Why Moritz Seider's season in Sweden proved crucial to his Detroit Red Wings success
Going to Sweden is a sort of homecoming for Detroit Red Wings defenseman Moritz Seider, who had the good fortune to hone his development there during the COVID-19 pandemic.
He returns this week for a pair of games in the NHL's Global Series, which pits the Wings against the Ottawa Senators on Thursday and the Toronto Maple Leafs on Friday. Both games are at Avicii Arena in Stockholm.
"I'm really looking forward to playing there, I think it will be a good mix-up for us," Seider said.
Seider, 22, returns to Sweden as the Wings' No. 1 defenseman, counted on to be a difference-maker in all situations. That he has had such a presence right away in the NHL — Seider won the Calder Trophy in 2022, the first Wings player to nab rookie of the year honors since Roger Crozier in 1965 — is tied into Seider's tenure in Sweden.
Meatballs, fika and four points: Red Wings ready to embrace trip to Sweden
"I don't want to say lucky, but the fact we had the pandemic year, he got a year in pro hockey in Sweden," Wings coach Derek Lalonde said. "I just think it helped him.
"This organization has always been patient with its prospects. I know of late, not having the depth in the organization, it's probably been a little harder to be patient, with letting guys develop properly, but we kind of got lucky in that he had two full years of playing with men, and he was ready."
Seider, whose family in his native Germany is making the trip to Stockholm to see him play, became part of the Wings organization in 2019, when general manager Steve Yzerman drafted the 6-foot-4 teenager sixth overall. Seider spent his first year in North America playing for the Wings' AHL affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins, posting two goals and 20 assists in 49 games.
Then the pandemic hit, and when hockey leagues across the U.S. remained shut down, the Wings looked elsewhere for an opportunity for Seider to play. They originally loaned him to his former team, Adler Mannheim in the Deutsche Eishockey league, but when the DEL didn't start up either, the Wings loaned Seider to Rögle BK in the Swedish Hockey League.
Playing in such an elite environment was beneficial to Seider's development.
"It was crucial, I think," Seider said. "I wasn't ready for the NHL yet, and it was a great chance playing competitive hockey in one of the best leagues in Europe.
"It was a lot more defensive hockey — the scores weren't as high, so a big focus was on the defensive side of the puck. And then it came down to specialty teams, and that is definitely something I appropriated in my game."
Seider posted seven goals and 21 assists in 41 games with Rögle in 2020-21, his 28 points second among team defensemen behind partner Eric Gelinas' 34. Seider was named the SHL defenseman of the year.
The months spent living in Ängelhom, where Rögle BK is based, left Seider looking forward to going back to Sweden.
"I got to know a new culture and a lot of new teammates, so I was definitely thankful for the opportunity and it helped me as a player and as a person.
"I'm looking forward to having a great time with the guys and we will definitely sit down and have a little pastry and some goodies on an off day, for sure, and then we will hopefully roll into two really good games for us."
Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com. Follow her @helenestjames.
Read more on the Detroit Red Wings and sign up for our Red Wings newsletter. Her latest book, “On the Clock: Behind the Scenes with the Detroit Red Wings at the NHL Draft,” is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Triumph Books. Personalized copies available via her e-mail.
Next up: Senators
Matchup: Red Wings (8-5-2) vs. Ottawa (6-7-0), NHL Global Series.
Faceoff: 2 p.m. Thursday; Avicii Arena, Stockholm, Sweden.
TV/radio: Bally Sports Detroit; WXYT-FM (97.1).
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Red Wings' Moritz Seider's season in Sweden key to readiness
