Moritz Seider is a week away from making his NHL debut and four months away from making his Olympics debut.
The rangy Detroit Red Wings defender is an early selection for his native Germany’s hockey team that will compete in February at the 2022 Beijing Winter Games. The International Ice Hockey Federation announced Friday that Seider, Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl and Seattle Kraken goaltender Philipp Grubauer were named to the provisional roster.
All national teams have named three players this week; full rosters will be announced in January. Seider is the only Wings player named to a preliminary roster.
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Seider, 20, has been garnering notice on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean in the years since general manager Steve Yzerman chose Seider at No. 6 in the 2019 draft. He was loaned to Rögle last season because that enabled Seider to play while the pandemic delayed the start of hockey in North America. Seider performed so well (28 points in 41 games) he was named the Swedish Hockey League defenseman of the year.
He played for the German national team at the 2019 and 2021 World Championships, and at multiple World Junior Championships.
Seider is poised to be a top-four defenseman for the Wings starting this week. He earned his second assist of the season in Thursday’s 4-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The Wings open the 2021-22 season Oct. 14 at Little Caesars Arena against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
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.