Detroit prospects Emmitt Finnie and Nate Danielson delivered impressive performances in the Red Wings’ 3-2 preseason-opening win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday.

The Red Wings' top prospects were on display Tuesday during Detroit's 3-2 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks in their preseason opener. The win extended the Red Wings winning streak in preseason openers to seven, and improved their record to 9-4 against the Blackhawks in their last 13 exhibition matchups. Stealing the show was 20-year-old Emmitt Finnie, who netted a goal and dished a highlight reel assist for the first star of the game. 

It was an exciting sight for fans in attendance as the future of the franchise was in full display as Finnie, a seventh round pick by the Red Wings in 2023, skated alongside top prospects Nate Danielson (9th overall in 2023) and Michael Brandsegg-Nygard (15th overall in 2024). The trio made an impact in their second-line roles, logging around 15 minutes each, with Brandsegg-Nygard seeing closer to 17 minutes with additional time on the power play. 

Finnie proved to be a 'tenacious' player according to Red Wings head coach Todd McLellan post-game and it showed when he forced a turnover in the Blackhawks end. He kept the offensive zone possession alive and worked the puck back to the point before a shot from the point by Ian Mitchell and a rebound off a shot from Brandsegg-Nygard, gave Finnie an open net for the go-ahead goal. 

Danielson made his presence felt at both ends of the ice, connecting well with Finnie on several offensive sequences. One standout moment came when Finnie created space with a slick series of dekes and set up Danielson for a quick one-timer, but the shot hit the outside of the net. Danielson would eventually find the scoresheet, crashing the net as the puck worked its way back to Wallinder at the point. Wallinder’s shot was perfectly redirected by Danielson, beating the Blackhawks goaltender for his first goal of the preseason. 

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Brandsegg-Nygard was all over the ice, contributing a pair of assists, three shots on net, four hits as well as a tripping penalty that led to a Connor Bedard goal. His play earned himself the second star of the game as he made some influential plays throughout that led to scoring chances like early in the first period on a two-on-one fast break or when setting up a handful of opportunities on the power play.

The line caught the attention of McLellan, who said the trio of youngsters had a 'tremendous night' and that he liked how their play developed and gained confidence further into the game. 

"You talk about gas pedal and brake all three of them were, were race cars tonight," McLellan explained "I thought they were really involved in the game, as the night wore on, you could see them get more and more confident and kind of gave themselves permission to belong, that's a good sign so they had good games."

Another standout came from Carter Mazur, the Red Wings’ 2021 third-round pick, who delivered a stellar performance. The 23-year-old Michigan native made headlines in the hockey world last season when suffering a season-ending injured early into his NHL debut. Mazur dreamed of playing for the Red Wings growing up and returned from a hard off-season of rehab and played well in his first action. He finished a finesse through-the-legs pass from Finnie for an easy goal on a one-timer. 

Mazur could've scored more than once as his physical, gritty style of play earned him several scoring chances including a breakaway in the second period that was turned away. His physicality at one point drew a cross-checking penalty from Chicago's Ethan Del Mastro. 

Following the game, Mazur was happy to be back with the team and explained his transformation of adding 12 to 15 pounds of muscle to hopefully prevent future injuries from continuing to derail his development. 

"It's a good feeling to score, especially in front of these fans, and it's a dream of mine to play for the Detroit Red Wings, and just to wear the sweater, I have to take pride and just do the best I can," Mazur said "I'm at 197 to 200 pounds right now, I notice it a lot out there, I know I can use my body more against players, and it's just, really just keeping weight on my frame. I know I've been hurt a lot, so it's something that I needed to do."

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McLellan commented on Mazur's game by saying in preseason games it's easier to see little things in that can excel in a players game compared to training camp with so many other skaters around them drawing attention. He explained that Mazur's preseason opener had some notable moments and that he only expects him to get better with the added weight.

"I thought Carter, like our team, started a little bit slow, and then got himself going in the second period, he had some nice touches, broke up some plays, but also made in tight, little offensive plays," McLellan noted "He's just getting used to carrying that weight around too, so we expect him to get even faster and anticipate a little bit more once that weight settles in and he can carry it around the ice and it should protect them more from injury, but I think he's just going to get better."

"Unbelievable Player": Carter Mazur Lauds Emmitt Finnie After Multi-Point Performance Tuesday night's game between the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/detroit-red-wings">Detroit Red Wings</a> and the Chicago Blackhawks may have only been a pre-season game, but if the performance of prospect Emmitt Finnie is any indication of potential things to come, fans are going to quickly come to love him.

Building on that momentum, the Red Wings' newest first-round pick, Carter Bear, made an impressive debut. Thrust into a significant role right away, he logged nearly 21 minutes of ice time and registered three shots on goal, showcasing poise and confidence beyond his years.

The 18-year-old winger was the last player off the ice in warmups and showed offensive talents that garnered his first round selection. McLellan admired Bear's first game with the Red Wings but did note that his young frame was noticeable and that he will need to age a bit more before getting regular NHL minutes. 

Bear's offensive skillset is evident but adding weight is something he likely needs to work on. His most notable plays of the game were his scoring chances while playing with NHLers in J.T. Compher and Jonatan Berggren on the first line.

The Red Wings will resume their preseason on Thursday when they host the Buffalo Sabres, before hitting the road for matchups against the Penguins in Pittsburgh and the Sabres again but in Buffalo.

"We Have To Make The Playoffs": Andrew Copp Has Blunt Expectation For Red Wings in 2025-26 The <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/detroit-red-wings">Detroit Red Wings</a> enjoyed one of the longest postseason streaks in professional sports, qualifying for the Stanley Cup Playoffs every season from 1991 through 2016.

Red Wings Preseason Lines vs Blackhawks

Bear-Compher-Berggren

Finnie-Danielson-Brandsegg-Nygard

Leonard-Dries-Mazur

Seger-Becher-Watson

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Wallinder-Hamonic

Lagesson-Sandin Pellikka

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Cossa

Postava

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