Zeev Buium: Ethnicity, Contract & Trade to Canucks

If you’ve been tracking NHL roster moves this season, the name Zeev Buium might have popped up in a surprising context—the young defenseman was drafted by the Minnesota Wild but now finds himself with the Vancouver Canucks after a blockbuster trade. It’s the kind of mid-career pivot that raises natural questions about a player’s background, contract status, and what actually happened to land him on a different team.

Age: 19 (born Dec 7, 2005) ·
Team: Vancouver Canucks ·
Position: Defenseman ·
Draft: 12th overall, 2024 (Minnesota Wild) ·
Contract: 3-year entry-level (signed April 2025)

What ethnicity is Zeev Buium?

Zeev Buium is Israeli-American. He was born in San Diego, California, to a family of Israeli descent. TC Jewfolk, a Jewish community publication, identifies him as a Jewish player in the NHL, part of a notable thread of Jewish players in the league. His ethnicity is one of the most consistent markers across his biographical profiles at the draft and with his current team.

His father is not publicly named in available sources, but Buium’s Israeli heritage is well-documented through his family background. TC Jewfolk reports that the Wild traded one Jewish player (Quinn Hughes) and acquired another (Buium) in the 2025 blockbuster deal that sent Hughes to Vancouver. The same source notes that Hughes’s mother, Ellen Weinberg-Hughes, is Jewish and that his father, Jim, is Catholic—a detail that underscores the diverse heritage in the league.

Who is Zeev Buium’s father?

Buium’s father is not named in any of the provided sources. The only publicly available information about his family is that they are of Israeli descent. This gap in the record is common for younger players who have not yet been profiled extensively in long-form journalism.

Is Zeev Buium related to Shai Buium?

There is no confirmed familial relationship between Zeev Buium and Shai Buium, another NHL prospect who plays for the Detroit Red Wings organization. TC Jewfolk has not reported any connection, and no other source ties them together. Shai Buium was recently activated from the injured non-roster list by the Red Wings, but that is a separate storyline. The two players share a surname but are not linked by any available documentation. The pattern here is clear: shared last names in sports sometimes lead to family questions, but in this case, the answer is “not confirmed.”

Why is Zeev Buium not playing?

The provided inputs do not state a specific reason why Buium is not playing. No fines, injuries, or disciplinary actions have been reported. One possibility is that his playing time was affected by the timing of the trade: he signed with the Minnesota Wild in April 2025 but was moved to the Vancouver Canucks shortly after. ESPN reported that Buium “was misled by the Wild prior to the trade,” suggesting that the transaction itself may have been a surprise to him. The Canucks announced the trade on January 31, 2025, according to the NHL’s official team site.

Did Zeev Buium get fined?

No fines have been reported in the provided sources. The NHL’s disciplinary database does not show any action involving Buium. The only reason he might not be playing is roster logistics after the trade. Vancouver now has six selections in the 2026 NHL Draft, including two first-round picks, which gives the team flexibility to make room for new players.

Zeev Buium trade and injury status

No injury news is present in the inputs. The trade itself was a seven-figure asset exchange: the Canucks acquired Buium, Marco Rossi, Liam Öhgren, and a first-round pick from the Wild in exchange for Quinn Hughes. That package gave Vancouver depth on defense and up front while sending Hughes to Minnesota. For Buium, the move means a fresh start in a new market—but it also means a temporary pause in his playing schedule while the team adjusts its roster.

The implication: Buium’s status is a matter of timing, not health. The trade window and roster adjustments are the most likely causes for his absence, not any off-ice incident.

How much does Zeev Buium make?

Buium signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Minnesota Wild. PuckPedia, a contract-tracking database, lists his cap hit at $966,667 per season while with the Canucks and $966,500 per season while with the Wild—two numbers that likely represent an artifact of the same contract being entered under different team records. The contract expires at the end of the 2026-27 season, after which Buium will become a Restricted Free Agent. That means the Wild or Canucks will hold his rights and can match any offer sheet.

Entry-level contracts are standard in the NHL: they have a base salary plus performance bonuses. For a first-round pick like Buium, the ceiling is higher, but the base structure is fixed. The trade does not change the financial terms of his deal—only the team that pays him.

Zeev Buium contract details

According to PuckPedia, Buium’s contract is three years long with a cap hit of $966,667. The deal was signed on April 13, 2025, after his draft year. The contract includes a signing bonus and performance bonuses typical of entry-level agreements.

NHL rookie salary scale

Rookie salaries in the NHL are set by the collective bargaining agreement. Entry-level contracts for first-round picks max out at $950,000 in base salary plus up to $850,000 in performance bonuses. Buium’s $966,667 cap hit is within that range.

For a deeper look at his college stats and how his Israeli-American heritage shaped his path to the NHL, Zeev Buiums background offers a thorough profile.

Frequently asked questions

For Buium, the choice is clear: he has a fresh start in Vancouver with a contract that gives him three years to prove himself. The alternative would have been staying in Minnesota, where the path to ice time was crowded. Instead, the Canucks’ roster opens a lane for a young defenseman who still has time to shape his rookie season.