Red Wings prospect Moritz Seider spoke with Hockeynews.se’s Mattias Persson today regarding his situation playing with Rogle BK of the SHL as an alternative to waiting for the German league to start up. What follows is roughly translated from Swedish:
Moritz Seider: “It’s the prfect solution to preapre me for the NHL”
He is seen as one of the Detroit Red Wings’ biggest hopes for the future, and he is expected to be an up-and-coming big defenseman in the NHL.But first, 19-year-old Moritz Seider will make an impression in the SHL and Rögle.
“I think I’m getting the the best possible preparation here, he says to HockeyNews.se.
Due to the current coronavirus pandemic, the German league’s start has been postponed indefinitely. One of those affected [by the postponement] was the German big prospect Moritz Seider, who would have been loaned to Adler Mannheim during the German regular season.
When he received that message, he agreed with Detroit, and his agent, to apply for a new team to be loaned to. Then Rögle heard from him, and within a few days everything was ready to go.“Everything went very fast. We had very good conversations with Rögle, and Detroit, and developed a plan for the future. I feel this is the perfect solution to prepare me for NHL games next season. I’m happy to be here,” he says.
Why did you choose Rögle?
“Both Detroit and I felt that this was a good organization. I feel that I fit in well, and can develop here in the coming months. It’s about playing hockey, getting ice time, and getting in game shape. There were no other teams interested [like Rogle], so it was an easy and quick decision. It took a week, and then I was here.”How has the first week been?
“Great. It is a small but nice town. The guys have shown me around a bit, among other things, we have been down by the sea. And it’s quite close to several major cities, so this is a perfect solution for me.”
On the ice, the German NHL-loaned defenseman has impressed a lot, and the underlying statistics show that he is at the top of the league in terms of many parameters. Against Skellefteå also came the first goal.
“It’s going in the right direction. It’s a little different hockey than I’m used to, so I probably need a couple more games to feel completely comfortable. But I’m on the right track, and the guys are taking good care of me. I’m happy to be here,” he says.
Do you feel that you have a big opportunity to join the NHL next season?
“That’s my goal. You want to step into the league someday, and hopefully stay there for the rest of your career. I think I’m getting the best possible preparation here.”What do you want to develop during your time here?
“The SHL is a strong skating league, and I already feel like I need to improve to keep up. There are a lot of small, fast, talented players, so I’m just trying to find a way to stop them. I think I can use my stick a little more. And of course I want to develop my game on the power play as I got the chance to play on it in the games during the beginning here.”
At his side, he has the best possible mentor in the form of former former Ndefender Eric Gelinas.
“It feels good to play with him. He has lots of experience, and adds good energy to the locker room. He helps me a lot, so I’m very happy to have him by my side.”
