MN Wild News: Zeev Buium Likely Debut Date Revealed

The Minnesota Wild got two huge points earlier this week, when superstar Kirill Kaprizov and soul of the team, Joel Eriksson Ek, both returned to the ice after months out of the lineup with lower body injuries.

It was a good thing they showed up, too. The Wild needed all six of Kaprizov (2) and Ek’s (4) combined goals to beat the putrid San Jose Sharks 8-7 in OT — on a ridiculous Zuccarello to Kaprizov walk-off one-timer.

But it’s never too late to add talent, right? Not in the hockey world, which is why Thursday, when Minnesota Wild top prospect Zeev Buium and his Denver Pioneers lost to Western Michigan in the 2025 NCAA Frozen Four — ending the Hobey Baker finalist’s last season of collegiate hockey — ears perked up in the State of Hockey.

Minnesota Wild signing Zeev Buium – When will he play?

As expected, the 19-year-old still plans to go pro. According to Michael Russo (The Athletic), Buium will sign a contract with the Minnesota Wild — who selected him No. 12 overall in the 2024 NHL Draft — this weekend.

From there, it sounds like Buium — who put up 13 goals and 35 assists (48 points) in his sophomore season at Denver — is expected to make his professional debut in a Wild sweater for Minnesota’s regular season finale on Tuesday, vs the Anaheim Ducks.

On #mnwild prospect Zeev Buium, he’ll be at tonight’s Hobey Baker presentation in STL and then after lots of hockey, he’d likely need a couple days off. With the Wild playing in Vancouver tomorrow, I’d suspect he signs later this weekend, practices Monday and maybe debuts Tuesday

— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) April 11, 2025

It’s unlikely Zeev Buium plays with the Minnesota Wild in the postseason. While he is arguably the best prospect currently under Wild control, he isn’t Brock Faber. So, why would the MN Wild burn a year of their prize prospect’s rookie contract just to get him into a game that (hopefully) shouldn’t mean anything?

Related: Wild Division Rival Weirdly Obsessed with Minnesota at NHL Trade Deadline

That’s the cost of doing business with top prospects in the National Hockey League. Not only does Buium receive a massive signing bonus and millions of dollars in salary by going pro, but one less year under team control sweetens the deal for a kid who still has multiple years of college eligibility remaining.

Zeev Buium went 12th overall lol.

Anyways, 2-0 Denver. pic.twitter.com/a21bAW0bTH

— Scott Wheeler (@scottcwheeler) March 28, 2025

Stakes are too high for Wild to sign insert Buium this weekend

Thankfully, the Minnesota Wild walked out of Xcel Energy Center Wednesday night with two desperately needed points that now have them up four points on the Calgary Flames, with just three games remaining.

Late Friday night, the Wild happen to be in Calgary with a chance to mathematically solidify their spot in the Western Conference playoff bracket. Buium needs rest, but it’s unlikely President of Hockey Operations Bill Guerin was going to debut him during a weekend that has so much on the line anway.