Buium is a solid two-way player and is as effective at moving the puck as he is defending center ice in his own zone. Positionally, he is really solid, pinching and sliding back as the time calls. The big defender possesses some surprisingly soft hands with the puck and shows a solid ability to be a good puck mover on the back end. His best asset is his vision and passing ability. Whether it’s a short 10-foot pass or a long, stretch pass Buium hits his mark with excellent accuracy and timing. He finds passing seems through transition that gives his team an extra edge in breaking into the offensive zone, threading the needle through traffic often with ease. Although he isn’t agile, he does have strong power in his stride, and when given space, he can generate good speed through the neutral zone to make offensive zone entries. He can shut plays down well by using his body to angle off puck carriers along the boards or also by using his strong stick placement, and knocking the puck off of their stick. He struggles to keep up with the play in this sense and is only able to get on pucks first and keep rushing opponents from the center lane with his long strides and big reach. When he gets into his full-forward stride it becomes much cleaner, but because it takes him a few strides to get there it is rare to see Buium get up to full speed. His acceleration is slow and he appears to lack good ankle flexion making his foot to knee part of his stride look extremely stiff. His skating isn’t always bad and he can show flashes of good quick feet, tight turns and nice edges, these flashes need to become the norm. His backward skating is possibly the best aspect of his skating, however, his pivot needs work as he can be slow to turn and really puts himself off balance by reaching out with his stick to try and keep opponents from the outside. While his skating can be a hindrance at times, he compensates for it with some solid puck skills and positional smarts. He keeps his head up, constantly surveying for options, and is remarkable at knowing where teammates and opponents are on the ice at all times.

– FCHockey’s 2021 NHL Draft Guide