Seider is one of nine prospects who the Red Wings have loaned to a European club to get ice time during the pandemic. He had originally been loaned to Adler Mannheim in his native Germany, but the Deutsche Eishockey Liga season was postponed because of a COVID-19 outbreak.
Seider has immediately made his presence felt in Sweden's most competitive league, earning two goals and six assists for eight points through his first nine games with Rogle BK.
He said he's enjoying the bigger ice surface of Swedish hockey and relishes the opportunity to play on the power play and the penalty kill.
"The European sheet is a little bit bigger than in North America. Obviously, you have a little bit more time and space, which I kind of prefer to be honest," Seider said. "It's always nice making some plays and setting up your teammates. Overall, it's a league where special teams are making the difference. I'm really happy to be on both special teams and hopefully make a difference every night."
At just 19 years of age, Seider has quickly adjusted to living in a brand-new country for the second time in an 18-month span, and he's already bonded with his new teammates with the help of an ocean view and Swedish Meatball Mondays.
"It's a nice little town. It's really fun," Seider said. "The boys are living close by, so everyone is kind of around. We've been hanging around each other a lot, so that's pretty cool, too. And we're close to the ocean. It's really, really nice."
Seider is hoping to mature as a person and as a player during his time in Sweden. He learned a lot during his first professional campaign in the AHL last season and he said he's taking everything in stride.
"It was a great experience playing in the AHL last year, a lot of great guys there," Seider said. "It was a lot of cool experiences. The travel was new to me. I wasn't used to travel that much, especially with a bus. But it was cool to hang out with all these experienced guys. I made some new connections and it was cool."
One of the Griffins connections Seider made was with Joe Veleno, who the Red Wings selected 30th overall in the 2018 NHL Draft. Seider and Veleno were roommates in Grand Rapids last season, and the two were reunited more than 4,000 miles away on November 10 when Seider's club played the Malmo Redhawks, who recently acquired Veleno on loan from the Wings.
Seider's team earned a 2-0 victory over Veleno's Redhawks, with Seider earning an assist in the matchup. The defenseman said he had a chance to lay a big hit on his former roommate during the game, but thought better of it.
"I thought about it! I had a chance one time, but I was just saying hello in a nice way," Seider said jokingly about dropping the hammer on Veleno. "It was really interesting playing against your roommate from last year. He does a hell of a job in Malmo. We had a chance to play against each other once, so I'm looking forward to the other matches. It was obviously a little weird playing against him. You for sure notice him because of his skill."
While Seider and Veleno continue growing their relationship and developing their games in Sweden, Seider said he's eager to get back to the U.S. to begin cultivating relationships with current Red Wings players.
The Zell, Germany native is excited for the chance to play with his countryman, goaltender Thomas Greiss, who the Wings signed this offseason to replace Jimmy Howard.
"I'm really looking forward to finally having a German on (my) team. I've always been a fan of Thomas Greiss," Seider said. "He achieved a lot of things with the Islanders, and his whole career has been remarkable. It's great having him on (my) side now, and I can't wait to meet him."
And while Seider is excited to interact with Greiss and the rest of his Red Wings teammates, he said he's mostly looking forward to performing for the fans of Hockeytown as soon as possible.
"Hopefully everyone is (staying) healthy and keeping patient and trying to stay safe," he said. "Everyone in the hockey world can't wait to play in North America again. We can't wait to come back to the Motor City and perform for you guys. I'm really looking forward to that."
