When Moritz Seider pronounces his first name, it has an exotic quality to it. He takes the “R” and brings the sound to the back of his throat, deemphasizing the sharpness of the letter that’s usually applied when non-German speakers attempt saying it.
For 20 years, he’s heard “Mor-EETZ.” To his constant bafflement, he’s also heard “MORT-eez.” So the Detroit Red Wings rookie opted for the path of least resistance.
He’s simply “Mo” to most people.
“Not a lot of people can say ‘Moritz.’ I’m just over with that,” the defenseman told ESPN last week. “So I go with Mo. And I like Mo, actually. It’s easy. It’s simple. You can yell it pretty loud too, which makes it easier for some guys on the ice.”
They’ve heard his name a lot in Detroit this season. It comes up in discussions about the Calder Trophy, as Seider, 20, is among the top candidates for NHL rookie of the year honors, a field that includes his teammate Lucas Raymond.
Mostly, they’ve heard his name during game action. No Red Wings skater plays as much as Seider has in 56 games, averaging 23:02 in ice time per game, a frequency that defies his first-year status. In fact, only one rookie defenseman in the past 10 years has played as much as Seider has this season: Miro Heiskanen of the Dallas Stars in 2018-19 (23:07), and that’s just a five-second difference on average.
Did Seider expect to play this much in his first NHL season?
“Yeah, not really,” Seider said. “My expectation coming into this year was just getting a spot and playing on a night-to-night basis. Just playing a solid game and finding chemistry with all the ‘Ds’ that are on the team.”
But his coach, Jeff Blashill, had a different expectation. He had seen Seider play in Germany, the AHL and in Sweden’s top league last season. He witnessed a player who could handle the ice time and play in every situation.
“The impact he had on those teams was tremendous. As we got into the year, we felt like he had a chance to be a real good player, real early on,” said Blashill, who played Seider over 20 minutes a night in 12 of his first 13 NHL games. “I don’t like to necessarily pay attention to birth certificates. I think it’s more important how effective they are.”
Seider’s impact on the Red Wings this season can’t be understated. It’s not just his minutes, which are plentiful. It’s also his 41 points in 56 games, which ranks him fourth among all rookies. His skating and passing had always been hallmarks of his game, along with his size (6-foot-4) and physicality.
But his offensive output has put him in the Calder conversation: Since the 2005-06 season, only Colorado’s Cale Makar (0.88) and Vancouver’s Quinn Hughes (0.78) had higher rookie defenseman points per game averages than Seider does now (0.73). Neither of them came close to the all-around game Seider’s had as a rookie, including 1:47 in shorthanded ice time per game.
“What separates Mo is that he’s an all-situations defenseman. He’s out first on the power play. He’s out first on the penalty kill. He’s playing against the other team’s best players,” Blashill said. “Now, I get [points] are the easiest stat to track. We associate production with who the best defensemen are. They’re certainly a part of it. But ultimately, I think the best defensemen in the league are all-situations players.”
One of Seider’s favorite players growing up, Scott Niedermayer, earned a spot in the Hockey Hall of Fame for that very thing.
“I was fascinated by his skating, the way he transferred the puck from the D-zone to the O-zone,” said Seider.
There were other defenseman he looked up to as well, growing up in Germany.
SEIDER HAS A lot of pride in being a German-born player, and specifically a defenseman. That nation has produced a few NHL stalwarts like Dennis Seidenberg (859 games), Uwe Krupp (729 games) and Christian Ehrhoff, whose 339 points in 789 games were the most for any German-born defenseman.
Seider met Ehrhoff on a German television talk show, as Ehrhoff was the guest scheduled before him. They chatted about the Olympics. Ehrhoff acknowledged he had seen Seider play and gave him an endorsement — a thrill for the young player.
Seider’s parents lived in Erfurt before his father got a job offer in Zell, in the western part of Germany. That’s where Seider was born, although his family moved back to Erfurt when he was 3. “That’s where I was educated and spent my whole childhood,” Seider said.
Around age 14, Seider had a chance to play with the Adler Mannheim of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga as an invite player for a couple of tournaments, which established that relationship. He had an offer to join them on a more permanent basis, but Seider wasn’t keen on the idea of living away from home with a billet family. His parents quit their jobs, and the entire family relocated near Mannheim so he could pursue a hockey dream.
“My family made big time sacrifices for me. I try to give back now. Help them out as much as I can and appreciate every single step that they’ve taken along with me,” he said. “Because it’s not normal. As a kid you don’t realize that, but looking back now, it’s pretty obvious what my parents did for me.”
His parents watch his games, many of which start around 1 a.m. back in Germany. Sometimes they sleep a couple of hours beforehand to wake up for puck drop; other times they power through and watch him without a nap.
“I think they’ve only missed one game this season, and it was when they were on a flight back home from the United States to Germany, so they couldn’t watch. It’s just really cool,” he said.
The first time Seider heard someone say he could be an NHL player was around age 16. It was around that time when Seider had to decide whether he’d play for Mannheim or play college hockey in the NCAA.
“I had big trouble deciding if I wanted to become a pro or stay an amateur to play overseas,” said Seider, who had offers from several Big Ten schools but never made a visit to any of them. “Overall, I was really happy with being given a chance to play professionally at an early age. It was a fascinating moment for myself.”
The Red Wings drafted him in 2019 at No. 6 overall, despite being the sixth-ranked non-North American skater by NHL Central Scouting. GM Steve Yzerman considered trading down to get him closer to his projected range. When he didn’t find a suitable deal, he went ahead and selected him at six.
“In our opinion, he was one of the top defensemen in the draft,” Yzerman said at the 2019 draft. “I know our fans don’t know much about him, but if people come to development camp and see him move, Google him, watch him play a little bit, I think they will be pleasantly surprised.”
Seider played for AHL Grand Rapids in 2019-20, scoring 22 points in 49 games for the Red Wings’ top affiliate before the league shuttered because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Wings loaned him to Rögle BK of the Swedish Hockey League due to the late start for the AHL’s 2020-21 season. He played in a championship round and was named SHL defenseman of the year.
“I think it was the right step for me. I grew as a player. I matured as a person. I learned how to be a professional,” Seider said.
Learning how to be a professional can be defined in several ways. For Seider, it meant off-ice maturity.
“This might sound cheesy,” he said, “but things like how to eat the proper way. Like making breakfast at home instead of going to the rink and eating a breakfast bar. Going to bed early. Recovery time. Those simple things that you don’t realize will make a difference but they’re a huge part of success.”
How much sleep to get was an adjustment for a young player, with the lure of “Call of Duty” and EA Sports’ FIFA video games. “All your buddies want to stay up and game. But then you realize that if you want to be a successful player, you shut that down and go to bed early,” Seider said.
It’s all about maturity. Although youthful energy can be an asset, too.
THE ARRIVAL OF Raymond and Seider has given a different energy to the Red Wings, a team looking for its first playoff appearance since the 2015-16 season.
“I would say they both have really good personalities. They’re both good people,” said Blashill. “Moritz has maybe a louder personality — not in a bad way. I think he’s brought lots of life to our team.”
There is a collection of rookie forwards all vying for the Calder. Along with Seider and Raymond, there’s Anaheim’s highlight reel darling Trevor Zegras, Nashville goal-scorer Tanner Jeannot, Florida’s dependable Anton Lundell and Toronto’s Michael Bunting, who at 26 would be the oldest rookie of the year in the NHL since Sergei Makarov in 1990. Seider is head and shoulders above other rookie defensemen.
Blashill said there hasn’t been any teammate rivalry detectable between Raymond and Seider for rookie honors.
“I think they’re both trying to, to be real successful young players,” he said. “Both of them care tons about winning. I think their focus has been much more on how they can contribute to our team winning than it is on any particular award.”
Seider agreed.
“First of all, it’s great for the organization. Especially with Ned up their too,” Seider said in reference to goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic, a Calder finalist last year with the Carolina Hurricanes who remained eligible for the award this season with Detroit. “But it’s not a factor in our locker room. It’s not something we talk about. Every single one of us would trade [rookie hype] for a playoff spot.”
Raymond and Seider have given the Red Wings a focus on the future they’ve lacked for years. It’s still squarely a rebuild for them — Money Puck gives the Red Wings a 0.1% chance of making the playoffs — but seeing how Seider has matured during the season has been something worth watching.
“It’s just a big pleasure, every single day. We have a great team that makes it so easy for me to come in and be myself,” Seider said.
He credits the Wings’ veterans like Nick Leddy for the ease of that transition. “That gives you the ability to try the extra move and know that they have your back,” he said.
Blashill said he has been impressed with Seider’s ability to play with a variety of defensive partners, which is indicative of his growth.
“He’s a strong guy who likes to be physical. I think he had to learn how to leverage his body against bigger men. And I think the men in the NHL are obviously world-class athletes,” Blashill said.
“He’s still in the process of learning how much he can bite off in different situations. When he can jump into the play. Not to necessarily lead the rush, but be a factor in joining the rush. When to take his chance to attack and when to live another day. Those are things that are improving and I think they’ll continue to improve for Mo.”
Mo. Moritz. Whatever the name, it’s one to remember, as a pillar of the Detroit Red Wings’ revitalization and potentially as the NHL’s top rookie this season.