Duffer’s Dabbles: Another Honor For Red Wings Seider

Another week, another honor for Detroit Red Wings rookie defenseman Moritz Seider.

The Alliance of European Hockey Clubs (EHC) presented its Young Player of The Year Award for the 2020-21 season and it’s Seider who’s the winner. Seider played last season for Rogle of the Swedish Hockey League. He was named SHL defenseman of the year.

One of the other finalists for the award was Red Wings farmhand Jonatan Berggren. He’s currently playing for the AHL Grand Rapids Griffins. Last season with Skelleftea AIK, Berggren was seventh in SHL scoring.

Down On The Farm

Speaking of the Griffins, they’ve signed a pair of players to professional tryout contracts and both have familiar names to Grand Rapids fans.

Playing for the Griffins last season, left-winger Max Humitz posted 3-2-5 in numbers in eight games. From Livonia, Michigan, he began the current season with the ECHL Kalamazoo Wings.

Also signing is defenseman D.J. King. The first-year pro was skating with the ECHL Fort Wayne Komets.

King is the son of longtime NHLer and former Griffin Derek King. Derek King played for Grand Rapids from Griffins from 1999-01 and 2002-04, totaling 203 points (73-130-203) in 264 games to rank fifth on the team’s all-time scoring list.

The IHL’s regular-season scoring champion from 2000-01, Derek King remains the Griffins’ career playoff scoring leader with 41 points (16-25-41) in 46 games. When D.J. makes his debut with Grand Rapids, the Kings will join Chris (2008-09) and Jake (2018-19) Chelios as the second father-son duo to have played for the Griffins.

The Griffins play Friday and Saturday at Van Andel Arena against the Manitoba Moose. Both games are 7 p.m. starts.

Around The League

Vegas: Now that the dealing’s done, a breakdown of how the Jack Eichel trade shakes out for the Golden Knights and Sabres.

Vegas: Might the salary cap-strapped Golden Knights opt to “Kucherov” Eichel until the Stanley Cup playoffs?

Calgary: Maybe you were believing in the Matthew Tkachuk for Eichel trade rumor. Tkachuk is insisting he never bought it for a second.

Pittsburgh: Coach Mike Sullivan is the latest member of the Penguins to test postive for COVID-19.

Detroit: Tyler Bertuzzi’s decision to pass on the COVID-19 vaccine and not play in Canada will be an ongoing issue for the Red Wings.

Washington: Former Red Wings forward Anthony Mantha left the Capitals loss to Florida on Thursday with an upper-body injury.

Boston: A look at Detroit’s 5-1 loss at TD Garden on Thursday from a Bruins point of view.