Red Wings’ Moritz Ceder wins the Calder Cup as the NHL Rookie of the Year
Detroit – There was no doubting how good Moritz Cedar could have been in his rookie season in the NHL, but that became crystal clear on Tuesday at the NHL Awards Show.
Seider, the Red Wings’ first-year defender, won the NHL’s Calder Cup, awarded “to the player selected as the most efficient in his first year of competition” by the Professional Hockey Writers Association.
Anaheim’s Trevor Zegras and Toronto’s Michael Ponting were among the other finalists.
Cider escaped by voting, receiving 170 of the 195 votes cast for 1,853 voting points. Zegras received 15 first-place votes and was the second-choice out of 100 other votes for 1,191 points, followed by Bunting with 877 points (seven first-place choices).
“It’s crazy,” Seider said on a phone call with Detroit media afterwards. “But you are so grateful and honored. I am so happy to bring something back to Detroit. I know it’s been a long time.”
Cider’s teammate Lucas Raymond finished fourth with 499 points. Raymond got 1st, 10th 2nd and 40th 3rd votes.
Seider and Raymond are both named to the All-Rookie Team.
Ceder led all rookie defensemen with 50 points (seven goals, 43 assists), a total that only two rookie defenders have passed in the last 30 years: Vancouver’s Quinn Hughes (53) in 2019-20 and Vladimir Malakoff of the New York Islanders. . (52) in 1992-93.
Only Reed Larson (60 points, 1977-78) and Niklas Liedstrom (60 points, 1991-1992) have surpassed 50 points as rookie defenders in Red Wings history.
Cider becomes the first defensive man in Red Wings history to win the Calder Cup. Cider is the sixth player in franchise history to be named NHL Newcomer of the Year, joining goalkeepers Roger Crozer (1964-65), Glenn Hall (1955-56) and Terry Suchchuck (1950-1951), and forwards Jim McFadden (1947). ) -48) and Karl Voss (1932-33).
“The locker room,” Seder said, noting that his teammates were the main reason for his rapid development. “Once you have confidence, getting out there is a lot easier. All my teammates were pushing me hard and I enjoyed every moment, so it was very easy to come to the rink and try to improve.”
Ceder is the 13th man of defense in National Hockey League history to win the Calder Cup and only third in the last 12 seasons, joining Colorado Cal McCarr in 2019-20 and Florida’s Aaron Ekblad in 2014-15.
Chris Illich, Governor, President, and CEO; Steve Laserman, Executive Vice President and General Manager; Alternate Governor Jimmy DeVillano and Dylan Larkin were among the representatives of the Red Wings who traveled to Tampa for the presentation.
“A really nice surprise,” Cedar said. “The entire organization flew (down) here and it’s really cool to see not only your leader and fellow teammate protecting you, but the whole organization. I’m so glad Larks sat next to me. It’s really nice to be there.”
Said Ilic in a statement: “Congratulations to Moritz Ceder on the well-deserved Calder Memorial Cup as the Newcomer to the NHL Player of the Year. Mo immediately became an influential player and set several junior records for the Red Wings this year, and I’m proud to join our team, fans, and the NHL in applauding his accomplishments.
“We are thrilled about Mo and his family, and we look forward to his bright future as we all work towards our goal of bringing the Stanley Cup back to Hockey Town.”
Coincidentally, Seider was the sixth overall pick in the 2019 entry draft after exactly three years now. Yzerman made a surprising choice in the estimation of many analysts as he formulated Seider’s estimation unexpectedly high.
But the Seder formulation proved to be the right move.
“Moretz has had an amazing season with the Detroit Red Wings, and he greatly deserves the Calder Memorial Cup,” Iserman said in a statement. His campaign is for beginners and we look forward to his continued development.”
Ceder led all juniors in 2021-22 (attackers and defenders) in assists (43), strength assists (19) and strengths (21), while ranking first among the top five in shots on goal (187; third), points (50 ; fourth) and winning goals (four; tied for fifth).
Cider has played in all 82 games and topped all starters in total ice time (1889 minutes 22 seconds) and minutes per game (23:02).
“As you play in all 82 games, at the end you look in the mirror and (I know) you gave your best,” Seder said.
His teammates were impressed with Seider and the way he handled the rookie on and off the ice.
“Moe has earned a lot of respect across the league, not just from his teammates but from opponents,” said striker Sam Gagner during his end-of-season press conference. “The way he played, the way he carried himself. You look at the first game of the year against Tampa and he was really kind of in that respect, he wasn’t afraid of the moment and he just kept growing.
“It’s a long year that you haven’t played in the NHL before. There’s a lot of ups and downs. Precisely with our season, with the difficulties we had in the second half, it makes it seem longer, and Mo just kept playing, he kept getting better. He did all the Really something for us.
“From an off-ice perspective, he has already become our leader. He understands the leadership aspect and is not afraid to be himself. The sky is his limit.”
ted.kulfan@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @tkulfan
NHL Award Winners
► Hart Memorial Trophy (MVP) – Auston Matthews, Toronto
► Vazina Cup (Goalkeeper) – Igor Shesterkin, New York Rangers
► James Norris Memorial Cup (Defender) – Cal McCar, Colorado
► Calder Memorial Cup (Beginner) – Moritz Ceder, Detroit
► Frank J. Silk Cup (Defensive Striker) – Patrice Bergeron, Boston
► Lady Bing Memorial Cup (most amazing) – Kyle Connor, Winnipeg
Jack Adams Award (Coach) – Daryl Sutter, Calgary
King Clancy’s Cup (Humanitarian Contribution to Hockey) – BK Suban, Montreal
Marc Messier NHL Leadership Award (Outstanding leadership qualities on and off the ice) – Anzi Kopetar, Los Angeles
