While it was another season of failing to reach the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the Detroit Red Wings, one amazing part of their season has been the emergence of rookie defenseman Moritz Seider, whom GM Steve Yzerman took with the 6th overall selection in the 2019 NHL Draft. And while fans and pundits were a bit confused at the time, any doubts were immediately put to rest thanks to his impressive 1st season in the world’s best league.
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He’s officially won the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s best rookie, collecting 170 1st place votes among the 195 ballots cast.
MORITZ SEIDER IS THE NHL’S ROOKIE OF THE YEAR! #LGRW pic.twitter.com/9d9oeYTeBv
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) June 21, 2022
He’s Detroit’s first Calder winner since goaltender Roger Crozier in 1964-65. Additionally, he’s also the first Detroit Red Wings player to win a major NHL award since the 2011 Norris Trophy. The likes of Steve Yzerman, Nicklas Lidstrom, Sergei Fedorov, and Henrik Zetterberg were all denied the honor in favor of other players, which caused plenty of debate at the time of the announcements.
Moritz Seider is your 2022 Calder Trophy winner!
Seider burst onto the scene in his first NHL action as a 20-year-old, immediately playing in all situations on the ice for the Red Wings with the poise of a veteran while leading the team with an average of 23:03 on ice per game. He also immediately became Detroit’s top defenseman, playing in all 82 games while leading all NHL rookies with 43 assists. Additionally, he led all rookie defensemen with 50 points.
“Big thanks to my parents who went on vacation because apparently that was more important,” Seider joked upon winning the award.
