Red Wings prospect Shai Buium wants to take on leadership role in 2022-23

DETROIT -- Shai Buium is coming off a stellar freshman campaign with the University of Denver where he helped the Pioneers win the 2022 NCAA Championship.

And after describing the Pioneers' title run as "one of the best times" of his life, Buium has repeat championship aspirations entering his sophomore season.
"I wanna be a role model for the freshmen," said Buium, who was the Detroit Red Wings' 36th overall pick in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft. "We have two new incoming defensemen that I want to show them the way, hopefully pick up a bigger role and do the same thing. It's hard to win, so we're gonna try to do that again."

This past season, the 6-foot-3, 209-pound blue line prospect registered 18 points (3-15-18) in 39 games with Denver, including a plus-20 rating. He also was named the NCHC Rookie of the Week on Feb. 14.
"I'm really happy about the way that I've developed my defensive game," Buium said about his 2021-22 campaign. "The coaches and all the other D-men on the team have helped me a lot, especially at the start where you're learning the new game of college and getting used to it."
Before stepping on Denver's campus, Buium tallied four goals and 22 assists in 50 games with the USHL's Sioux City Musketeers in 2020-21.

The 19-year-old said he views himself as an offensive defenseman.
"I like to get creative in the offensive zone, make plays and try to score goals as much as I can," Buium said. "But I like to pass the puck."
When reflecting on his freshman campaign, Buium said he developed a tight bond with
Carter Mazur, who was last season's NCHC Rookie of the Year and Detroit's 70th overall pick in 2021.
"We're really good friends," Buium said. "We started rooming together in the summer last year, so we got close that way. He's an incredible person. It's been fun with him."
Last month, Buium and Mazur were both in attendance for the Red Wings' 2022 Development Camp at the BELFOR Training Center inside Little Caesars Arena.
"It's really an educational camp," Buium said. "Met a lot of different guys I bonded with, so it's real good."
Buium said learning from Nicklas Kronwall, who serves as an advisor to Red Wings executive vice president and general manager Steve Yzerman and helps oversee the club's European player development, was a beneficial camp experience.
"He was an NHL legend and teaches you a lot of things," Buium said. "So (I'm) just trying to bring that into my game."