PLYMOUTH, Mich. – Denver freshman defenseman Zeev Buium has been named to the 2024 U.S. National Junior Team and will compete for a gold medal at the upcoming 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship, USA Hockey announced Saturday. The 2024 International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Junior Championship will take place in Gothenburg, Sweden from Dec. 26, 2023 through Jan. 5, 2024.

Buium is the lone National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) representative playing on Team USA, but two NCHC coaches are on staff. Buium's college head coach, Denver’s David Carle, will also be his head coach for the U.S. National Junior Team. Assisting Carle behind the bench for Team USA is St. Cloud State head coach Brett Larson.

Buium and the U.S. National Junior Team travel to Sweden today (Sunday, Dec. 17). Team USA has pre-tournament exhibition games scheduled for Dec. 21 against Sweden and on Dec. 23 against Canada. The Stars and Stripes then open preliminary round play at the IIHF World Junior Championship on Tuesday, Dec. 26 against Norway. They will also face Switzerland (Dec. 28), Czechia (Dec. 29) and Slovakia (Dec. 31) in group play.

The World Juniors quarterfinals are on Tuesday, Jan. 2 with the semifinals and championship game on Jan. 4-5, respectively. All Team USA games during the tournament will be televised live on NHL Network, as well as all medal-round games.

Buium (San Diego, Calif.) has had a stellar start to his college career, as he leads all NCHC defensemen with 25 points in 18 games this season, tying for third overall in NCHC scoring. His 20 assists are second in the conference among all players and first among blueliners, while his five goals are also first among NCHC defensemen. Buium is sixth in the NCHC and second among NCHC freshmen with a +13 plus/minus this season.

Buium was named NCHC Player of the Month for November, becoming the first freshman defenseman to ever claim the honor in the NCHC’s 11-year history. The 18-year-old draft-eligible prospect also earned National Co-Player of the Month from the Hockey Commissioners Association (HCA) after a 14-point November. Buium is currently riding a 12-game point streak with 21 points (4g/17a) in that span. He was named NCHC Defenseman of the Week following Thanksgiving weekend and NCHC Rookie of the Week a week later (Dec. 1-2).

Team USA first held a training camp in Plymouth, Mich. from Dec. 14-16 to determine the final roster. Along with Buium, North Dakota freshman defenseman Jake Livanavage was invited to Team USA’s training camp but did not make the final 25-man roster.

Team USA has medaled in six of the last eight IIHF World Junior Championships, including earning bronze in the 2023 Championship. Six NCHC players helped earn the bronze medal on the 2023 U.S. National Junior Team last year.