from Greg Wyshynski of ESPN,

They've heard his name a lot in Detroit this season. It comes up in discussions about the Calder Trophy, as Seider, 20, is among the top candidates for NHL rookie of the year honors, a field that includes his teammate Lucas Raymond.

Mostly, they've heard his name during game action. No Red Wings skater plays as much as Seider has in 56 games, averaging 23:02 in ice time per game, a frequency that defies his first-year status. In fact, only one rookie defenseman in the past 10 years has played as much as Seider has this season: Miro Heiskanen of the Dallas Stars in 2018-19 (23:07), and that's just a five-second difference on average.

Did Seider expect to play this much in his first NHL season?

"Yeah, not really," Seider said. "My expectation coming into this year was just getting a spot and playing on a night-to-night basis. Just playing a solid game and finding chemistry with all the 'Ds' that are on the team."

But his coach, Jeff Blashill, had a different expectation. He had seen Seider play in Germany, the AHL and in Sweden's top league last season. He witnessed a player who could handle the ice time and play in every situation.

"The impact he had on those teams was tremendous. As we got into the year, we felt like he had a chance to be a real good player, real early on," said Blashill, who played Seider over 20 minutes a night in 12 of his first 13 NHL games. "I don't like to necessarily pay attention to birth certificates. I think it's more important how effective they are."...

"He's a strong guy who likes to be physical. I think he had to learn how to leverage his body against bigger men. And I think the men in the NHL are obviously world-class athletes," Blashill said.

"He's still in the process of learning how much he can bite off in different situations. When he can jump into the play. Not to necessarily lead the rush, but be a factor in joining the rush. When to take his chance to attack and when to live another day. Those are things that are improving and I think they'll continue to improve for Mo."

Mo. Moritz. Whatever the name, it's one to remember, as a pillar of the Detroit Red Wings' revitalization and potentially as the NHL's top rookie this season.

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