If there’s been a glaring omission among the Detroit Red Wings draft picks during the Steve Yzerman era, it’s been the appearance of a diamond in the rough. Good teams find late-round picks who develop into serviceable NHL players.
It’s looking as though the Red Wings may have finally hit that jackpot in left-winger Emmitt Finnie. The 201st player chosen in the 2023 NHL entry draft. Finnie is already under contract. He’s even played three AHL games for the Grand Rapids Griffins.
“Shows where he’s at, shows we believe in him, like him,” Detroit director of player development Dan Cleary said.
The seventh round of the draft is when teams roll the dice, take a shot on a player they hope could ultimately develop into something. It isn’t supposed to happen as fast as it’s happening with Finnie, however.
“He’s looked good,” Cleary said. “For me, when you go watch him play, say you go in October and you’re back again in December, it feels like he just grew each time you meet him.
“He started getting bigger, his chest fills out. When he was in Grand Rapids for the games he played, he didn’t look out of place at all because he’s smart, he knows where to be positionally.
“All it’s going to take is a little more experience, a little more maturity but he’s a nice player. I really like Emmitt.”
Red Wings Trying To Bring Finnie’s Inner Confidence
Giving a larger role last season with a rebuilding Kamloops Blazers club in the WHL, Finnie would count 19 goals and a team-leading 59 points in 62 games.
“We had a younger team in Kamloops, so I took a bigger role offensively,” Finnie said. “I logged some big minutes for our team, so I felt like I put myself in a great spot. I was trying to play a two-way game.”
While they like the growth their seeing in Finnie’s game, the Red Wings would also like to see Finnie step up the bravado a bit more.
“When I talk to him, he’s really quiet,” Cleary said. “He’s a really good strong player but I’d like him to have a little more swagger to himself.
“We keep trying to instill that confidence in him. He believes he’s a good player. Once they start to believe it, they’ll start to show it more on the ice.”
Though he’s had his first taste of the pros, at 19, Finnie will go back to Kamloops for his last season of junior eligibility.
“Emmitt’s quiet but he moves well,” Cleary said. He’s a strong skater. He’s a nice player, he’s smart, he’s going to have a nice season in Kamloops and then he’s going to turn pro.”
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