The Red Wings' decision to draft Moritz Seider sixth overall this year wasn't met with immediate acclaim.
Well, here's why, as explained by Detroit's director of amateur scouting Kris Draper.
That's what the Wings believe they have in Seider. And they weren't the only ones high on the 18-year-old from Germany. Far from it. Of the 100 or so players the Red Wings interviewed at the NHL combine a few weeks before the draft, Draper said Seider was the only one who met with every other team.
"A lot of guys were 26, 27 (teams). We always ask, 'How many interviews do you have?' Moritz had 31 interviews, from top to bottom."
"I can tell you right now, you’re sitting there (with the) phone ringing and you’re thinking, 'Do you trade back? Can you (still) get him? Can you maybe acquire another asset and then try to draft him?' ... In the end, I know for a fact in a trade-back scenario, he would have been gone," Draper said.
The Red Wings' interest in Seider was sparked by Hakan Andersson, the team's long-tenured European scout who's discovered the likes of Henrik Zetterberg, Pavel Datsyuk and Niklas Kronwall. Draper said when he was scouting players at the Five Nations tournament last November, Andersson suggested that he check out the B version of the tournament happening at the same time -- the Four Nations -- to get a glimpse of a certain German defenseman.
"When he likes a player, he’s very passionate toward that player," Draper said of Andersson. "So I went in there and all of a sudden I saw a 6’4, right-handed defenseman, very intelligent hockey player. Right away you could tell. He was obviously playing in the DEL, the elite German league with men, and this tournament he’s going back and basically playing against players his own age. He was still on the younger end of the U-20, but you just watched a lot of the stuff that he did and that’s the type of game, that's the type of viewing that brings you back to watch this player."
The Red Wings watched Seider play numerous times over the next several months. When Draper was at the U-18 World Championship in Sweden in March, he snuck off to Germany to see Seider play for his club team. He figured he'd be the only scout there. Seven other NHL teams were in attendance when he showed up. That's when Draper realized how quickly Seider's profile was growing.
It's also when he realized why.
"What you want to see from a 17-, 18-year-old kid is how quick can he process the game. Under pressure, how can he make plays? It’s the sense. Obviously you can see the size, the way he moves, but there were a couple situations where you’re watching the game and he just made some really nice pop-out plays under pressure. A lot of 17 year old kids just don’t have that poise and composure to be able to do that," Draper said.
The clincher for the Red Wings was at the World Championship in May. In a tournament full of NHL players, guys like Dylan Larkin and Patrick Kane, Seider more than held his own, for an outmatched Germany side. Red Wings assistant GM Pat Verbeek came away particularly impressed. About a month later, Seider was on a stage in Vancouver, shaking Verbeek's hand. Yzerman's and Draper's, too.
Seider has continued to shine since. At the annual NHL prospect tournament in Traverse City last month, Draper said Seider drew rave reviews.
"It was interesting. A lot of people just as you're waking through Traverse City, they’re like, 'Jeez, did your pick ever play well today. Did Moritz ever play well today.' We heard that a lot, and it’s nice to hear," said Draper.
Seider, who doesn't turn 19 until April, had a strong training camp and played well in five preseason games, maybe even better than the Red Wings had hoped. He didn't make the team and wasn't expected to, but he'll start the season in Grand Rapids where he can make his case for a call-up. It wouldn't be a surprise to see him in the NHL at some point this season.
And maybe, somewhere further down the line, Seider will be entrenched on Detroit's top D pair, making calm plays in tight moments, helping a revamped team win big games.