Seider, Raymond lead Wings 9 prospects among The Athletic’s Pronman’s top players under 23

The Athletic’s Corey Pronman posted a list compiling his top players under 23 years of age, and Moritz Seider finishes just behind Jack Hughes on Pronman’s list:

2. Moritz Seider, D, Detroit

21 years old | 6-foot-3 | 208 pounds | Shoots right

Drafted: No. 6 in 2019
Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: Above NHL average
Compete: Above NHL average

Analysis: Seider’s first NHL season was the best-case scenario. He stepped in right away and was an impactful defenseman for the Wings. He’s a tall, mobile right-shot defender who plays the game hard and with skill. Defensively he’s a rock due to his length and skating combined with an edge he brings to his game. He closes on checks at a high level and breaks up a lot of plays. The offensive parts of his game continue to improve and look like a clear strength. He ran Detroit’s PP1, showing instances of high-end skill and playmaking at both ends of the rink. Seider looks like a player who will be a star defenseman in the league for a long time and will likely get Norris votes in his career.

Lucas Raymond, Simon Edvinsson (32nd), Marco Kasper (67th), Filip Zadina (80th), Elmer Soderblom (96th), Joe Veleno (122nd), Jonatan Berggren (151st) and Sebastian Cossa (165th) also make his list:

9. Lucas Raymond, RW, Detroit

20 years old | 5-foot-11 | 170 pounds | Shoots right

Drafted: No. 4 in 2020
Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: High-end
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: NHL average
Shot: Above NHL average

Analysis: Raymond was about as good as anyone could have reasonably hoped he would have been in the NHL as a teenager. He played significant minutes, ran the PP1 flank and was a go-to player for the Red Wings as a teenager. Raymond’s puck game is exceptional. He has the elite hands to make defenders miss and maintain possession like a top player. He’s a highly creative playmaker who can wait out seams. He also has a strong wrist shot and it’s what makes him deadly on the man advantage. Raymond lacks ideal size and speed, but he’s shifty and doesn’t get hit much. He looks like a budding star who will be a top scorer in the league for a while.

Continued (paywall)…I agree that, as of yet, Raymond doesn’t have top speed, but he’s got the same kind of “sneaky fast” bursts of speed that Luc Robitaille once possessed. He knows how to get from point A to point B fast enough, and how to get to the net faster…