Moritz Seider joined John Scott’s podcast this week to talk about a little of everything.
The 20-year-old Detroit Red Wings prospect out of Germany sounds impressive. He has a certain charm to him, and he definitely sounds more mature than 20. Steve Yzerman has warned us not to get too high on Seider heading into what could very well be his rookie season with the Red Wings, but that’s going to be impossible.
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After a year of watching his highlights from the Swedish Hockey League, seeing his skill and physicality on full display at a high level, I am sold. I think we all are, and I am sure Yzerman is just as excited despite his cautious demeanor.
Here are my notes from the “Dropping the Gloves” podcast interview -- and yes, Scott asked him precisely about fighting:
- He grew up without watching the NHL closely: Seider said he did not pay attention to the NHL when he was a child growing up and playing youth hockey in Germany. He had no idea that you could make such a good living playing a game he just did for fun. A lot of his hockey idols were German players who he said still had day jobs.
- He had no idea he was going to be drafted by the Red Wings: Seider said he really didn’t know when he was going to be picked in the draft and he was very surprised when Yzerman got to the mic and said his name at the 2019 draft. What surprised me was Seider describing how he didn’t have a clue about the times Yzerman was actually in Germany scouting him the year before.
- Niklas Kronwall helped him when he arrived in Michigan: Kronwall had just retired when Seider arrived in Michigan to play for the Grand Rapids Griffins in 2019-20. He said Kronwall hung around and was in Grand Rapids at skates, helping him with his game. Then Kronwall moved back to Sweden when Seider went to play for Rogle BK. He helped him there, and he’s still helping him in Germany. He described Kronwall as a close friend now. He actually did ask Kronwall to help him with “crushing” hits on other players, but they focused on the basics. He also said Mike Green gave him some tips -- and stole his scissors, which he remains sour about -- when he was with Detroit during 2019 training camp.
- Seider has never had to drop the gloves: Former enforcer John Scott seemed floored to learn that Seider has zero experiencing dropping the gloves and fighting on the ice, even with Grand Rapids. Seider said he’s never had to and tries to avoid such scenarios. Scott asked him what he would do if someone such as Ryan Reaves approached him and said “let’s go punk.” Seider wants nothing to do with it.
- He wants to be an effective two-way defenseman who can jump up on the rush, but knows when to pick his moments. He also wants to use his body to his advantage -- 6-foot-3, 207 pounds. He said the year in Sweden was the step he needed to help him play against teams that go hard for 60 minutes with skilled players who try to dismantle defenseman every shift.
“I’m really happy to be in Detroit. Is there any other team with better history? I don’t think so. Is there a cooler place to wear the Winged Wheel on your chest than in Little Caesars Arena? I think it’s hard to beat. So I’m just super happy to be a Red Wings at some point, hopefully in October,” said Seider.
He signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Red Wings in 2019.
You can check out the full episode here:
Just look at him #LGRW pic.twitter.com/lDDHOnrAQj
— Dropping the Gloves (@dropping_gloves) July 20, 2021