During the weekend contests that the Detroit Red Wings rookies played against the Dallas Stars, defense prospect Shai Buium showed plenty of promising upside.

He scored a spectacular goal in each of the two games.

Shai Buium the Detroit Red Wings prospect you are !#Gogrg #lgrw pic.twitter.com/PTjxubPoMF

— Elaine Shircliff (@imaraindancer) September 14, 2025

At the same time, Buium, like all young defenseman, displayed some warts in his development. He committed a horrendous defensive zone giveaway that led directly to a Dallas goal.

Overall, though, the upturns appear to be outweighing the downside in Buium’s game. It’s clear that he’s working toward the objectives that the Red Wings organization has set out for him.

“Well, I like his game,” Grand Rapids Griffins coach Dan Watson said. “I think there are some moments where he made some good defensive plays.”

At the same time, it’s obvious that Buium’s development as an NHL prospect remains a work in progress.

“Something that we worked on with a stick detail, moving his feet, protecting around the net,” Watson cited as elements in need of improvement. “And then obviously, I think everyone knows he does have an offensive mind too.

“He made some really good plays.”

Red Wings Will Be Patient With Buium

Hockey people like to say that defensemen need at least 200 games under their belt before they’ve completely adjusted to pro hockey. Some even think the learning curve can last up to 300 games.

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.”

Shai Buium walks in and snipes one top shelf off the face off. Nasty. 4-0 #LGRW pic.twitter.com/EE2ifW8D6i

— RickyBobbySuffle (@RedWingsEdits) September 14, 2025

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.”