period comeback that perhaps saved the season when Kirill Kaprizov sent him in for a partial breakaway to put a stamp on a 3-2 overtime victory. WILD WIN! WILD WIN! 🔥 Mats Zuccarello scores a disgusting @Energizer OT winner to inch the @mnwild closer to clinching a #StanleyCup Playoffs spot! — NHL (@NHL) April 13, 2025 Zuccarello talked the talk, then delivered with his sixth career overtime goal to put the Wild oh-so close to returning to the playoffs. Third-period goals by Brock Faber and Marcus Foligno helped, as did Filip Gustavsson's holding down the fort when it mattered most after getting chased from the net 24 hours earlier. Naturally, since Zuccarello is the Wild's resident talker after losses, he opted out of talking to the media after the victory. Standing in for him? His bosom buddy, Kaprizov. 'He always wants to talk after losses. I can talk, too, if you guys want it,' Kaprizov said when asked about how important Zuccarello is to the team beyond what we see on the ice. 'He's a huge guy on this team. He (has played) so many years in this league. … If you just talk with him one-on-one or when he starts talking in the locker room, the whole team listens to him all the time. Everyone is quiet and just listens to what he says and learns from him. Advertisement 'Or one-on-one, you can ask him any question about life or about hockey, whatever, and he helps you. He's just so important for this team, especially for me, too. And you guys know this. He (has helped) me so much all these years when I came (to the) U.S., (to) Minnesota. Yeah, he's just a huge part of the team.' Saturday was as big a win as you can imagine. The St. Louis Blues lost in a shootout in Seattle, so the Wild are closer to finishing seventh in the West. What's more, the Calgary Flames would have to go 3-0, with the Wild getting no points against the Anaheim Ducks in Tuesday's regular-season finale, to overtake them. If the Flames lose to the San Jose Sharks on Sunday night, the Wild are in. Reeling from the night before, the Wild entered Saturday's game with not only Jake Middleton sidelined for a fourth consecutive game but also fellow defenseman Jared Spurgeon, from taking a puck to the throat area in Calgary. Cameron Crotty, who had played one previous NHL game for the Arizona Coyotes, got thrust into duty for his Wild debut and was scored on during his first shift. Early in the second period, Declan Chisholm was lost when he didn't see a freight train named Marcus Pettersson coming to deliver a crushing check. Chisholm's head slammed against the glass, and he had to be helped to the medical room. Declan Chisholm went down the tunnel after receiving a hard hit from Marcus Pettersson — Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 13, 2025 The good news is the Wild have agreed to terms with 2024 first-round pick Zeev Buium and are expected to sign him Sunday morning for presumably his NHL debut Tuesday night against Anaheim, but thankfully, Chisholm was cleared by the medical team and returned for the third period. It was needed because Faber logged 33 minutes, 28 seconds of ice time — the second most in the NHL this season — and Jonas Brodin logged 32:09. Advertisement 'I think there's some guys that played some huge minutes tonight, and I thought they did a really good job, and especially in a back-to-back after an emotional loss last night,' coach John Hynes said. 'Our group cares, and we were off the rails a little bit last night … and we got back on the rails tonight. 'That's why we're in the position that we're in. I mean, we faced a lot of adversity all year long, whether it be injuries or things like that. And tonight was a game where we needed to get it back and get back to who we are. Proud of the team and glad that we found a way to get the 2 points.' The first of many double-digit goal-scoring seasons for Brock Faber, 10th of the year!#mnwild — Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights & News (@HockeyDaily365) April 13, 2025 After being down 2-0 after two periods, Faber set the tone 22 seconds into the third period with a huge goal to cut the deficit in half. He scored right after, but referee Jean Hebert lost sight of a puck that was never covered by Kevin Lankinen and blew the play dead before Faber scored. 'That might have been my first ever two goals on one shift,' Faber said. 'No, we battled. We battled all night. Huge, huge, huge 2 points.' Faber thought he scored the tying goal, but the whistle had blown and then chaos ensues 😳 — B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) April 13, 2025 The Wild were relentless in the third, outshooting Vancouver 13-4. They got the tying goal when Ryan Hartman connected with Foligno as he drove the net. Foligno was also the only other Wild veteran who talked after the loss to Calgary. 'It was just one of those things where it's like, 'Just keep your head down and keep going, keep moving forward,'' Foligno said. 'Proud of the guys with the way we just kept with that mentality all night.' MARCUS FOLIGNO 😤 The @mnwild have tied this hockey game! 📺: @Sportsnet or stream on Sportsnet+ ➡️ — NHL (@NHL) April 13, 2025 In overtime, Kaprizov and Zuccarello played a long shift topping a minute. It started in the neutral zone with them setting a play, then guiding themselves into the offensive zone, where they kept trying to find each other. Finally, Kaprizov slipped the pass to Zuccarello. 'It's a little bit (of a) long shift,' Kaprizov said. 'I don't know how many circles we did in our zone. Just try and play in the moment. Nice play by Zuccy. We (didn't) talk before the shift. We just (tried to) make some plays in the moment.' Advertisement Foligno said the dressing room was quiet but 'positive' in between the second and third periods. With a regulation loss, the Wild would no longer control their destiny and their playoff hopes would be in serious peril. Not anymore, thanks to what Foligno said was a 'laser-focused' demeanor heading into the final 20 minutes. 'It's not easy when you're down 2-0 after two periods,' Kaprizov said. 'I'm just so proud of the boys because we (came) back. All third period, I (thought) we played in the offensive zone, (went) in net, took some shots, tried to make some chances. Huge 2 points. Huge 2 points for us.' A big reason for that was Zuccarello following his words from the night before. 'That's why he's so loved in this league by every single teammate he's ever played with,' Faber said. 'His personality and his fun, his confidence is through the roof, and he always finds a way to back it up. Big-time players make big plays, and he just seems to always be there in the big moments.'
