Red Wings defenseman Moritz Seider took part in the NHL/NHLPA European Player Media Tour this past weekend.
As the tour took part in Milan, Italy, one of the two home cities of the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, Seider was asked to reflect upon his Olympic goals for Team Germany by NHL.com’s Aaron Vickers:
“I know we’re a small country, but we want to challenge all the big names out there and just try to get better as a team, also as individuals,” Seider said. “Honestly, you want to make a name for yourself overseas. Hopefully we have more and more people joining us and making it a little bit of a brand over there.”
Germany will enter the Olympics with some recent success to draw on. It won silver at the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics and again at the 2023 IIHF World Championship, its first medal at the event since the introduction of playoff rounds in 1992, and the first German medal of any kind at the event since West Germany won silver in 1953.
Its biggest stars will be available in Milano Cortina, too. In addition to Seider, Germany’s roster will feature forwards Leon Draisaitl (Edmonton Oilers), Tim Stutzle (Ottawa Senators), Lukas Reichel (Chicago Blackhawks) and Nico Sturm (Minnesota Wild), and goalie Philipp Grubauer (Seattle Kraken). Each was named to Germany’s preliminary roster on June 16.
“I think it would be fun to have us all on one team eventually and show what we’re capable of,” Seider said. “It’s a big credit to them in the first place. Overall, we want to make names for ourselves, be leaders on our own teams, and then if we have a chance to, then come together, and then it’s even more fun coming here.”
Seider will probably surrender the captain’s “C” to Leon Draisaitl in Milan, but Vickers asked the Red Wings’ 24-year-old defender regarding his leadership skills as well, and here’s what Seider had to say:
“I just try to be the in-between guy connecting different generations,” he said. “That’s my challenge, getting everyone on the same page, do stuff with each other and get a positive vibe in the locker room. Everything else will get figured out as we go. Especially on the ice … there’s no need to do more than you’re used to. You just want to be yourself and I think that’s good enough.”
The overall expectation, according to Seider, goes beyond just being able to participate at the Olympic level. The bar is set high for a German group he feels is on the rise.
“Very high,” Seider said. “We’re a team that plays with a lot of passion and a lot of heart, and a lot of will, too. I think we also want to have a good time. That message should be delivered every single time because it’s a big privilege being on the biggest stage that is there right now. Just enjoy it and go out there.”
Continued; Philipp Grubauer and Lukas Reichel also weigh in on Seider’s leadership abilities.
