Regardless of the environment, Buium loves to compete and expects a lot of himself – especially when it comes to his own development. The 22-year-old defenseman, selected by the Red Wings with the No. 36 overall pick in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft, had 25 points (two goals, 23 assists) in 67 regular-season games with the Griffins in 2024-25.
“Last year was a learning year for me,” Buium said. “College hockey and pro hockey are very different, so just learning the pro game and getting comfortable there. I got better as the season went on. I’m just really excited for this year, to do what I can do and try to make it to the NHL.”
For Buium, the biggest adjustment to professional hockey following his three seasons (2021-24) at the University of Denver was understanding the true power of the correlation between off-ice work and on-ice performance.
“Taking care of your body and what you’re doing away from the rink,” Buium said. “You play on Friday, Saturday in college then you have a whole week off. You play 36 regular-season games and every game is a playoff game [in college], but it’s not as taxing on the body as pro hockey. Here, you learn, probably halfway through the season, that you have to be dialed all the time. There are no off days.”