Yahoo
13-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Wild inch closer to playoff berth, rallying to beat the Canucks 3-2 in OT
VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Mats Zuccarello scored at 2:47 of overtime and the Minnesota Wild beat the Vancouver Canucks 3-2 on Saturday night to inch closer to a playoff berth. Zuccarello beat goalie Kevin Lankinen on a breakaway after Kirill Kaprizov freed him in the zone with a nifty pass. With one game remaining, Minnesota holds the first wild-card spot in the Western Conference, a point ahead of St. Louis and five in front of Calgary. The Blues have two games left, and the the Flames have three to go. Minnesota overcame a 2-0 deficit in the third period, cutting it to one on Brock Faber's goal 22 seconds in the period and tying it on Marcus Foligno's goal with 6:46 remaining. Filip Gustavsson made 12 saves for Minnesota. Marcus Pettersson opened the scoring for Vancouver early in the first, and Jake DeBrusk scored in the second. Lankinen stopped 30 shots for the Canucks. Takeaways Wild: Minnesota rebounded from a 4-2 loss at Calgary on Friday night. Canucks: Defenseman Derek Forbort was hurt during a fight with Yakov Trenin early in the third period. The Minnesota forward was handed a game misconduct for punching Forbort while he was down on the ice. Key moment Capitalizing on a failed Canucks clearing attempt, Ryan Hartman passed to Foligno and the Wild winger popped a shot in past Lankinen to tie it. Up next The Wild host Anaheim on Tuesday night in their regular-season finale. The Canucks close the season at home against San Jose on Monday night and Vegas on Wednesday night. ___ AP NHL:
Fox Sports
13-04-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
Wild inch closer to playoff berth, rallying to beat the Canucks 3-2 in OT
Associated Press VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Mats Zuccarello scored at 2:47 of overtime and the Minnesota Wild beat the Vancouver Canucks 3-2 on Saturday night to inch closer to a playoff berth. Zuccarello beat goalie Kevin Lankinen on a breakaway after Kirill Kaprizov freed him in the zone with a nifty pass. With one game remaining, Minnesota holds the first wild-card spot in the Western Conference, a point ahead of St. Louis and five in front of Calgary. The Blues have two games left, and the the Flames have three to go. Minnesota overcame a 2-0 deficit in the third period, cutting it to one on Brock Faber's goal 22 seconds in the period and tying it on Marcus Foligno's goal with 6:46 remaining. Filip Gustavsson made 12 saves for Minnesota. Marcus Pettersson opened the scoring for Vancouver early in the first, and Jake DeBrusk scored in the second. Lankinen stopped 30 shots for the Canucks. Takeaways Wild: Minnesota rebounded from a 4-2 loss at Calgary on Friday night. Canucks: Defenseman Derek Forbort was hurt during a fight with Yakov Trenin early in the third period. The Minnesota forward was handed a game misconduct for punching Forbort while he was down on the ice. Key moment Capitalizing on a failed Canucks clearing attempt, Ryan Hartman passed to Foligno and the Wild winger popped a shot in past Lankinen to tie it. Up next The Wild host Anaheim on Tuesday night in their regular-season finale. The Canucks close the season at home against San Jose on Monday night and Vegas on Wednesday night. ___ AP NHL: recommended
Washington Post
13-04-2025
- Sport
- Washington Post
Wild inch closer to playoff berth, rallying to beat the Canucks 3-2 in OT
VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Mats Zuccarello scored at 2:47 of overtime and the Minnesota Wild beat the Vancouver Canucks 3-2 on Saturday night to inch closer to a playoff berth. Zuccarello beat goalie Kevin Lankinen on a breakaway after Kirill Kaprizov freed him in the zone with a nifty pass. With one game remaining, Minnesota holds the first wild-card spot in the Western Conference, a point ahead of St. Louis and five in front of Calgary. The Blues have two games left, and the the Flames have three to go. Minnesota overcame a 2-0 deficit in the third period, cutting it to one on Brock Faber's goal 22 seconds in the period and tying it on Marcus Foligno's goal with 6:46 remaining. Filip Gustavsson made 12 saves for Minnesota. Marcus Pettersson opened the scoring for Vancouver early in the first, and Jake DeBrusk scored in the second. Lankinen stopped 30 shots for the Canucks. Wild: Minnesota rebounded from a 4-2 loss at Calgary on Friday night. Canucks: Defenseman Derek Forbort was hurt during a fight with Yakov Trenin early in the third period. The Minnesota forward was handed a game misconduct for punching Forbort while he was down on the ice. Capitalizing on a failed Canucks clearing attempt, Ryan Hartman passed to Foligno and the Wild winger popped a shot in past Lankinen to tie it. The Wild host Anaheim on Tuesday night in their regular-season finale. The Canucks close the season at home against San Jose on Monday night and Vegas on Wednesday night. ___ AP NHL:
