If you frequent Twitter, you’ll have noticed by now that there has been somewhat of a Red Wings takeover in Europe, mainly Sweden. Nearly every one of Detroit’s top prospects have been performing at a high level, whether it be Jonatan Berggren, Joe Veleno, Theodor Niederbach, and certainly Moritz Seider.. But Seider is giving the hockey world a glimpse of what could be to come. The 2019 first-rounder has been soaking up big minutes for the SHL’s top team, and the offense is promising.
But looking outside of Seider’s offense, the 19-year-old defenseman has been on an absolute physical rampage, and opposing players have yet to understand.
The daily Seider reverse-hit. pic.twitter.com/3Y0Dsk1b6v
— IcehockeyGifs (@IcehockeyG) December 17, 2020
This seems to happen every single game.
He’s at it again. pic.twitter.com/BZNgCW7Ggw
— IcehockeyGifs (@IcehockeyG) December 15, 2020
At one point, taking Seider at 6th overall had a good chunk of Wings fans shook. There was belief that there was better talent available, and while that may be true, you can’t ignore Seider’s seemingly meteoric rise in the NHL prospect world. In the latest ESPN ranking of the top-100 NHL prospects, Seider landed in the top-10 at number 9:
Defensively, there’s not much cause for concern, as Seider’s feet have continually improved. While he’s not going to bury anyone physically, he’s defending at a high level and is tough to get around. More importantly, however, he can play composed and in control, making good puck decisions and helping his team own the puck more when he’s on the ice.
A sample of Moritz Seider’s physical play so far in the SHL.
His 34 hits in 15 games ranks 11th in the league. pic.twitter.com/1AzbgOvLkC— IcehockeyGifs (@IcehockeyG) December 13, 2020
There are times when Seider might be a little too aggressive with his physicality, but as noted before, he’s 19 years old. There’s a lot of growth still ahead, and one thing I have noticed is that he appears to be a student of the game. When he makes a mistake, you probably won’t see him make the same goof again. Seider is a cerebral player with the frame of an NHL-ready defenseman.
It’s been ages since the Red Wings have had a defensive prospect at this level. What’s even more exciting is the thought of Moritz Seider and Filip Hronek, two heavy-hitting offensively-gifted blueliners are your number 1 and 2 defensemen of the future. The only real bummer is that Seider will remain in Sweden until Rogle’s season is over. So if the NHL starts within the next month like it intends to, we’ll have to wait to see Seider’s NHL debut.
