Finnie Leaves Positive Impression on Red Wings Coach

Detroit Red Wings coach Todd McLellan had heard the stories about Emmitt Finnie. Now he knows for sure that they weren’t tall tales.

“I’d heard about Emmitt and his game, but he’s really grown on me,” McLellan said on the club’s website. “The pace of play, the detail that he has, the courage that he has to take pucks to the net, the tenacity that he plays with.

“So he’s in one spot, then he’s getting to the next with some meaning.”

Emmitt Finnie nets one on his penalty shot attempt!#LGRW #GoGRG pic.twitter.com/z66YkhSsoR

— Hockeytown West Podcast (@HockeytownWpod) September 20, 2025

During Saturday’s final day of training camp workouts, Finnie, the club’s seventh-round pick in the 2023 NHL entry draft, got his chance to work on the club’s top line alongside captain Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond.

“Emmitt Finnie played pretty damn well up there,” McLellan said.

Finnie Battling To Make Red Wings

Ever since the Red Wings drafted him, Finnie has been one step ahead on the learning curve. He didn’t look out of place the past two seasons when coming up to the AHL Grand Rapids Griffins following the conclusion of his junior campaign with the WHL Kamloops Blazers.

McLellan is witnessing that same level of determination and competitiveness from Finnie in Red Wings camp.

EMMITT FINNIE FIRST PRO GOAL🚨 #LGRW #GoGRG pic.twitter.com/ajFIbJqUYb

— Red Wings Prospects (@LGRWProspects) April 6, 2025

“I told the group today that there’s some players that have come here and they’re kind of riding the brakes a little bit,” McLellan said. “Maybe (they’re) afraid to make mistakes. And then there’s players that have come to make the team.

“And if you’ve been riding the brake a little bit, figure out who you are and let loose. You can’t play conservative all the time. If you make mistakes, we’ll help you. But if your biggest mistake is you’re playing with your foot on the brake all the time, we can’t help you with that.

“And I don’t think Emmett’s been one that’s been riding the brake. He’s been full on the gas.”