| Detroit Free Press
Steve Yzerman on Detroit Red Wings prospects Lucas Raymond, Moritz Seider
Detroit Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman at virtual Detroit Economic Club event, Feb. 22, 2021.
Helene St. James, Detroit Free Press
Moritz Seider is enjoying life.
He has a starring role on the best team in the Swedish Hockey League, he goes for regular walks by the ocean and he indulges his sweet tooth with the most delicious pastries he’s ever tasted. His career trajectory is full of promise, and his development is a major reason why the Detroit Red Wings, and their fans, should look forward to next season.
Seider has figured as a major part of the rebuild since general manager Steve Yzerman stunned the hockey world when he selected the 6-foot-4, 207-pound German defenseman with the sixth pick in the 2019 draft. Seider’s own surprise at being picked so early became a viral sensation, but he has done nothing but validate Yzerman’s choice since that June 2019 day in Vancouver, British Columbia.
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Seider has made himself at home with Rögle BK in Sweden’s top hockey league. He recorded his sixth goal Saturday, helping Rögle pad their position atop the standings with a 4-2 victory over Skellefteå. It was Seider’s 26th point in 36 games, a 0.72 points-per-game average. Seider averages around 20 minutes a game, plays in all situations and benefits from feedback from personnel with Rögle and the Wings. Seider has been in Sweden since October, when the Wings placed him there because the SHL was one of the few leagues operating in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It wasn’t easy stepping into the league midway through, but it was nice to have a chance to play professional hockey at the highest level in Sweden,” Seider told the Free Press in an exclusive interview this week. “The first couple games were really challenging, but I have a great defense partner in Eric Gelinas who helped me a lot during the first weeks, and even now, every single day, he helps me get a little bit better.
“I’m really comfortable in this league now. I think things have gone really well. I just want to help the team win, that’s all I care about.”
Speaking at a virtual event with the Detroit Economic Club on Feb. 22, Yzerman described Seider as having “a great year. We’re really pleased with how he’s developed over there.”
Seider is among multiple top Wings prospects playing in Sweden. Joe Veleno (picked No. 30 overall in 2018) has 16 points in 37 games with Malmö. Jonatan Berggren (33rd, 2018) has 40 points in 44 games with Skellefteå. Lucas Raymond (4th, 2020) had six goals and 12 assists in 34 games with Frölunda before aggravating an injury that required surgery, with a recovery period of around eight weeks.
Seider recently missed three weeks recovering from a shoulder injury after crashing into the boards, but he returned Feb. 18 in great spirits.
“I am really happy to be back with the team and I am really looking forward to the last stretch of the season before heading into playoffs,” Seider said. “I am feeling really healthy and really strong.”
Seider turns 20 on April 6, but this is already his third consecutive season in a men’s league. He played for Adler Mannheim in Germany’s top league in 2018-19, recording six points in 29 games, and posted 22 points in 49 games with the Grand Rapids Griffins in 2019-20, his first year of North American hockey. It’s an impressive trajectory for a young defenseman, and the SHL has proven the toughest test yet.
“It’s definitely the fastest league I’ve played in,” Seider said. “It’s all based on a lot of skill, and fast players. It’s really competitive. It’s a great challenge for me every night to perform my best hockey and try to be one of the best D-men in this league.
“All in all it’s just trying to have good gaps right off the start, being engaged right when the puck drops, and being really hard to be out-skated and out-battled. That’s something that’s been going really well. We try to work on that every single day, to make sure I am even stronger.”
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In addition to working with Rögle’s coaching staff, Seider is in regular contact with Brandon Naurato, a player development consultant for the Wings. Over the phone or over Zoom, the two go over video from Seider’s recent games and study how he can improve. One area of emphasis has been directing shots on net.
“We try to figure out ways to get the puck through and work on some shooting drills,” Seider said. “That’s been really good. The more you shoot, the more you have a chance the puck will cross the goal line, so that is a big goal for me in the future, to be effective as a goal-scorer, too.”
Seider doesn’t have much contact with Yzerman, because there isn’t much reason to this season.
“I have my priority here now,” Seider said. “I am with a really good organization, in a really good spot. I don’t really have to pay attention to the Red Wings right now, because I have a big goal in Rögle this season. I do follow how they are doing, but I am not asking myself if I would be in the lineup right now, because I have a great opportunity to play hockey here in the SHL.
“I am in a super-happy place and in a really nice environment, so I am really happy to be here.”
Seider is in Ängelholm, a municipality in southern Sweden about 10 minutes from the Kattegat sea. Walks on the beach are one way Seider likes to spend his time away from the rink; he has also been able to go to dinner with Veleno, his roommate last season in Grand Rapids.
“Life is pretty much normal here,” Seider said. “There aren’t a lot of restrictions. People try to keep their distance from other people, because you want to stay healthy and safe. But the restaurants are open, so we are good with going out to dinner in small groups. I also like to go to the ocean to soak up some sunlight. That’s nice for me.”
Going to the local bakeries is another regular activity. Semla, a traditional Swedish sweet bun, has become a favorite.
“It’s a really delicious pastry with whipped cream and fruit,” Seider said. “I also really like the cinnamon buns. So I am definitely enjoying the pastry in Sweden. I’m definitely on the sweet side.”
In order to loan Seider to Rögle, the Wings had to agree to let him stay there for the duration of the 2020-21 season. The SHL is scheduled to conclude the regular season March 25, though that could change if the pandemic forces postponements, as already has happened. The playoffs are expected to begin a few days later.
His stay in Sweden has been great for Seider, and for the Wings. He has been able to develop away from pressure in one of the best leagues in the world, further preparing him to become a cornerstone of the Wings’ rebuild. For as much as Seider is focused this season on Rögle, he knows where he wants to be next season: Detroit.
“You want to make the lineup at some point and I think I can give myself a really good chance cracking the lineup on opening night next year,” Seider said. “That is the big goal I am working for. Hopefully I have a chance to wear the Red Wings jersey sooner rather than later.”
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.