The first obstacle to Shai Buium’s path to the NHL draft was his mom.
Buium doesn’t remember exactly why his mother, Miri objected when his six-year-old self asked if he could play after watching a cousin play hockey in their hometown of San Diego. Nonetheless he persevered until she relented, and the payoff has been huge.
Detroit Red Wings General manager Steve Yzerman again used his vast collection of picks to move up in the draft, trading the No. 38 and No. 128 pick to move up to No. 36. Four spots into the second round of Saturday’s NHL draft , the Wings selected Buium, a 6-feet-3, 210-pound defenseman with offensive upside.