The Hockey News has released its archive to all THN subscribers: 76 years of history, stories, and features. Enjoy this sneak preview of one of the latest issues from January featuring an in-depth piece on Detroit's Emmitt Finnie.

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THE DETROIT RED WINGS have long held a reputation for having the ability to unearth hidden gems deep in drafts. To confirm that, however, we have to go all the way back to the last century for Detroit’s drafting of Hall of Famer Pavel Datsyuk in the sixth round in 1998, then the discovery of 2008 Conn Smythe winner Henrik Zetterberg in the seventh at the 1999 prospect call.

Lately, Detroit has been hitting more on high picks. But Detroit GM Steve Yzerman may have harkened back to that tradition in 2023 when he called Emmitt Finnie’s name with the 201st pick.

The Kamloops Blazers center was the 32nd of 33 players selected from a highly touted crop of WHL talent headlined by Connor Bedard. Now in his first pro season, Finnie is one of the most surprising success stories in the NHL’s 2025-26 rookie class. After a strong showing in training camp, he seized a plum assignment on the left side of the Wings’ top line with captain Dylan Larkin and offensive catalyst Lucas Raymond – and he hasn’t let go.

Finnie, who’s been logging just under 17 minutes a game, carved out a spot among the NHL’s top 10 rookie scorers and has earned high praise from his coach. “Everybody gets energized when Emmitt’s around them,” Todd McLellan said. “He’s very coachable. The pace of play and his confidence with the puck make a big difference to our team.”

Finnie’s ascent is the product of a dogged work ethic and a determination to beat the odds. In 2018, he and his brother, Marshall – who’s 18 months older – relocated from their hometown of Lethbridge, Alta., to Abbotsford, B.C., when they were both accepted into Yale Hockey Academy. Teammates included eventual 2023 first-rounders Zach Benson and Tanner Molendyk.

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When Finnie was chosen by the Blazers in the fourth round of the 2020 WHL draft, he was still undersized at just 5-foot-3 and 110 pounds. This season, he clocks in at 6-foot-1 and 195 pounds.

Finnie made the jump to the WHL in the fall of 2021. He took a big step when the Blazers, captained by the relentless Logan Stankoven, hosted the 2023 Memorial Cup. “I took a lot from that season,” Finnie said. “We had lots of older guys, and there’s a couple that are playing in the NHL now – Fraser Minten, Olen Zellweger and ‘Stanks,’ obviously. Seeing what they were doing on a daily basis, I tried to carry that into myself. That’s when my development kind of took off.”

FINN-TASTIC FRESHMAN

On the top line with Raymond and Larkin, Finnie is currently top 10 in rookie scoring.

Finnie made enough of an impression on Detroit’s scouting staff to earn a late-round selection, then went from 35 points in his draft year to 59 in 2023-24 and a team-leading 84 points in 2024-25, when he was also serving as the Blazers’ captain.

Though Finnie was chosen late, the Red Wings have given him every opportunity to develop his game.

In the springs of both 2024 and 2025, Finnie joined the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins after his WHL season ended. He suited up for 16 games, including three playoff contests. Then, last August, he moved into a ‘rookie house’ for a month of pre-season training and bonding with a trio of first-rounders: Axel Sandin-Pellikka, Michael Brandsegg-Nygard and fellow WHLer Nate Danielson. Suddenly, Finnie was spending every day with Detroit’s elite prospects, who had every reason to believe that an NHL roster spot was within reach. “We’d get to go to the rink, skate and train together every day,” Finnie said. “Then, we’d golf pretty much every day after. It was always competitive. We had some good battles on the golf course.”

The Red Wings are also known for letting prospects overripen. But that’s starting to change under Yzerman, and the youth movement is now paying off. The Red Wings are in the mix to snap their nine-year playoff drought, with eight roster regulars under 25, including Finnie, playing key roles. “He’s had to scrap his way up from basically every league, from what I understand, and he’s worked his way into our lineup now,” McLellan said. “Never once have we contemplated, ‘Does he need a rest? Should he come out? Should he watch a game?’ Which you often do with young players.”

As a youngster in Lethbridge, Finnie’s admiration for local product Kris Versteeg cemented his Chicago Blackhawks fandom during those Cup-winning years in the early 2010s. Never did he imagine that he’d start his NHL career as a teammate of one-time Blackhawks legend Patrick Kane.

Kane joined the Red Wings in November of 2023, five months after Finnie was drafted. “When he signed here, I never really thought there was a possibility that I’d get to play with him,” Finnie said. “He’s been great to me. He helps a lot with little things, and getting to watch how he prepares and takes care of his body has been huge for me.”

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