Zeev Buium is the new kid in school as he has his first practice with Wild

Zeev Buium was in the theater room Monday at Tria Rink in St. Paul before his first Wild practice when goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury assigned Buium a spot.

“He pointed at the seat, and I sat there,” Buium said, “and he walked up, and he’s like, ‘That’s my seat.’”

If it hadn’t sunk in yet that Buium is in the NHL, getting pranked and chirped by the future Hall of Famer Fleury should have done the trick.

“I didn’t score on him once,” said Buium, who also had his media session interrupted by Fleury when Fleury launched a practice jersey at Buium. “He was just like, ‘Nice shot.’”

Buium left the University of Denver to turn pro and sign a three-year, entry-level contract with the Wild, but the defenseman was in first-day-of-school mode as he settled in with a team that’s cramming for the playoffs.

While the Wild’s regular-season finale Tuesday night against Anaheim at Xcel Energy Center isn’t a pass-or-fail situation because they could still advance without winning depending on how St. Louis and Calgary fare, the Wild can clinch and lock up the first wild card in the Western Conference and a first-round matchup vs. Vegas with one more point.

Buium won’t be in the lineup, the Wild said on Tuesday morning.

Fortunately for Buium, he has been educated in high-stakes hockey.

That’s what led the 19-year-old to feel ready to exit college after two seasons and become a pro: He won a pair of gold medals with Team USA at the world junior championship and made back-to-back runs to the Frozen Four, claiming a national title with the Pioneers as a freshman before they lost to eventual champion Western Michigan on Thursday.

“I don’t think there’s much more development-wise for me in college hockey,” said the 6-foot, 186-pound San Diego native who was a Hobey Baker Award finalist after leading NCAA defensemen in scoring with 48 points. “I can obviously always get bigger, stronger and faster, but I think just taking this next step and pushing myself even more, it’s the right moment.”

Since a heartbreaking finish for Denver in double overtime in the Frozen Four semifinals, Buium has felt “a lot of emotions,” from the disappointment of defeat to the excitement of joining the Wild.

Physically, he said he’s feeling good after being credited with about 50 minutes of ice time in that semifinal vs. Western Michigan.

“Obviously, he’s been through it, and he’s done so well,” said Buium, who was drafted 12th overall last year. “If I ever need anything or need some advice, he’s someone I’ll definitely lean on.”

Then there’s the experience Buium will gain from simply being around the team.

After botching a chance to clinch Friday night at Calgary with a listless 4-2 loss, the Wild rallied Saturday at Vancouver with a 3-2 comeback in overtime to keep their fate in their control despite being thin on defense.

Captain Jared Spurgeon and Jake Middleton didn’t play, with Spurgeon out after taking a puck to the throat against the Flames and Middleton still on the mend from getting boarded April 4. Declan Chisholm also left Saturday’s game after getting crushed into the boards before coming back in the third period.

Middleton and Spurgeon will return Tuesday.

“Just to witness it and experience that I think is going to be big for me.”

The Wild’s regular-season finale Tuesday night against Anaheim at Xcel Energy Center could clinch the team a spot in the NHL playoffs, but because Minnesota possesses the tiebreakers with both the Blues and the Flames, here’s several ways the Wild could get in: