Red Wings’ Seider trying to help Germany end 68-year medal drought

The intriguing aspect of Detroit Red Wings super prospect defenseman Moritz Seider is that all of his many talents always work together to make his team better.

At 18, Seider helped Adler Mannheim win the German championship. At 19, he joined Rogle BK in the Swedish Elite League and played a significant role in helping the team reach the championship series.  Now 20, Seider is playing an indispensable role in Germany’s bid to win its first medal at the World Championships since 1953.

The Germans  play Finland Saturday in the semifinals. If they win, they will play in the gold medal game. A loss would put them in the bronze medal game. USA and Canada are opponents in the other semifinal.

Seider is not impressed with Meier. #LGRW pic.twitter.com/0tq10X0gY3

— IcehockeyGifs (@IcehockeyG) June 3, 2021

“In our room there was never any doubt we had a good chance to win a medal,” Seider told reporters at the tournament in Riga, Latvia. “We don’t have to hide that confidence or underestimate ourselves in any way. We always have a chance for a medal in the last few years. And we can beat any opponent in this tournament.”

You can feel Seider’s confidence in his quote.

Seider’s lure goes beyond statistics

In that story on the International Ice Hockey Federation website,  German player Dominik Kahun identifies Seider as the “X Factor” on this German team.

Seider played 23 hard-nosed minutes in Germany’s 3-2 shootout win against Switzerland. He’s clearly on a path to becoming a full service NHL No. 1 defenseman. As a rookie in the SEL, he played 20.41 minutes per game, while leading his team in hits (91 in 41 games) and finishing second in blocked shots (45). His plus-minus was +14.

Seider’s intangibles are an important to the Red Wings.  Seider is a force, a player with an aura, someone who builds confidence in those around him. Forwards will take more chances because they know he’s in the back taking care of the defensive end. His presence allows everyone to play more aggressively

The Red Wings will ease him in, but it’s likely he will grab the No. 1 role because that’s who he is.