In an exclusive interview, the American teenager spoke to Flashscore's Svend Frandsen about his time at the Worlds so far.
Flashscore: Your thoughts on the loss to Switzerland?
Zeev Buium: I mean, it sucks to lose but it's a long tournament and you just got to move on from it, you know. I'll watch video and see what we have to do better. But, (Switzerland) is a good team. They're fast and have some great players. So yeah, we just didn't come out and play like we know we can.
How do you look forward to the next match?
"That's exactly what you have to do. Just have to forget about the last game, move forward, learn about the good things we did and the bad things we did and just keep pushing forward."
Has there been any difference in your approach from when you were at the World Juniors, to the NHL, and now the World Championships?
"Not really. I mean, it's pretty much the same. Just go with my routine, and that's not really changing. But definitely realising it's a different game, different style of play and pace. So yeah, not really changing too much of my routine."
You've had an impressive start to your professional career. What has been the biggest lesson you've learned since joining Team USA here?
Zeev: Oh yeah, everyone here is a really good player. I think the biggest thing for all of us is that whatever you're here to do, you have to do it to the best of your ability. Whether you're a first-line guy or a fourth-line guy, you have to do your best at it. I think that's the most important thing. We have a great group of guys here, a lot of great characters, so I think we'll be fine.
You've already taken some big steps in your young career. How does it feel to be competing in so many big games at the highest level in such a short amount of time?
Zeev: It's an honour. This is what you live for, what you want to play for. Representing your country, especially, there's no honour like it. So anytime you get a chance to do it, it's something you ought to do. I'm thankful for the opportunity to be here. Obviously, we want to get the wins and get the gold medal at the end.
Just one last question. Going into this tournament, Canada, and the Czech Republic as the reigning champions, what do you think the USA needs to do to be at that level this time around? Do you think you're on that level?
Zeev: I definitely think so. Anything can happen in this tournament. The winner could be anybody. Honestly, I don't think we've played our best (against Switzerland). The game definitely could've went either way but that's pretty much the whole tournament.
When you get a moment, you can't let your foot off the gas. So we'll see how the tournament goes. But I'm confident in the group that we have and that we'll bounce back.