| Detroit Free Press
Steve Yzerman talks Red Wings rebuild, hopes for 2021 season
Steve Yzerman discusses the Wings rebuild and hopes for 2021 season. Nov. 4, 2020.
Defenseman Moritz Seider is settling nicely in Sweden’s top hockey league — a good sign he’ll be able to help the Detroit Red Wings as soon as 2021-22.
Seider is one of a handful of Wings prospects playing in Europe because the coronavirus pandemic has put the NHL and AHL 2020-21 seasons on hold. The NHL’s target start date is Jan. 1 and the AHL’s target date is Feb. 5.
Filip Zadina, Filip Hronek, Michael Rasmussen and Joe Veleno also are among those who are in Europe. Zadina and Hronek are expected to be recalled when the NHL begins training camps, but the players in the SHL are there for the season.
Seider, the sixth pick in the 2019 draft, has one goal and four assists in five games for Rögle BK. In an interview posted on Rögle’s website, Seider shared his thoughts on his hot start.
“It was a great experience so far,” he said. “I think I can adjust from week to week a little better. I’m really settled in on the team right now and really happy to be here.
“I think the first five games were really solid and I can’t wait for the next one.”
The next game is Tuesday, when Rögle faces Malmö, which is where Veleno plays. The SHL has been on a break because of the international Karjala tournament.
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Seider also talked about his decision not to go to Germany to play with the national team.
“We had to argue about if it’s worth it to maybe take the risk of getting COVID and risk your own healthiness,” Seider said. “We decided to stay here and take these days off.
“Germany is going back to a lockdown so I think it wasn’t the best option to go there, anyway. Overall I think it’s a really good solution for everyone.”
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Wings general manager Steve Yzerman originally assigned Seider to his old German team, Mannheim, but when it became clear he’d have a better chance of playing in the SHL, Yzerman loaned Seider to Rögle. It has been a good solution: The 6-foot-4, 207-pound defender played a season-high 21:04 in his last game, registering one assist and four shots on goal and four hits.
The power play assist put Seider on a four-game point streak.
“I’m really happy,” he said. “Of course, I want to be an important guy out here and I want to bring something to the team.”
Asked about the SHL, Seider said, “it’s probably the closest to the NHL right now. There are a lot of talented boys in this league.”
Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames. Read more on the Detroit Red Wings and sign up for our Red Wings newsletter. Her book, The Big 50: The Detroit Red Wings is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Triumph Books. Personalized copies available via her e-mail.