ST. PAUL — Zeev Buium was conducting his first media interview as a member of the Minnesota Wild on Monday, when a white practice jersey suddenly sailed over the circle of reporters and cameras and landed square in the rookie’s face.

The rookie defenseman paused briefly to uncover his face, revealing a wide smile and an unfazed expression as he quickly resumed the conversation.

While Buium’s performance on the ice in the NHL has yet to unfold, the 2024 first-round draft pick with the unusual name and the unconventional pathway to the sport sure looks like he’ll be able to more than hold his own.

After winning the NCAA championship as a freshman with Denver and returning to the Frozen Four last weekend, Buium decided to end his college career after two seasons and make the jump to Minnesota.

He signed a three-year, entry-level contract on Sunday and joined the Wild at the rink for practice, meet-and-greets and more paperwork on Monday.

“Kind of like your first day school,” coach John Hynes said.

Buium, for the record, emailed his Denver professors to inform them he wouldn’t be in class this week.

“I don’t think there was much more, development-wise, for me in college hockey,” said Buium, who was the country’s........

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