NHL.com’s Mike G. Morreale penned an intriguing article regarding Germany’s slow but steady growth as a hockey-player-developing nation.
While the article mostly focuses on Tim Stuetzle’s status as one of the best prospects available in the 2020 draft, Morreale’s thorough examination of the German ice hockey machine that is the Adler Mannheim involves some discussion of Moritz Seider as a trailblazing prospect:
Seider was named rookie of the year in the DEL in 2018-19 despite being limited to 29 games because of a shoulder injury. He had five assists in 14 playoff games to help Mannheim win the DEL championship.
“For a lot of young players like myself, Seider was the go-to guy,” Stuetzle said. “He showed everybody that you can develop a lot even if you stay in Germany.”
Seider had six assists in seven games for Germany in the 2020 World Junior Championship and didn’t look out of place his first season in North America with Grand Rapids of the American Hockey League, scoring 22 points (two goals, 20 assists) in 49 games.
“I was really high on [Seider] prior to the 2019 draft,” [Red Wings director of European scouting Hakan] Andersson said. “I liked his hands, skating, poise and size, but a big thing also was his personality. He’s a human being that is above your average player … he’s caring, outgoing and confident.”
Continued; Andersson, never one to mince words, also says this about Germany’s development in terms of producing hockey talent:
“I know the country has been working on ways to get more young players in their league instead of older guys from other countries taking up lots of ice time, and that looks like it’s paying off this and last season, for sure,” Red Wings director of European scouting Hakan Andersson said. “I think if young hockey players see that there’s a chance to play on the big senior team, that’s a big boost for many of them and could maybe even be a boost to get more young hockey players starting in Germany.”
