Moritz Seider joked: “My parents thought it was more important to go on vacation.” Here’s how the 21-year-old explained why his father and mother stayed away from his NHL Rookie of the Year award in Tampa. After all, his girlfriend, short tracker Anna Seidel, had traveled to Florida with him. There, the national ice hockey player from the Detroit Red Wings was the first German to receive the Calder Memorial Trophy, a reward for a remarkable first year in the North American professional league. In his debut season, Seider played in all 82 main round games, scored seven goals and prepared 43. However, he had not prepared a speech. “Everything is happening very quickly at the moment,” said the exceptional player from Zell an der Mosel.
You could say that. Seider’s career in fast motion: German champion with Adler Mannheim, as an 18-year-old. Picked sixth in Detroit’s NHL draft in 2019, earlier than any German defender before him. World Cup debut at 19. Voted Best Defender in Swedish League in 2020/21 on loan to Rögle BK. At the age of 20 he was named to the all-star team at the World Cup in Latvia. NHL debut on October 14, 2021 against champions Tampa.
It seems that for Seider it is not the case that all beginnings are difficult. “Moritz showed a remarkable presence in his first year,” said national coach Toni Söderholm. Of course there is also a lot of diligence behind Seider’s apparent lightness. “He works very hard and stays focused.” With 170 of a possible 195 first votes, the pro won the vote of the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association, clearly ahead of forwards Trevor Zegras (Anaheim Ducks) and Michael Bunting (Toronto Maple Leafs). Club legends such as Steve Yzerman, now General Manager of the franchise, and Pawel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg and Nicklas Lidstrom all missed out as rookies. “It’s crazy,” Seider said.
