Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff profiles Red Wings prospect Shai Buium, suggesting that the 22-year-old defenseman remains a “work in progress” per comments made by Grand Rapids Griffins coach Dan Watson:
Buium, 22, shows 68 games of AHL competition on his resume. He’s still adjusting. But the Red Wings also see plenty of progression in his journey.
“Defensively, he was better last year, so we expect just a more complete player,” Watson said of Year 2 projections for Buium. “He was in our lineup virtually and basically every single game, and then we expect that again.”
There are other expectations in mind for Buium.
“Can he take his offensive numbers to another level?” Watson asked. “You know, that’s going to be a question that we’ll have for him and see if he can do that.
“But the biggest thing is play without the puck and understanding the reads on the rush. When to pinch, when not to pinch. And we’re looking forward to working with him and hopefully continuing to develop him into an NHL defenseman.”
