HERNING, Denmark -- Forgive Zeev Buium for not unpacking.
He just hasn't found the time.
Buium, the No. 12 pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, has faced a whirlwind of travel of late, frolicking from the Frozen Four with the University of Denver to springing into the Stanley Cup Playoffs for his NHL debut with the Minnesota Wild to jumping a jet bound for Europe to feature alongside some of the country's best with Team USA at the 2025 IIHF World Championship.
It doesn't leave a lot of time for laundry.
"It's been crazy," Buium said. "It's definitely been a whirlwind. I can't complain. I've played in the NHL now and played at the Frozen Four and now I'm at the World Championship. I don't know how to explain it. It's great. Living out of the suitcase right now. It feels good."
The now-former sophomore has had to be a quick study on the fly, working through three vastly different environments in the span of one calendar month.
Buium's last NCAA game came on April 10. He signed his three-year, entry-level contract with Minnesota three days later, and his NHL debut came in Game 1 of the Western Conference First Round series against the Vegas Golden Knights -- in Las Vegas, no less -- before his men's national team debut against host country Denmark on Friday.
"If it was school stuff I don't know if it'd be going as smoothly," joked Buium, who had 48 points (13 goals, 36 assists) in 41 games with Denver this season. "It's easy. Everyone I've come across the last couple months has been so amazing and so supporting. I'm so fortunate to be with Minnesota with how great the organization is and how great the players are and how great everyone is.
"It's been the same thing here. We have an unbelievable group in there. I don't know the last time I was part of a group that's been this good, especially not really knowing anyone anyway. It's been special and fun."
And eye opening.
For Buium.
For those Team USA teammates that might have heard the name, but hadn't had a chance to see if his game matched the buzz.
Spoiler alert: he has.
"I think the hype is real for sure," said Team USA defenseman Michael Kesselring, a veteran of 156 big league twirls with the Utah Mammoth and 141 minor-league spins before arriving in the NHL.
"Obviously he's high-end offensively. Really good stick and hands. Very confident player. Not afraid to make moves and play with the puck a little bit. It's nice to have that as a partner. He's creating space for me out there. I know he's a very, very high-end prospect. It's been cool to see him up close and see him in practice."
Buium's work -- he was a Finalist for the Hobey Baker Award, a First Team All-American, was selected as the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) Player of the Year and the NCHC Offensive Defenseman of the Year, and was one of two players to be a unanimous selection to the All-NCHC First Team -- is unquestioned.
His Worlds work has earned him some early rave reviews, too.
And Buium is quickly adding NHL believers with his displays on international ice.
"Every skate you see so much talent and skill and potential from him," said Team USA teammate Jackson LaCombe, an upstart blueliner himself with the Anaheim Ducks. " I even try to pick things from his game that he does well. To be able to watch guys like that and play with them is special.
"I think he's done a great job handling it. The NCAA tournament is pretty intense and then going to the Stanley Cup Playoffs... I haven't played there so I don't know what it's like ... but it's obviously a whole different level of compete. It's a challenging game. For him to do that and come out here after all that and give his best is impressive. It just shows his character as a person.
"He's been great and pretty comfortable. I think he's doing an awesome job."
That work he's putting in will help Team USA in the short term.
It'll benefit the Wild in the long haul.
Buium is banking that the benefits from his globe-trotting travels -- from Denver to Minnesota to Denmark -- sets himself up to make an impact in the NHL this fall.
"It's great," he said. "I try to do things to help every shift I'm out there. I try to be me and be confident. I'm doing things I want to do and know how to do. I think that just kind of gives me confidence that I can do that at the next level. The more experience I have and the more games I play, it's just going to make me better and more confident.
"This tournament is definitely a start leading into next year."
