Red Wings 2019-20 Player Review: Moritz Seider

Seider was the first draft pick made by new Red Wings GM, Steve Yzerman. The 6’4″ German came into the draft heralded as a great two-way defenseman, but not necessarily a top-ten talent. When the Wings took him with the sixth pick, it was a bit of a surprise. But now, he looks like the team’s top prospect. Let’s take a look at the season that Seider had, as well as what’s to come for him in Detroit.

A Young Champion Enters the Draft

At the age of just 17, Seider spent 2018-19 playing for Adler Mannheim in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL). After three seasons with their under-19 team, he made the full-time jump and had a huge season. He was named Rookie of the Year and helped lead Mannheim to the DEL Championship. He had five assists in 14 games during the postseason and was an anchor in the defense that allowed the least goals in the league.

Seider would also have a big year playing for international teams in 2018-19. He played 12 games for the German under-20 team, where he would have 13 points. Mo would also represent Germany at the 2019 IIHF World Championships, where he would score two goals. The team would actually finish ahead of the United States in group play, but the team crashed out in the quarter-finals to the Czech Republic.

When the draft came around, Seider wasn’t a player that anyone considered to Detroit at number six. The mocks from NHL.com had the German defenseman going anywhere from 11th to 22nd, and none had him as the second defenseman off the board. So when it was announced that Seider had been taken rather than Swedish defenseman Philip Broberg, the reaction amongst Red Wings fans was, “Who?”

Red Wings fans did the research and most were excited for what the big defenseman could do. The team needed to fill the blue line with young prospects. With Ken Holland gone, they were ready to trust Stevie Y in his first draft, even if they weren’t 100% sure. With his first season being in the AHL, local fans were shown very quickly that they should be excited about Seider.

Seider Loves His Apples

Since we’re looking at an AHL season rather than an NHL season, I’ve decided to split this review up a bit differently. Rather than going through the progression of his season, I’m gonna take a look at his offensive and defensive games separately. First off, we’ll take a look at his offensive game and, boy, did he look good there.

As mentioned earlier, Seider was heralded as a solid two-way defenseman heading into the draft. However, in the DEL, it was his offensive game that needed work. He had just six points in 29 games his rookie year, so it would be interesting to see how he would translate to his time with the Griffins. Well, let’s just say it translated very well. He had 20 assists and 22 points in 49 games this season. While the two goals aren’t a lot, the assists numbers were great, as he was fifth on the team and second among defensemen.

He became an important part of the offense, both in even-strength and on the power play. His passing was crisp and he consistently set his teammates up for scoring chances. This didn’t just happen in Grand Rapids either. He took some time off during the winter to play for Germany at the 2020 IIHF World Junior Championships. He was the team’s captain and, despite a last-place finish in the group stage, Seider had six assists in seven games.

The big issue with his offensive game is his goal-scoring. In his two seasons of professional hockey, Seider has scored just two goals in each season. And it’s not like he doesn’t shoot the puck. He had the second-most shots among defensemen on the team. However, he had a shooting percentage of just 2.4%. For a two-way defenseman, this isn’t the worst thing, as long as he’s consistently contributing assists. However, you’d like him to be at least a 10-goal scorer in the future with a full season.

Mo is Big and He Lets You Know

When Seider entered the draft in early 2019, one of the biggest concerns with him as a prospect was how thin he was. At 6’4″, he weighed just 183 pounds, which is concerning for a player that you expect to be physical. However, he has since put on a lot of muscle and is now listed at 207 pounds. Now, what does that mean? Well, why don’t you just take a look and see?

So what we can gather from this is that Mo likes to throw every bit of those 207 pounds around, and it benefits his defensive play. He’s incredibly steady at the back and you can rely on him to make the correct decision. While the Griffins themselves were one of the worst defensive teams in the league, Seider was arguably the best defender on the team.

He still has his moments where you can tell that he’s a young player. He does make mistakes. That being said, he is only 19 years old. He has nowhere to go from here but up. A lot of people are excited to see what Mo can do at the next level, and we could see that as soon as next year.

Did Stevie Nail the Pick?

When Seider was taken with the sixth pick, you couldn’t help but worry as a Red Wings fan that maybe you got the wrong guy. All offseason, the Red Wings had been connected to two names: Bowen Byram and Philip Broberg. When Broberg was still on the board and Seider’s name was called by Yzerman, it certainly was a shock. While it’s too early to tell that this was the right pick, you can’t help but be excited about what you saw this year.

Seider looked very good in Grand Rapids this season. If you were to ask anyone who watched the team who the best player was, chances are they’d say him. He was an absolute rock in the defense and was an assist machine. There was basically no chance he’d be called up in 2019-20. However, with three older defensemen coming off the books this offseason for Detroit, there’s an open roster spot wide open for the taking.

Now, what do I expect Mo to become? If I haven’t made it clear, I’m extremely high on the German defenseman. He’s big. He’s physical. He can pass. He’s smart. Oh, and he’s also a leader who captained his junior team. With that being said, I think Seider is the number one D-man of the future. The kid can do everything that Steve Yzerman wants in a defenseman.

If you were to ask me, I would expect him and Filip Hronek to be the top D-pairing in Detroit for a long time. Hronek does struggle a bit on the defensive end, but that’s where having Seider as a partner would help. With their puck-moving abilities, they can also create lots of chances for the team’s young forwards. I would look out for Seider in Detroit next season. Even more so, look out for him for years to come. This kid is going to be a star.

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