At least one noted draft analyst rated Moritz Seider as the No. 1 NHL-affiliated prospect in early April. Seider last week was named Swedish Hockey League defenseman of the year.
The buildup for the Detroit Red Wings’ top 2019 pick appears justified, and general manager Steve Yzerman noted that Seider had “a great year” in Sweden, playing in all situations on a strong team in a good men’s league.
But Yzerman also wanted to slow the hype train just a bit.
“I want to temper the enthusiasm or the excitement,” he said. “He’s a great young player, his next move is to the NHL. We’ll see how training camp, the preseason goes. It’s a huge step from the American League or the Swedish League to the National Hockey League, but he probably exceeded our expectations last year going into the American League. I’m not surprised he did well in the Swedish League.”
The start of the German league’s season was delayed due to COVID-19, so Seider – who was loaned to Adler Mannheim – decided to play for Rogle BK in Sweden.
The 6-4, 207-pound Seider tallied seven goals and 21 assists in 41 games and picked up a goal and four assists in 13 playoff games as Rogle advanced to the championship series before losing to Vaxjo.
“He’s got a great head on his shoulders, he’s got good hockey sense,” Yzerman, who in his first draft as Detroit GM selected Seider No. 6 overall. “He’s very competitive. He’s got size, his skills are good. He’s got a lot of work to do, but there’s a lot of potential for him. We’re excited to have him here next year. Our hope is he’s ready to play for the Red Wings at the start of the season.”
TSN’s Craig Button wrote that “there’s plenty of hope and excitement for the future” for the Red Wings after rating Seider No. 1 and Lucas Raymond, the fourth pick in the 2020 draft, No. 3 on his annual list of prospects.
“(The) German blueliner has elevated his play to the next level with his size, physicality, puck-handling and offensive skill,” Button wrote of Seider.
Yzerman said he is not committing to Seider and Raymond being on the NHL roster at the start of next season. Raymond might need some development time with the Grand Rapids Griffins. But there is little doubt Seider is NHL-ready; it would be shocking if he didn’t earn a roster spot out of training camp.
“I want them to make the team and have a positive impact,” Yzerman said. “Our expectation and our hope is that Moritz is ready to go. We’ll see that next fall. Lucas, I don’t want to rule it out, but we’ll let the situation play itself out and if they prove they’re ready to go they’ll be on the team.
“I’m not going to force it or rush it. We have high expectations for them. Is it next season or the season after? I’m not sure. We’d love them to play but they’re going to need to earn it.”
Seider, 20, spent last season with Grand Rapids (two goals, 20 assists in 49 games) after being one of the final cuts in Red Wings camp.
“I thought Mo did a real good job in the American League a year ago,” Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill said. “When camp starts, it’s always exciting to see where guys are at and the development they’ve shown. I will watch Mo even more throughout the course of the summer and have a bit of a feel. He’s going to face challenges here that he didn’t face in the American League, that he didn’t face in Sweden, and how he responds to those challenges will dictate how quickly he’ll have success here.”
Detroit captain Dylan Larkin said he followed Seider’s season, checking in on his stats.
“I saw him play in training camp last year. He has that quiet confidence about him,” Larkin said. “As a young player coming into the league, it’s huge to have that. It’s huge to believe in yourself, not in an arrogant way, but to believe and know that you can come in and help the team. We’re all hoping he can come in and do that.”
The Red Wings likely will pair the right-shooting Seider with an experienced left-shooting defenseman. Danny DeKeyser is their only such player as of now. Yzerman said they need to add a couple of left-shooting defensemen.
One could be Marc Staal, one of only two Red Wings to play all 56 games (Filip Hronek was the other). Staal, an unrestricted free agent, could be a good fit as Seider’s partner and mentor.
“I think my best fit is playing with a skilled, right-handed shot defenseman where I can make them feel as comfortable as possible making plays, and just being solid for them and positioning,” Staal said. “Communication is huge on the ice. That’s the most under-developed skill. I try to do that as much as possible. I think it helps more when you’re playing with a young defenseman who’s trying to find his way.”
More: What does future hold for Detroit’s top goaltending prospect?
The Link LonkMay 24, 2021 at 05:06PM
https://www.mlive.com/redwings/2021/05/red-wings-excited-about-moritz-seiders-progress-eagerly-await-debut.html
Red Wings excited about Moritz Seider’s progress, eagerly await debut - MLive.com
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