One of the best stories, not just for the Detroit Red Wings but across the entire NHL this past season, was the emergence of 21-year-old forward Emmitt Finnie, who went from an AHL grinder to a full-time NHL regular in the span of just a few years.
The Lethbridge, Alberta, native was a seventh-round pick by Detroit back in the 2023 NHL Draft and built a reputation for hard work that followed him at every step of his hockey career.Â
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After being drafted, Finnie got his first taste of pro hockey the following season, appearing in three games with the Grand Rapids Griffins once his Canadian junior season had wrapped up, an early look that gave him a sense of the tools he would need to sharpen before returning to the AHL.
Finnie took that development to heart, posting a massive jump in production during the final season of his junior career. His point total climbed from 59 to 84, with his goal-scoring seeing the biggest leap, nearly doubling from 19 to 37.
At the conclusion of the 2024-25 season, Finnie again made the jump up to the AHL, returning to Grand Rapids and producing right away, recording five points in ten games. With another offseason of hard work behind him, Finnie made the full-time jump to the pros this past season, and it paid off in a big way.Â
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He earned a spot on Detroit‘s opening night roster and quickly became a fixture in the Red Wings‘ lineup. In his first NHL season, Finnie experienced the natural ups and downs of a rookie campaign, working through hot streaks and cold stretches along the way. Still, he finished the year with a promising 13 goals and 17 assists for 30 points, all while showing remarkable durability, playing in all 82 games without missing any time.
Now, the second year of Finnie’s Red Wings tenure shapes up as one of the more fascinating storylines to watch early in the season. Having rapidly improved in each of the last three seasons, with his production growing at every stop along the way, the question becomes what the young riser has left in the tank, and what a full offseason dedicated to preparing for full-time NHL competition could mean for his continued development.
If Finnie continues on this trajectory as a rapid riser, it’s worth wondering whether his numbers could climb into reliable 45- to 50-plus point territory in the seasons ahead. Should that happen, the Red Wings would have quite the weapon tucked away in their back pocket, an unexpected seventh-round pick who has quietly grown into one of the best draft selections the franchise has made in the last decade.
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